Wave Heights Hold Today

Alerts

A Small Craft Advisory is posted for all Big Island waters through 6:00 p.m. Thursday. East winds up to 30 knots are forecasted along with rough seas of 9 to 13 feet. Inexperienced mariners should avoid navigating in these conditions.

A High Surf Advisory is posted for our east facing shores through 6:00 p.m. Thursday. Surf is expected to reach 5 to 8 foot faces. Expect strong breaking waves, shore break and strong longshore and rip currents making swimming difficult and dangerous.

**Click directly on the images below to make them larger. Charts include: Big Island projected winds, tides, swell direction & period and expected wave heights.**

Big Island Surf Forecast

Hilo side: Head to overhead surf is expected today. Best exposures could see sets in the well overhead range early in the day.

Kona side: Wave heights of knee/thigh high are expected. Best breaks could reach waist high on the sets.

South: Wave heights knee/thigh high today with sets reaching about waist high.

Swell out of the north-northeast shifting more northeast expected to bring chest to head high waves Thursday. Wave heights drop a bit on Friday.

A boost out of the south-southwest is expected to hold through today and Friday. Another boost is expected over the weekend out of the south-southeast. Next week we could see some fun activity around May 5th or 6th.

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.  

**Click here for your detailed Big Island weather report.**

Image: NOAA / NWS

Image: NOAA / NWS

Image: NOAA / NWS

Image: NOAA / NWS

Image: NOAA / NWS

Image: NOAA / NWS