A Small Craft Advisory is posted for most Big Island waters (except right off of South Point) through 6:00 p.m. Wednesday for southwest winds of 20 to 30 knots and rough seas up to 16 feet.
A High Surf Advisory is posted from 6:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. Wednesday. Surf from 8 to 10 feet is expected along west facing shores. 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.**
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Big Island Surf Forecast
Hilo side: Surf heights are expected head high or more. The best breaks open to the swell could see larger waves, especially at the peak in the afternoon. Some spots could get up to double overhead.
Kona side: Surf heights are forecasted to be shoulder to head high. Increasing trend expected for the Kona side, possibly up to a couple of feet overhead at the peak this afternoon.
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South: Southerly spots open to the west-northwest wrap should get head high to overhead waves. Breaks not open to the swell will be much smaller at ankle to knee high.
Our current swell is building Tuesday. This large swell has prompted a High Surf Advisory for the Kona coast. The Big Island is shadowed from this swell but will still see decent size. The swell is expected to peak Tuesday afternoon. The Kona side should see the swell fading Thursday as the swell shifts from a more northwest direction. Meanwhile, the Hilo side is expected to maintain surf heights through the end of the week.
If the storm develops as models are indicating, the next west-northwest swell is expected next week (18/19th).
A recent storm near New Zealand is expected to bring some fun knee to chest high waves for southern exposures Thursday and Friday.
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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.
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Big Island Surf Forecast
Our current swell is building Tuesday. This large swell has prompted a High Surf Advisory for the Kona coast. The Big Island is shadowed from this swell but will still see decent size. The swell is expected to peak Tuesday afternoon. The Kona side should see the swell fading Thursday as the swell shifts from a more northwest direction. Meanwhile, the Hilo side is expected to maintain surf heights through the end of the week.
