A High Surf Warning is posted for east facing shores of the Big Island through 6 p.m. Tuesday with wave heights rising to 12 to 20 foot faces in some spots. Expect ocean water occasionally sweeping across portions of beaches, very strong breaking waves and strong longshore and rip currents. Breaking waves may occasionally impact harbors making navigating the harbor channel difficult. Large breaking surf, significant shore break and dangerous currents will make entering the water very hazardous. Boaters should be aware of an increased number of surfers in the water.
A Small Craft Advisory is posted for Big Island windward and southeastern waters as well as Alenuihaha channel through 6 p.m. Tuesday for rough seas of 8 to 13 feet. Inexperienced mariners should avoid navigating in these conditions.
**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: Wave heights are expected to overhead to well overhead today. Ignacio swell is expected to build through the day, possibly getting up to double overhead by sunset.
Kona side: Wave heights knee/waist high are expected for the best breaks open to the west blend swell. Could get up to belly/chest high on the sets. Waist high waves for spots that are catching the southerly swell.
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South: Wave heights are expected to be waist/chest high today for the best exposures open to the south swell. Spots open to Ignacio swell will be in the overhead to well overhead range at the best breaks.
A west-northwest swell from former typhoon Atsani fades Monday and really starts dropping Tuesday. Short period northeast swell mix is expected to hold through Monday.
Meanwhile, a new east swell from hurricane Ignacio will build to advisory and warning levels. This swell is expected to peak Monday for the Big Island and Maui County. We expect northeast, shifting north-northwest swell to also get pumped out of this system for the first half of next week but this is highly dependent on the track and intensity Ignacio ends up taking.
Our current southerly mix of swells is expected to hold through Monday and begin to fade Tuesday.
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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
A west-northwest swell from former typhoon Atsani fades Monday and really starts dropping Tuesday. Short period northeast swell mix is expected to hold through Monday.
