Reported Nov 12, 11:26 PM HSTBuoy 51206

Hilo, Hawaii, HI

Name: Hilo, Hawaii, HI buoy 51206 wave observations
Creator: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System
License: https://www.usa.gov/government-works

Hawaii, United States

Last wave reading: Nov 12, 10:56 PM HST

Now at the buoy

Significant wave height at the buoy

9.2 ft

2.8 m

Dominant period: 8 s
Direction: from E 88°

Swell

5.2 ft1.6 m

14 sfrom NNW 338°

Wind waves

7.9 ft2.4 m

8.3 sfrom E 90°

Wind waves lead: 7.9 ft at 8.3 s from the E, over 5.2 ft of long-period groundswell at 14 s from the NNW. Holding steady over the last 6 hours.

Significant wave height is the average of the biggest third of waves at the buoy. It is not surf height at a beach.

Trend at the buoy

Height at the buoy

Total (significant height)
Swell
Wind waves

Period

Swell period
Wind-wave period

Hourly means of the buoy's readings. Arrows point the way the waves travel.

Model vs the buoy

Buoy, hourly
Model, past days
Model forecast

Over the last 5 days, the model ran 13% low against the buoy.

Model peak each day at the buoy
Day	Height	Peak period	From
Fri, Nov 13	8.7 ft	8.8 s	NE
Sat, Nov 14	8.0 ft	8.8 s	ENE
Sun, Nov 15	9.6 ft	15 s	NE
Mon, Nov 16	9.4 ft	14 s	NE
Tue, Nov 17	9.1 ft	9.7 s	ENE
Wed, Nov 18	9.6 ft	9.6 s	ENE
Thu, Nov 19	8.0 ft	9.6 s	E

ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (19.750°N, 155.000°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.

Beaches whose Quiver forecast uses this buoy

Hapuna Beach (Kohala)93 km
Quiver forecast now: 2-3ft

Beach numbers are each beach's own Quiver forecast, not a conversion of this buoy reading.

Nearby buoys

Pauwela, Maui, HIOffline · 205 km
Mokapu Point, HI9.5 ft · 8 sLive · 336 km
Pearl Harbor Entrance, HI3.6 ft · 8 sLive · 354 km
Barbers Point, Kalaeloa, HI5.2 ft · 15 sStale · 373 km
Southeast Hawaii - 205 NM Southeast of Hilo, HI12.1 ft · 16 sLive · 386 km
Waimea Bay, HI8.9 ft · 12 sLive · 389 km

Nearest tide station: Hilo 10 km for today’s highs and lows.

How to read this buoy

Hilo, Hawaii, HI sits in open water, 93 km from the closest beach listed here. It sees swell before the coast bends, blocks or shrinks it, so expect beach surf to differ from this reading.

Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the N.

Biggest hourly reading in that record: 11.2 ft at 10 s on Nov 6.

Station id: 51206
CDIP id: 188
Operator: Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System
Program: IOOS Partners
Position: 19.779°N, 154.970°W
Type: Moored buoy
Local time zone: Pacific/Honolulu
Swell split: Yes, swell and wind waves reported

Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System. Licence: Public domain (US government work). Station page at the source.

Not for navigation. Readings can be late, missing or wrong; check official marine forecasts before going to sea.

Buoy terms

Significant height: The average of the biggest third of waves the buoy measured. Sets in the surf zone can be bigger or smaller.
Dominant period: Seconds between the waves carrying the most energy. Longer period means more power and more bend around points.
Swell vs wind waves: Swell was made by distant wind; wind waves were made nearby. The buoy splits its spectrum at a cutoff period to report each.
Direction: Where waves come from, in degrees true. 270° is from the west.