Large Swell Starts to Build Today
Alerts
A Small Craft Advisory is posted for most Big Island waters (except right off of South Point) through 6:00 p.m. Tuesday for southwest winds of 20 to 30 knots and rough seas up to 17 feet.im
**Click directly on the images below to make them larger. Charts include: Big Island projected winds, tides, swell direction & period and expected wave heights.**
Hilo side: Surf heights are expected shoulder to head high. The best breaks open to the swell could see larger waves, especially late in the day. Increasing trend expected in the afternoon.
Kona side: Surf heights are forecasted to be shoulder to head high. Increasing trend also expected for the Kona side, possibly up to overhead by sunset.
South: Southerly spots open to the west-northwest wrap should get knee to shoulder high waves, possibly up to overhead by sunset. Breaks not open to the swell will be much smaller at ankle to knee high.
Our current swell is fading Monday, showing best early. The next swell is right on its heels, building late Monday. By Tuesday, the large swell is expected to impact the Kona coast of the Big Island where warning level surf is possible.
If models are correct and the storm behaves as expected, a second pulse is expected Thursday.
Nothing to get excited about out of the SPAC. A recent storm near New Zealand is expected to bring some fun knee to chest high waves for southern exposures late this week.
Keep in mind, surf heights are measured on the face of the wave from trough to crest. Heights vary from beach to beach, and at the same beach, from break to break.