Today’s rating

How our A to F beach rating works

Every beach gets a letter for today, A to F. It adds up the ocean, lifeguards, the weather, getting there and restrooms, worked out the same way for every beach. It’s our own rating, not a safety rating.

Read this first

Surf, currents and weather change by the hour, and from one end of a beach to the other. The surf forecast covers a whole shore, not one beach. An A can still be dangerous for you. Lifeguards, posted signs and official notices always come first. Ask a lifeguard, or call the Kauaʻi Ocean Safety Bureau at 808-241-4984.

The grades

A	90 to 100 points
B	80 to 89
C	70 to 79
D	60 to 69
F	Under 60

The ocean can cap the grade. Surf at the Weather Service’s High Surf Advisory height, an official advisory for the beach, or a Weather Service warning means no better than D. Warning-height surf or a tsunami warning means F, and so does an official closure. When the surf forecast is more than a day old, the page shows “No rating” instead of guessing.

What goes into it

The ocean	40 points	The Weather Service surf forecast for the beach’s shore, measured against that shore’s High Surf Advisory height, and how sheltered the beach is. Full points when the surf is well under the advisory height for this beach, 26 when it’s big enough to make the beach rough at times, 10 at the advisory height, 0 at the warning height.
Lifeguard on duty	15 points	15 when the beach’s tower is staffed (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.). 0 with no tower, or when the tower is closed.
Weather	25 points	The Weather Service forecast for that spot, for now. Points come off for rain (3 at a 20% chance, 7 at 40%, 12 at 70%), thunderstorms (15), wind (4 at 18 mph, 8 at 25 mph) and any Weather Service watch or advisory (5). If the forecast doesn’t load, the rating leaves it out.
Getting there	15 points	15 for parking next to the sand, 9 when parking is limited or booked ahead or there’s a walk in, 3 for a steep trail, rough road or long walk. Our own call, listed below.
Restrooms	5 points	5 when the County or State lists restrooms at the park.

Closures and advisories come from County of Kauaʻi, DLNR and Hawaiʻi Department of Health notices, checked every 3 hours. Surf heights: Weather Service

Surf heights the Weather Service uses

Shore	High Surf Advisory	High Surf Warning
North-facing	15 ft	25 ft
West-facing	12 ft	20 ft
South-facing	10 ft	15 ft
East-facing	10 ft	15 ft

Face height, trough to crest. The ocean loses points once its surf reaches half the advisory height, sooner on exposed beaches and later on sheltered ones.

How sheltered each beach is

Sheltered: a reef or wall shelters the swimming area

Partly sheltered: a bay, point or reef breaks some of the surf

Exposed: open to the ocean, with no reef in front

How easy each beach is to reach

Easy: parking next to the sand

Some effort: limited or booked parking, or a walk in

Hard: a steep trail, rough road or long walk

What it leaves out

Tide, currents at a particular spot, water quality between Health Department tests, crowds, and anything a lifeguard can see from the tower. Read the surf by shore, each beach’s known hazards, and posted signs.