Southwest Hawaii - 215NM SSW 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 ENE 69°
Swell
7.9 ft2.4 m
15 sfrom N 0°
Wind waves
9.2 ft2.8 m
8.3 sfrom ENE 68°
Wind waves lead: 9.2 ft at 8.3 s from the ENE, over 7.9 ft of long-period groundswell at 15 s from the N. 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 | 12.6 ft | 9.3 s | ENE |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 11.5 ft | 9.1 s | ENE |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 11.7 ft | 8.8 s | ENE |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 12.2 ft | 9 s | ENE |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 10.8 ft | 9 s | E |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 10.1 ft | 9.3 s | E |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 10.2 ft | 9.3 s | E |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (17.000°N, 157.750°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Western Hawaii - 205 NM SW of Honolulu, HI12.5 ft · 9 sLive · 381 km
- Hilo, Hawaii, HI9.8 ft · 9 sLive · 421 km
- Pauwela, Maui, HIOffline · 461 km
- Pearl Harbor Entrance, HI3.3 ft · 9 sLive · 471 km
- Barbers Point, Kalaeloa, HI5.2 ft · 15 sStale · 475 km
- Mokapu Point, HI9.2 ft · 8 sLive · 483 km
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 81°F (27.3°C)
- Wind
- 17 kt from the E, gusts 23 kt
- Air temperature
- 76°F (24.7°C)
- Pressure
- 1016.0 hPa
Reported Nov 12, 11:40 PM GMT-11.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the E.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 13.8 ft at 9 s on Nov 12.
- Station id
- 51002
- Operator
- NDBC
- Program
- NDBC Meteorological/Ocean
- Position
- 17.070°N, 157.755°W
- Type
- Moored buoy
- Local time zone
- GMT-11 (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.
