Kauai is warm in every month, so the weather decides less what you wear than whether your boat goes. Before you book a Kauai sailing trip, know that wind and swell cancel trips, and rain on its own does not.
On a Na Pali trip you spend hours on the open ocean, so the sea sets your day. Holo Holo says wind and swell are the main reasons for a cancellation or a route change.
Book early in your stay, so a cancelled day leaves time to go again.
These are NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for the weather station at Lihue Airport, on the east side. Rainy days are days with at least a tenth of an inch. Sunset is the Naval Observatory's time for Port Allen.
Days reach 79 °F and nights 66 °F at Lihue. About 2.8 inches of rain falls, on some 4 days. The sun sets at 6:16 p.m. on the 15th. Whales are in season, so watch the sea on the way out.
Days reach 78 °F and nights 66 °F at Lihue. About 3.6 inches of rain falls, on some 5 days. The sun sets at 6:36 p.m. on the 15th. Whales are still in season. Book early in your stay, in case of a cancel.
Days reach 78 °F and nights 67 °F at Lihue. About 5.6 inches of rain falls, on some 6 days. The sun sets at 6:48 p.m. on the 15th. The wettest month at Lihue, but the boats cancel for wind and swell, not rain.
Days reach 80 °F and nights 70 °F at Lihue. About 2.0 inches of rain falls, on some 5 days. The sun sets at 6:58 p.m. on the 15th. The last whale month. The Lucky Lady sunset's 2027 calendar skips April.
Days reach 82 °F and nights 71 °F at Lihue. About 2.2 inches of rain falls, on some 4 days. The sun sets at 7:11 p.m. on the 15th. Kayak season opens on the 15th: the state's sign that the sea is calming.
Days reach 83 °F and nights 73 °F at Lihue. About 1.8 inches of rain falls, on some 5 days. The sun sets at 7:23 p.m. on the 15th. Long evenings, so the sunset cruises come home late, after dark.
Days reach 85 °F and nights 75 °F at Lihue. About 1.8 inches of rain falls, on some 5 days. The sun sets at 7:24 p.m. on the 15th. The driest month at Lihue. Summer is the likeliest time for the snorkel stop.
Days reach 85 °F and nights 75 °F at Lihue. About 2.3 inches of rain falls, on some 5 days. The sun sets at 7:09 p.m. on the 15th. The warmest nights of the year. Swim stops run when the sea allows.
Days reach 85 °F and nights 75 °F at Lihue. About 2.2 inches of rain falls, on some 5 days. The sun sets at 6:41 p.m. on the 15th. Kayaks leave the coast after the 7th. A storm closed the parks in 2026.
Days reach 84 °F and nights 74 °F at Lihue. About 3.3 inches of rain falls, on some 5 days. The sun sets at 6:13 p.m. on the 15th. Rain rises again, and the evenings shorten fast. Pack a layer for the ride home.
Days reach 81 °F and nights 71 °F at Lihue. About 4.0 inches of rain falls, on some 7 days. The sun sets at 5:56 p.m. on the 15th. Whale season opens. This is the earliest sunset of the year.
Days reach 79 °F and nights 69 °F at Lihue. About 4.6 inches of rain falls, on some 7 days. The sun sets at 5:58 p.m. on the 15th. Whales are back, and one sail's listing counts from this month.
| Month | Day / night | Rain | Rainy days | Sunset (15th) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 79 / 66 °F | 2.78 in | 4 | 6:16 p.m. |
| February | 78 / 66 °F | 3.63 in | 5 | 6:36 p.m. |
| March | 78 / 67 °F | 5.61 in | 6 | 6:48 p.m. |
| April | 80 / 70 °F | 2.03 in | 5 | 6:58 p.m. |
| May | 82 / 71 °F | 2.18 in | 4 | 7:11 p.m. |
| June | 83 / 73 °F | 1.79 in | 5 | 7:23 p.m. |
| July | 85 / 75 °F | 1.75 in | 5 | 7:24 p.m. |
| August | 85 / 75 °F | 2.33 in | 5 | 7:09 p.m. |
| September | 85 / 75 °F | 2.18 in | 5 | 6:41 p.m. |
| October | 84 / 74 °F | 3.27 in | 5 | 6:13 p.m. |
| November | 81 / 71 °F | 4.03 in | 7 | 5:56 p.m. |
| December | 79 / 69 °F | 4.64 in | 7 | 5:58 p.m. |
If you want whales, travel from November to April. If you want the calmest sea and the snorkel stop, pick May to early September. The temperature barely changes: 79 °F by day in January against 85 °F in August.
The best time to sail sets each goal against the months.
Morning snorkel sails for a calm summer sea, sunset cruises for winter evenings.
The trade winds drive the sails, and they also raise the chop. That is why the sailing trips promise sail time only when conditions allow.
The temperatures and rain are NOAA's climate normals for Lihue. The sun times are the US Naval Observatory's for Port Allen in 2026, and Hawaii keeps no daylight saving time, NIST notes. The cancellation rules are the operators' own, checked 28 September 2026.
Five hours from Port Allen with breakfast and a deli lunch, a reef snorkel with gear and a waterslide, and sails when the wind allows. Cancel free up to 7 days ahead.
From $274 per person
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Five and a half hours on a 60-foot catamaran from Port Allen, checking in at 6:45 a.m.: breakfast treats, a reef snorkel with gear, a waterslide and a sandwich lunch, with an open bar for over-21s. Children from age 3.
From $233 per person
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Ninety minutes from Nawiliwili on the bay and up the Huleia River at sunset, with the captain's stories, wine, beer and cocktails. It does not go to the Na Pali Coast.
From $114 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: read the best time to sail, see whale watching, or compare every boat on Kauai Sailing Tours.