**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 for spots exposed to Lester swell are expected to reach heights of up to 15 to 25 foot faces at the peak of the swell. Sunday the swell will begin to diminish.
Kona side: Wave heights are expected to be ankle/waist high today, basically flat in most spots.
South: Wave heights are expected to be waist high or less. Spots catching Lester swell will be much bigger – possibly up to 15 to 25 foot faces.
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Very large and damaging surf, with peak waves of 15 to 25 feet with locally higher sets are occurring along east facing shores today and expected to diminish late tonight through Sunday. These waves, in combination with a possible storm surge of 1 to 2 feet, may cause significant wave run-up or damage to coastal properties and infrastructure, including roadways. Powerful longshore and rip currents will be present at most beaches. Large breaking waves and strong currents may impact harbor entrances and channels causing challenging marine navigation.
Seas associated with Hurricane Lester at the exposed nearshore buoys have remained steady in the 10 to 15 ft range through the early morning hours. The Waimea buoy has recently climbed to a couple of feet above guidance over the past few hours and will need to be monitored. Expect this trend to persist as Lester passes just north of the islands today through early Sunday. A combination of winds and seas will continue to support dangerous marine conditions through tonight as Lester passes to the north. Winds and seas will quickly trend down Sunday through Monday and a more typical trade wind pattern is expected to return through the upcoming week.
Warning-level surf along all exposed eastern facing shores from the Big Island to Kauai will continue through tonight before quickly trending down Sunday. Surf along north facing shores will near advisory-levels and will need to be monitored through this time. Coastal impacts from the surf will include beach erosion, potential for overwash onto roadways along the typically vulnerable sections of the coasts and life-threatening currents.
Two long-period southerly swells will fill in through the early to mid-week period next week. The second swell may near advisory levels along the southern shores by Wednesday.
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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