Hawaii rip currents and high surf

Every recorded rip current or surf record since 1996 · 4 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 9,301 rip current and surf records in Hawaii from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 329 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 30, 1997 high surf in Kauai County: 4 deaths. Hawaii ranks 1st of 34 states and territories by count and 1st of 34 per square mile.

Rip currents and high surf in Hawaii, 1996 to 2026

Surf records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

recorded, no damage figure
under $1 million
$1 million or more
$10 million or more
$100 million or more, or 10 deaths
$1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
a year with a death

Records: 9,3011996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000: 329average
Deaths: 4573 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $20Mas filed
Busiest year: 2015516 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are rip current and surf records common in Hawaii?

Hawaii averages about 329 rip current and surf records a year since 2000, 1st of 34 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2015 (516). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Hawaii records 14482 rip current and surf records since 1996, 1st of 34 states and territories by that measure.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Hawaii have the most rip current and surf records?

Per square mile, Kauai County leads Hawaii: 986 days with a rip current or surf record since 1996, 1590.7 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Maui County has the most surf records (2,891 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

Kauai County 1590.7 (2,719)
Honolulu County 1569.6 (2,398)
Maui County 548.4 (2,891)
Hawaii County 125.1 (1,001)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the surf season in Hawaii?

Hawaii's rip current and surf records by month. The busiest month is January (1,372 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 1,372 · Feb 1,207 · Mar 1,035 · Apr 656 · May 366 · Jun 541 · Jul 433 · Aug 370 · Sep 489 · Oct 721 · Nov 865 · Dec 1,246 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest rip current and surf records in Hawaii?

Hawaii: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
1997-01-30	High SurfKauai County · forecast zone Maui Several low pressure centers moving across the north central Pacific generated swell that produced surf of 8 to 12 feet with occasional sets to 15 feet along the north and west facing shores of the islands. Four tourists, 3 from Georgia and 1 from Utah, drowned in the high surf at Keanae Point, Maui at approximately 2 ...	4	0	–
2019-01-11	High SurfMaui County · forecast zone Maui Windward West One storm episode: 4 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A swell from a powerful low far northwest of the Aloha State caused surf of 20 to 35 feet along the north- and west-facing shores of Niihau and Kauai, and along the north-facing shores of Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; 10 to 20 feet along the west-facing shores of Oahu and Molokai; and 8 to 12 feet along the west-facing ...	4	0	–
2008-10-12	High SurfKauai County · forecast zone Kauai Windward A deep low far north of the area generated surf of 12 to 18 feet along the north-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; and 8 to 12 feet along the west-facing shores of Niihau and Kauai. Three individuals died as a direct result from the high surf. Two females, ages 33 and 38, were swept out to sea ...	3	0	–
2015-07-25	High SurfHonolulu County · forecast zone Oahu South Shore A swell from the southern hemisphere generated surf of 8 to 15 feet along the south-facing shores of all the islands. With the unusually high surf, lifeguards made 3000 preventive actions and 39 rescues on south and west shores just on Oahu alone. One soldier from Schofield Barracks was swept out to sea and drowned ...	2	0	–
2013-01-17	High SurfKauai County · forecast zone Kauai Windward A swell from a powerful low far northwest of the islands generated surf of 15 to 30 feet along the north- and west-facing shores of Niihau and Kauai, and the north-facing shores of Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; 10 to 20 feet along the west-facing shores of Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; 10 to 15 feet along the west-facing shores ...	2	0	–
2016-07-16	High SurfHonolulu County · forecast zone Olomana A northeast swell caused by former Hurricane Celia generated surf of 6 to 12 feet along the east-facing shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii. The initial surge of energy produced rough conditions at Oahu's Makapuu Tidepools on the 16th, which resulted in the death of a father and ...	2	0	–
1996-05-26	High SurfKauai County · forecast zone Kauai Windward A fall storm in the southern hemisphere, to the south of Tahiti, generated large ocean swell around May 19th. Surf with sets to 6 feet built along the south shores of the Hawaiian Islands during the late morning hours of the 26th. Lifeguards conducted 100 water rescues by waverunner, including 33 at Waikiki. Three ...	1	3	–
2015-10-27	High SurfHonolulu County · forecast zone Oahu North Shore One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A swell from a powerful low far northwest of the Aloha State generated surf of 15 to 25 feet along the north-facing shores of all the islands except Lanai; 10 to 20 feet along the west-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; and 8 to 12 feet along the west-facing shores of the Big Island. In the ...	1	3	–
2024-10-14	High SurfHonolulu County · forecast zone Oahu North Shore Three people were swept into the ocean by a large wave at Keiki Beach. Two of the people were pulled out of the water unconscious and one person was pulled out of the water conscious by Ocean Safety. One person was pronounced dead at the scene by Honolulu Emergency Medical Services and another was taken to the ...	1	2	–
1997-12-21	High SurfKauai County · forecast zone Maui One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. Deep storm low that moved from near the dateline far northwest of the Hawaiian Islands to the Gulf of Alaska produced surf of 10 to 15 feet on north facing shores and 12 to 18 feet on west shores of all the islands. The rough surf claimed the life of a 46-year old woman and injured her 40-year old female cousin in ...	1	2	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest rip current and surf records in Hawaii

Hawaii: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2011-03-11	TsunamiHawaii County · forecast zone Kona	0	0	$19M
2025-08-09	High SurfHonolulu County · forecast zone Waianae Coast One storm episode: 4 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's.	1	0	$530K
1996-02-17	High SurfKauai County · forecast zone Kauai Mountains	0	0	$433K
1996-01-11	High SurfKauai County · forecast zone Kauai Mountains	0	0	$282K
2026-06-14	High SurfHonolulu County · forecast zone East Honolulu One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's.	0	1	$150K
2025-07-29	TsunamiHawaii County · forecast zone Big Island East	0	0	$20K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are rip current and surf records becoming more frequent in Hawaii?

Hawaii's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Rip currents and high surf: Hawaii and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
Decade	Hawaii	United States	Hawaii's share
1996-99	739	1,021	72.4%
2000s	3,164	4,386	72.1%
2010s	4,155	5,810	71.5%
2020-26	1,243	2,346	53.0%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent rip current and surf records in Hawaii

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2026-06-14	High SurfHonolulu County · forecast zone East Honolulu	0	1	$100K
2026-06-14	High SurfHawaii County · forecast zone Kona	0	0	$50K
2026-02-23	High SurfHawaii County · forecast zone Big Island East	0	0	–
2026-02-10	High SurfKauai County · forecast zone Kauai East	0	0	–
2025-11-28	High SurfHonolulu County · forecast zone Oahu North Shore	0	0	–
2025-11-10	High SurfHawaii County · forecast zone Big Island East	0	0	–
2025-08-09	High SurfHonolulu County · forecast zone Honolulu Metro	0	0	–
2025-08-09	High SurfMaui County · forecast zone Maui Central Valley South	0	0	$20K
2025-08-09	High SurfHonolulu County · forecast zone Waianae Coast	1	0	$10K
2025-08-09	High SurfHonolulu County · forecast zone Honolulu Metro	0	0	$500K
2025-07-29	TsunamiHawaii County · forecast zone Big Island East	0	0	$20K
2025-04-04	High SurfHonolulu County · forecast zone Koolau Windward	0	0	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.