630am OBS, Friday, May 23rd
Mostly clear skies leeward with windward and mauka clouds. Light to moderate ENE trades filling to to fresh paces late morning. Small Craft Advisory for Maui to Big Island channel waters.
Average East trade wind swell. Small SSW and new SW. Call 596-SURF: 7a, Noon, 4pm (recap-forecast).

North Shore:
Ground Hog Day. Holding tiny NE wrap. Nice clean offshores. Sunset 0-1.'; Rocky Pt 0-1'; Pipe mostly flat; Chuns 0-1'; Laniakea 0-1'; Ali'i Beach Park is mostly flat maybe a 1' dribbler off and on. Scattered clouds.
West:
Up and rising long period SW. Down and dropping 13 sec South. Clean offshores filling to fresh paces late morning. Makaha is 0-1' occ 2' behind the reef. Focal reefs up to 2.5'. Mostly clear skies.
Town:
Up and rising long period SW. Down and dropping 13 sec South. Clean lite-moderate offshores ramping 15-25mph later. Waikiki reefs are 1-2' occ. 2.5' later; Kaisers-Rockpiles to Ala Moana to Kewalos are 1-2.5' with 3' at top spots. Mostly clear skies.
Diamond Head:
Up and rising long period SW. Down and dropping 13 sec South + Minor trade wind swell wrap. Blustery and blown from the breezy side offshore ENE trades. Surf's 1-2' occ. 2.5' or shoulder high at takeoff. Mostly clear skies.
Sandy's:
Holding 2.5' trade wind wrap. Down and dropping 2' SSW and building SW to 3' later. Bumpy side offshore over the reefs but better at the shore break. Full Pt/Half Pt are 1-2'+. Shore break is also at 1-2' occ 3' on the combo peaks. Scattered to broken clouds.
East Makapu'u:
Holding 4' 9 sec East trade wind swell. Choppy onshore from 10-25mph trades. Surf's 1-2' occ 3' and occasionally mushing in from the outside left near the rocks. Keiki corner is smaller at 1-2' occ. +. Broken clouds.Winds
10-25mph ENE Trade
10-25mph ENE Trade
10-25mph ENE Trade
10-20mph ENE Trade
10-20mph NE Trade
North
Primary

Haw: 0-1
Face: 0-1.5
Secondary

Haw: 0-1.5
Face: 0-2
divin , paddlin, fishin, sailin
1.5' later
Primary
Up & holding 13s NNWHaw: 1-1.5
Face: 1-2
Secondary

Haw: 0-1.5
Face: 0-2
Fair
Primary

Haw: 0-1.5
Face: 0-2
Secondary

Haw: 0-1
Face: 0-1.5
divin , paddlin, fishin, sailin
Primary
Rising Afternoon 10s NNWHaw: 0-1
Face: 0-1.5
Secondary

Haw: 0-1
Face: 0-1.5
divin , paddlin, fishin, sailin
Primary
Up & holding 9s NHaw: 1-1.5
Face: 1-2
Secondary
None NONEHaw: 0
Face: 0
Fair
West
Primary
Up & Rising 18s SWHaw: 1-2
Face: 1-3
Secondary

Haw: 0
Face: 0
Fair to good
Primary
Up & holding 13s NNWHaw: 0
Face: 0
Secondary
Up & holding 16s SSWHaw: 1-2
Face: 1-3
Fair
Primary

Haw: 1-2
Face: 1-3
Secondary

Haw: 0-1
Face: 0-1.5
Fair to good
Primary

Haw: 1 occ 2
Face: 1-2 occ 3
Secondary
Rising Afternoon 10s NNWHaw: 0-1/2
Face: 0-1
Fair to good
Primary

Haw: 0-1.5
Face: 0-2
Secondary
Up & holding 9s NHaw: 0
Face: 0
Fair to good
South
Primary
Up & Rising 18s SWHaw: 1-2 occ +
Face: 1-3 occ +
Secondary

Haw: 1 occ 2
Face: 1-2 occ 3
Fair to good
3' later
Primary
Up & holding 16s SSWHaw: 1-2 occ 3
Face: 2-4 occ 5
Secondary
None NONEHaw: 0
Face: 0
Good
Primary

Haw: 1-2 occ +
Face: 1-3 occ +
Secondary
None NONEHaw: 0
Face: 0
Fair to good
Primary

Haw: 1-2
Face: 1-3
Secondary
None NONEHaw: 0
Face: 0
Fair to good
Primary

Haw: 1 occ 2
Face: 1-2 occ 3
Secondary
None NONEHaw: 0
Face: 0
Fair to good
east
Primary

Haw: 2-3
Face: 3-5
Secondary
None NONEHaw: 0
Face: 0
Onshore
Primary

Haw: 2-3
Face: 3-5
Secondary
None NONEHaw: 0
Face: 0
Typical
Primary

Haw: 1-3
Face: 2-5
Secondary
None NONEHaw: 0
Face: 0
Typical
Primary

Haw: 1-2+
Face: 1-3+
Secondary
None NONEHaw: 0
Face: 0
bumpy
Primary

Haw: 1-2
Face: 1-3
Secondary
Up & holding 9s NHaw: 1-1.5
Face: 1-2
bumpy

Current Swells:
Friday 05/23
Marine Warnings:
Friday 05/23Small Craft Advisory from Maui to the Big Island...

Sailing Report:
Friday 05/23Good due to moderate to fresh paced ENE trades.

