Southeast Hawaii - 205 NM Southeast of Hilo, HI
Hawaii, United States
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
12.1 ft
3.7 m
- Dominant period
- —
- Direction
- from NNW 332°
Swell
9.8 ft3.0 m
16 sfrom NNW 338°
Wind waves
6.9 ft2.1 m
5.6 sfrom ENE 68°
Long-period groundswell leads: 9.8 ft at 16 s from the NNW, with 6.9 ft of wind waves at 5.6 s from the ENE on top. 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 tracked the buoy within 10%.
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 12.5 ft | 11 s | NE |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 10.8 ft | 8.7 s | NE |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 11.9 ft | 15 s | NE |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 12.1 ft | 14 s | NE |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 11.7 ft | 10 s | ENE |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 12.3 ft | 9.7 s | ENE |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 11.1 ft | 9.6 s | ENE |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (17.500°N, 152.250°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Hilo, Hawaii, HI9.2 ft · 8 sLive · 386 km
- Pauwela, Maui, HIOffline · 591 km
- Southwest Hawaii - 215NM SSW of Hilo, HI13.5 ftLive · 592 km
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 81°F (27.3°C)
- Wind
- 19 kt from the ENE, gusts 25 kt
- Pressure
- 1016.0 hPa
Reported Nov 13, 12:40 AM GMT-10.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the N and E.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 13.1 ft at 9 s on Nov 5.
- Station id
- 51004
- Operator
- NDBC
- Program
- NDBC Meteorological/Ocean
- Position
- 17.504°N, 152.197°W
- Type
- Moored buoy
- Local time zone
- GMT-10 (open ocean)
- Swell split
- Yes, swell and wind waves reported
Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC). 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.
