Travel guides will tell you that there's really no bad month to visit Oahu, Hawaii's most populous island. In a sense, they're right. No matter when you go, you're likely to have warm weather, sunny beaches and stunning scenery. If you want to save money, avoid the crowds or participate in special activities such as surfing or whale watching, however, some months are better than others.
Best Weather
- Weather is not much of a factor in deciding what month you visit Oahu -- unless you count the weather you'll be escaping at home. Hawaii has two seasons known nominally as the wet season, running from November through March, and the dry season, running from April through October. Even in the dry season, it rains somewhere in the islands every day, and one spot rarely receives more than three consecutive days of rain even in the wet season. Oahu's tourist hubs of Waikiki Beach and the Ko Olina Coast stay sunny year-round. It is slightly cooler in the winter months, but the temperature in Hawaii usually stays in the 70s and 80s Fahrenheit in both seasons. Hawaii is susceptible to hurricanes, though they are rare. The Central North Pacific hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
Best Prices
- Hotels and flights to Oahu cost more during the island's high season, which runs from mid-December through April. Mid-June through August is somewhat cheaper, though heavy traffic from families on their summer vacations inflate the prices. You'll find the cheapest airfares and hotel rates in the off-season: April through mid-June and September through mid-December. Even so, you might want to avoid holidays in that time frame. Besides U.S. national holidays, Hawaii also sees a boost in travel during Japan's Golden Week, which is the last week of April, and a few local holidays: Prince Kuhio Day on March 26, King Kamehameha Day on June 11 and Admissions Day on the third Friday in August.
Best Surfing
- You can surf in Hawaii year-round, but surfing aficionados should keep certain months in mind when planning their trip. Oahu's North Shore, which includes the infamous Banzai Pipeline, sees its highest waves from November through January. In December, pro surfers from all over the world hit Oahu for the Vans Triple Crown Tournament. If you're less experienced and don't care about the hoopla, both the waves and pro crowds tend to ebb after January, but you'll still find wave action. In the summer, particularly from June through August, the surfing shifts to the southern and eastern sides of Oahu.
Best Whale Watching
- Every year, thousands of humpback whales travel south from Alaska to mate in the warm waters around Hawaii. Unfortunately, they also keep the same schedule as the islands' human tourists. While you might spot a humpback whale in the off-season starting in October, you're most likely to see them from mid-December through May. February and March are their peak times. Even though the largest number of pods cluster around Maui, you'll find plenty of cruises in Oahu that offer guarantees of sighting humpbacks in their peak season. Though the humpbacks move on after May, you still can spot dolphins and a few other whale species, such as pilot whales, around Oahu year-round.
