SSE Builds Today, Peaks Over Weekend

Alerts

A Small Craft Advisory is posted for leeward and southern Big Island waters as well as the Alenuihaha channel through 6:00 p.m. Friday. East winds up to 30 knots are forecasted along with rough seas of 10 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 a.m. Friday. 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: Chest/head high surf is expected today. Best exposures could see sets in the overhead range early in the day. Messy conditions due to the winds.

Kona side: Wave heights of knee/waist high are expected. Best breaks could be slightly bigger on the sets.

South: Wave heights knee/waist high today with occasionally bigger sets.

A boost out of the south-southeast is expected to build Friday and peak over the weekend. Next week we could see some fun activity building in around May 5th.

Not a lot expected out of the North Pacific for the next few days. A couple of small swells could move in around May 5th and again on the 8th.

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