Small Craft Advisory Posted, Large Swell Builds

Alerts

A Small Craft Advisory is posted for all Big Island coastal waters through 6 p.m. Wednesday for winds up to 25 knots and seas up to 14 feet.

Check our breaking news section for any urgent weather alerts.

**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: Wave heights are expected well chest/head high today. Trade swell brings waist/head high waves to exposures open to the swell. Onshore winds chop it up.

Kona side: Wave heights chest/head high today from the west-northwest. The best breaks could get up to overhead in the afternoon.

South: Breaks open to the trade swell could get up to waist/head high. Otherwise, south-southwest is around knee high out of the south-southwest.

Our current west-northwest swell is expected to continue building today. The swell will build Wednesday, peaking in the afternoon for both the Hilo and Kona sides of the island. Swell will remain elevated for Hilo coast through Thursday but Kona side will begin to drop off in size.

Our current south-southwest is mainly leftovers today.

Trade swell will rebuild for the second half of the week as winds pick up in strength.

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