Diving Report:
Friday 05/23North Shore: Good for most zones (even better deeper dives) due to tiny wind waves wrapping and moderate to fresh side offshore trades filling in. South: Fair to good for most zones (best bet deeper dives)...small surf building to 3' later and offshore trades. West: Good overall due to tiny to small surf (excellent for deeper dives) and moderate offshore Trades. East: Poor to fair for most zones due to average choppy water and moderate+ onshore trades (fair for protected zones).
Oahu
Maui
Kauai
Big Island
Weather
Surf Advisory and Warning CriteriaLocation/shoreline Advisory Warning
North-Facing Shores- 15 Feet faces (8' Local) 25 Feet faces (15' local)
West-Facing Shores - 12 Feet (7' local) 20 Feet (12' local)
West-Facing- Big Is.- 8 Feet (4'+ local) 12 Feet (7' local)
South-Facing Shores- 8 Feet (4'+ local) 15 Feet (8' local)
East-Facing Shores- 8 Feet (4'+ local) 15 Feet (8' local)
Big Picture
INACTIVE.Get the latest on the tropics at www.hurricanes.gov
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center outlook for the 2017 Central Pacific Hurricane Season calls for 5 to 8 tropical cyclones to either develop or cross into the Central Pacific with a 40% chance for an above-normal season, a 40% chance for a normal season, and a 20% chance for a below-normal season. An average season has 4 to 5 tropical cyclones, which include tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes.
A tropical depression forms when a low-pressure area is accompanied by thunderstorms that produce a circular wind flow with maximum sustained winds below 39 mph. An upgrade to a tropical storm occurs when cyclonic circulation becomes more organized and maximum sustained winds gust between 39 mph and 73 mph. A tropical storm is then upgraded into Category 1 hurricane status as maximum sustained winds increase to between 74 mph and 95 mph. (The highest classification in the scale, Category 5, is reserved for storms with winds exceeding 156 mph).
Tropical cyclones go by many names around the world, and the terminology can get confusing. Once a tropical cyclone strengthens to the point where it has gale-force winds—39 mph or greater—it becomes a tropical storm. A storm that reaches tropical storm strength usually gets its own name to help us quickly identify it in forecasts and warnings. Once a tropical storm begins producing sustained winds of around 75 mph, we call the storm a typhoon in the western Pacific near Asia and a hurricane in the oceans on either side of North America. A “typhoon” and a “hurricane” are the same kind of storm, they just go by different names…it’s only a matter of geography.
NWS criteria for High Surf Advisories & Warnings.
In coordination with civil defense agencies & water safety organizations in Hawai`i, the NWS uses the criteria below for the issuance of High Surf Advisories & Warnings in coordination with civil defense agencies & water safety organizations in Hawai`i.
All surf height observations & forecasts are for the full face surf height, from the trough to the crest of the wave.
Advisory and Warning Criteria Location
Warning North-Facing Shores 15 Feet 25 Feet
West-Facing Shores - Remaining Islands 12 Feet 20 Feet
West-Facing Shores - Big Island 8 Feet 12 Feet
South-Facing Shores 8 Feet 15 Feet
East-Facing Shores 8 Feet 15 Feet
'Travel Time' Buoy 51101 to Waimea Buoy. Distance: 269 nautical miles (~310 miles). Angle: 307 deg
Wave Wave Wave Depth Wave Direction (deg)----------
Period Length Speed Shallow 295, 305, 315, 325, 335, 345, 355
(s) (ft) (nm/h) (ft) Travel Time (hours)----------
10sec. 512. 15. 256. 17.3, 17.7, 17.6, 16.9, 15.7, 14.0, 11.9
12sec. 737. 18. 369. 14.5, 14.8, 14.6, 14.0, 13.0, 11.6, 9.9
14sec. 1003. 21. 502. 12.4, 12.7, 12.5, 12.0, 11.2, 10.0, 8.5
16sec. 1310. 24. 655. 10.8, ,1 1.1, 11.0, 10.5, 9.8, 8.7, 7.4
18sec. 1658. 27. 829. 9.6, 9.8, 9.8, 9.4, 8.7, 7.8, 6.6
20sec. 2047. 30. 1024. 8.7 8.9 8.8 8.4 7.8 7.0 5.9
22sec. 2477. 33. 1239. 7.9 8.1 8.0 7.7 7.1 6.3 5.4
24sec. 2948. 36. 1474. 7.2 7.4 7.3 7.0 6.5 5.8 4.9
Tropical Storms - wind 39-73 mph (34-63 kt)
Category 1 - winds 74-95 mph (64-82 kt)
Category 2 -winds 96-110 mph (83-95 kt)
Category 3 -winds 111-130 mph (96-113 kt)
Category 4 - winds 131-155 mph (114-135 kt)
Category 5 -winds 156 mph and up (135+ kt)
Please visit the Central Pacific Hurricane Center website at www.weather.gov/cphc for the most recent bulletins.
ENSO is a single climate phenomenon, it has three states or phases. The two opposite phases, “El Niño” and “La Niña,” require certain changes in both the ocean and the atmosphere because ENSO is a coupled climate phenomenon. “Neutral” is in the middle of the continuum. The MJO (Madden-Julian Oscillation) is an eastward moving disturbance of clouds, rainfall, winds, and pressure that traverses the planet in the tropics and returns to its initial starting point in 30 to 60 days, on average, unlike ENSO which is stationary. In a nutshell, more active means more surf.
Kelvin wave (A Kelvin wave is a wave in the ocean or atmosphere that balances the Earth's Coriolis force against a topographic boundary such as a coastline, or a waveguide such as the equator. A feature of a Kelvin wave is that it is non-dispersive, i.e., the phase speed of the wave crests is equal to the group speed of the wave energy for all frequencies. This means that it retains its shape as it moves in the alongshore direction over time.)
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