Surf News Network

715am OBS Sunday, January 23rd

Another nice day with early morning clouds clearing to mostly sun. Light ENE Trades becoming moderate this afternoon. High Surf Advisory for north and west facing shores of Niihau-Maui. Small Craft Advisory for all Hawaiian waters due to large swells and winds in channels.

Dropping Large WNW. Minimal SSW + dropping west wrap for Town. Long and short period ENE swell + North wrap for windward side. Call 596-SURF: 7a, noon & 5p (recap-forecast).

North Shore:

Dropping Large 15 sec WNW. Surf's way down from yesterday morning and a lot of spots are looking manageable. Lite ENE trades making some spots offshore and smooth now, but winds pick up later.. For now, Sunset is 8-12'; Rocky Pt 6-8' occ. 10',still mostly closed out; Pipe/Backdoor 8'-10' and smooth. Chuns Closed Out; Jockos 6-8 occ. 10', Laniakea 6-10'; Haleiwa 6-8'+; Partly cloudy w/ haze.

West:

Dropping Large 15 sec WNW. Makaha is clean due to lite offshores. Surf's 4-6' occ. 8' and the direction is looking better today. Mostly clear.

Town:

Dropping West wrap + background SSW energy. Surf's mostly 1-1.5' at Waikiki reefs and smooth offshores thanks to ENE trades returning. Top spots: Kaisers-Rockpiles to Ala Moana to Kewalos are 1- occ. 2' with a few 3' sets at westerly focal points under clear skies.

Diamond Head:

Dropping West wrap + background SSW energy. Light bump on the water from the lite sidefshore ENE trades. Surf's 2-3' under a few clouds.

Sandy's:

Dropping West wrap + background SSW energy + E wrap. Semi-clean with lite side offshores trades filling. Reefs at Full Pt-Half Pt are 2-3', mostly on the east swell; Shorebreak slapping on the beach and back washy at 1-2' occ. 3' under broken clouds.

East Makapu'u:

Up & Holding 12sec ENE + North wrap + small trade swell. Surf's a bumpy 2-4' with light to mod. ENE trades . Breaking on the outside middle and 2-3' at Keikis.. Partly cloudy skies.

Winds

Sunday

Range:
10-20mph ENE Trade

Monday

Range:
15-20mph ENE Trade

Tuesday

Range:
10-20mph ENE Trade

Wednesday

Range:
10-20+mph ENE Trade

Thursday

Range:
5-10mph ENE Trade
Midday-Afternoon sea breezes leeward

North

Sunday

01/23

Primary

Dropping 15s WNW
Haw: 8-12+
Face: 14-20+

Secondary

None NONE
Haw: 0
Face: 0
Fair-Good side-offshore

Monday

01/24

Primary

Rising 18s WNW
Haw: 6-8+
Face: 10-15+

Secondary

Dropping 13s WNW
Haw: 2-4+
Face: 3-7+
Fair-Good side-offshore

Tuesday

01/25

Primary

Dropping 14s NW
Haw: 5-7+
Face: 8-12+

Secondary

None NONE
Haw: 0
Face: 0
Poor-fair side-shores

Wednesday

01/26

Primary

Holding 14s NW
Haw: 5-7+
Face: 8-12+

Secondary

Rising 13s NNW
Haw: 2-3
Face: 3-5
Fair side-offshores

Thursday

01/27

Primary

Dropping 13s NW
Haw: 5-7
Face: 8-12

Secondary

None NONE
Haw: 0
Face: 0
Good to excellent

West

Sunday

01/23

Primary

Dropping 15s WNW
Haw: 8-10+
Face: 12-18+

Secondary

Dropping 13s SSW
Haw: 0-1
Face: 0-1.5
Fair-Good side-offshore

Monday

01/24

Primary

Rising 18s WNW
Haw: 5-7
Face: 8-12

Secondary

Dropping 12s SSW
Haw: 0-1
Face: 0-1.5
Fair-Good side-offshore

Tuesday

01/25

Primary

Dropping 14s NW
Haw: 3-6
Face: 5-10

Secondary

Holding 12s S
Haw: 0-1/2
Face: 0-1
Poor-fair side-shores

Wednesday

01/26

Primary

Holding 14s NW
Haw: 3-6
Face: 5-10

Secondary

Holding 11s S
Haw: 0-1/2
Face: 0-1
Fair side-offshores

Thursday

01/27

Primary

Dropping 13s NW
Haw: 3-5+
Face: 5-9+

Secondary

Holding 11s S
Haw: 0-1/2
Face: 0-1
Good to excellent

South

Sunday

01/23

Primary

Dropping 13s SSW
Haw: 0-1.5
Face: 0-2

Secondary

Dropping 15s WSW
Haw: 1-2 occ 3
Face: 2-4 occ 5
Good
WNW wrap holds

Monday

01/24

Primary

Dropping 12s SSW
Haw: 0-1.5
Face: 0-2

Secondary

Dropping 13s WSW
Haw: 1 occ 2
Face: 1-2 occ 3
Good
WNW wrap

Tuesday

01/25

Primary

Holding 12s S
Haw: 0-1
Face: 0-1.5

Secondary

None NONE
Haw: 0
Face: 0
divin , paddlin, fishin, sailin

Wednesday

01/26

Primary

Holding 11s S
Haw: 0-1
Face: 0-1.5

Secondary

None NONE
Haw: 0
Face: 0
divin , paddlin, fishin, sailin

Thursday

01/27

Primary

Holding 11s S
Haw: 0-1
Face: 0-1.5

Secondary

None NONE
Haw: 0
Face: 0
divin , paddlin, fishin, sailin

east

Sunday

01/23

Primary

Up & holding 12s ENE
Haw: 2-4+
Face: 3-7+

Secondary

None NONE
Haw: 0
Face: 0
bumpy

Monday

01/24

Primary

Dropping Slow 10s ENE
Haw: 2-3+
Face: 3-5+

Secondary

None NONE
Haw: 0
Face: 0
bumpy

Tuesday

01/25

Primary

Rising 9s NE
Haw: 1-3
Face: 2-5

Secondary

None NONE
Haw: 0
Face: 0
Side-Onshore

Wednesday

01/26

Primary

Up & Rising 8s NE
Haw: 2-3
Face: 3-5

Secondary

None NONE
Haw: 0
Face: 0
bumpy

Thursday

01/27

Primary

Up & Rising 8s ENE
Haw: 2-3+
Face: 3-5+

Secondary

None NONE
Haw: 0
Face: 0
Lumpy-Bumpy

Current Swells:

Sunday 01/23
Primary: Dropping 15s WNW surf @8-12+
Secondary: Up & holding 12s ENE surf @2-4+
Third: Dropping 13s SSW surf @0-1.5

Marine Warnings:

Sunday 01/23
High Surf Advisory for North and West facing shores + SCA for all Hawaiian waters due to swell and winds in channels..

Sailing Report:

Sunday 01/23
Good due to moderate ENE trades. Large open ocean swells.

Diving Report:

Sunday 01/23
North shore and West shores: Poor to dangerous due to advisory level WNW; South shores: fair to good due to minor W wrap, mostly clean water. East shores: poor to fair with moderate swell and winds..

Oahu

Maui

Kauai

Big Island

Weather

Surf Advisory and Warning Criteria
Location/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.)