Best Time to Ride · Surfing · December · North America

Where to go surfing in North America in December

The 19 best surfing spots in North America in December, ranked by wave height.

Find the best time to goTap a spot to see when to go: wind, waves, water temperature, sun and rain in every month, from years of weather statistics.

Updated October 2026 · weather data 2022–2026

In short

Best for surfing in North America in December: Kauai – Hanalei Bay (United States), Maui – Honolua Bay (United States) & Oahu – Pipeline (United States).
Water at the top 10: 10–28°C.
Warm enough for no wetsuit: Kauai – Hanalei Bay, Maui – Honolua Bay & Oahu – Pipeline.
For beginners: Morro Bay, Santa Cruz – Cowell's & Tofino – Long Beach.

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1

Kauai – Hanalei BayUnited States · water 26°C · air 25°C2.8 m wavesIntermediate and up · no wetsuit · ✈ LIH 32 km 2

Maui – Honolua BayUnited States · water 26°C · air 27°C2.1 m wavesAdvanced only · no wetsuit · ✈ JHM 7 km 3

Oahu – PipelineUnited States · water 26°C · air 27°C2.8 m wavesAdvanced only · no wetsuit · ✈ HNL 41 km 4

CabareteDominican Republic · water 28°C · air 28°C1.8 m wavesIntermediate and up · no wetsuit · ✈ POP 17 km 5

Morro BayUnited States · water 15°C · air 18°C2 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 5/4 wetsuit and boots · ✈ SBP 25 km 6

Santa Cruz – Cowell'sUnited States · water 14°C · air 16°C2.3 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 5/4 wetsuit and boots · ✈ MRY 45 km 7

Mavericks – Half Moon BayUnited States · water 14°C · air 15°C2 m wavesAdvanced only · 5/4 wetsuit and boots · ✈ SFO 18 km 8

Tofino – Long BeachCanada · water 10°C · air 8°C2.9 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 5/4 wetsuit, hood, boots and gloves · ✈ YAZ 1 km 9

Westport – WashingtonUnited States · water 10°C · air 10°C3.3 m wavesIntermediate and up · 5/4 wetsuit, hood, boots and gloves · ✈ OLM 92 km 10

Short Sands – OregonUnited States · water 11°C · air 11°C2.8 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 5/4 wetsuit, hood, boots and gloves · ✈ PDX 108 km 11

Puerto Escondido – ZicatelaMexico · water 29°C · air 32°C1.1 m wavesAdvanced only · no wetsuit · ✈ PXM 4 km 12

SayulitaMexico · air 27°C1.5 m wavesBeginner-friendly · ✈ PVR 29 km 13

Cocoa BeachUnited States · water 21°C · air 23°C1.1 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 3/2 wetsuit · ✈ MLB 30 km 14

Wrightsville BeachUnited States · water 14°C · air 14°C1.3 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 5/4 wetsuit and boots · ✈ ILM 13 km 15

Folly Beach – The WashoutUnited States · water 14°C · air 15°C1.3 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 5/4 wetsuit and boots · ✈ CHS 28 km 16

Blacks Beach – La JollaUnited States · water 16°C · air 19°C1 m wavesAdvanced only · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ SAN 18 km 17

Huntington BeachUnited States · water 17°C · air 19°C0.8 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ SNA 13 km 18

Trestles – San ClementeUnited States · water 17°C · air 18°C1 m wavesIntermediate and up · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ CLD 40 km 19

Malibu – Surfrider BeachUnited States · water 16°C · air 20°C0.8 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ LAX 27 km

The 19 spots with the best surfing conditions in December, from years of weather data, ranked by wave height and, a little, warm water. Wave height: average daily maximum.

Questions

Where is the best surfing in North America in December?

Kauai – Hanalei Bay (United States): 2.8 m waves; Maui – Honolua Bay (United States): 2.1 m waves; Oahu – Pipeline (United States): 2.8 m waves.

Where is the water warm in December?

Puerto Escondido – Zicatela: 29°C, no wetsuit; Cabarete: 28°C, no wetsuit; Kauai – Hanalei Bay: 26°C, no wetsuit.

Where can beginners go surfing in December?

Good spots for beginners this month: Morro Bay, Santa Cruz – Cowell's & Tofino – Long Beach.

Other months

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