Overhead and no one out
Sunday, November 30, 2014
11 30 14 morning call
4am main swell buoy readings:
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
6.5ft @ 7s from 59° (ENE)
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
6.5ft @ 7s from 59° (ENE)
4.9ft @ 13s from 353° (N)
3.9ft @ 11s from 4° (N)
1.7ft @ 3s from 67° (ENE)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
1.5ft @ 9s from 177° (S)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
1.5ft @ 9s from 177° (S)
1.5ft @ 6s from 174° (S)
1.1ft @ 13s from 251° (WSW)
5f 13s from 353 plus a few other swells should be enough to find some surfable spots.
The weather continues to be cloudy and wet, but it's winter, what would you expect.
I'm just thankful I don't live in Haiku anymore... such a lovely place, just not for me thanks!
Below is the wind map where I circled the two fetches generating waves for us. You can guess that the regime of multiple swells will continue and I have no idea when is going to be clean lines again.
Not complaining, there's plenty energy out there to keep up your surfing skills in the meantime.
Have fun in the sun everyone!
5f 13s from 353 plus a few other swells should be enough to find some surfable spots.
The weather continues to be cloudy and wet, but it's winter, what would you expect.
I'm just thankful I don't live in Haiku anymore... such a lovely place, just not for me thanks!
Below is the wind map where I circled the two fetches generating waves for us. You can guess that the regime of multiple swells will continue and I have no idea when is going to be clean lines again.
Not complaining, there's plenty energy out there to keep up your surfing skills in the meantime.
Have fun in the sun everyone!
Saturday, November 29, 2014
11 29 14 morning call
4am main swell buoy readings:
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
6.2ft @ 8s from 65° (ENE)
5.6ft @ 9s from 48° (NE)
5.1ft @ 12s from 341° (NNW)
2.4ft @ 11s from 354° (N)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
Have fun in the sun everyone... if you can find some!
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
1.9ft @ 3s from 30° (NNE)
1.4ft @ 13s from 281° (WNW)
1.1ft @ 9s from 191° (SSW)
1ft @ 5s from 162° (SSE)
As the buoy shows, the mix of swells just got even worse! If you want to surf good waves these days, you really need to use your local knowledge to find a place that filters some of that energy out...
I highlighted with an arrow on the wind map below where the air feeding the trade winds is coming from. No wonder it's been cold!
I also circled the fetch of winds generating the NW swell that's gonna hit Monday. It's going to be very west at the beginning (around 305), so Maui will get blocked a lot. We might not see it until later in the week, actually... but in the meantime, there will still be continuous energy from the NNE, so could be worse.
Surfline also calls for a massive NW swell on Dec 10, but I don't see that on the weather maps yet, so we have to wait and see.
I highlighted with an arrow on the wind map below where the air feeding the trade winds is coming from. No wonder it's been cold!
I also circled the fetch of winds generating the NW swell that's gonna hit Monday. It's going to be very west at the beginning (around 305), so Maui will get blocked a lot. We might not see it until later in the week, actually... but in the meantime, there will still be continuous energy from the NNE, so could be worse.
Surfline also calls for a massive NW swell on Dec 10, but I don't see that on the weather maps yet, so we have to wait and see.
Have fun in the sun everyone... if you can find some!
Friday, November 28, 2014
11 28 14 morning call
4am main swell buoy readings:
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
6.8ft @ 10s from 34° (NE)
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
6.8ft @ 10s from 34° (NE)
6ft @ 13s from 349° (NNW)
3.6ft @ 7s from 70° (ENE)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
1.2ft @ 13s from 277° (W)
The mix of swells continues.
Wind map shows the wind direction over the islands and also the low that will send us a solid NW swell on Monday.
Be careful out there, Maui has unfortunately seen serious injuries and even claiming lives lately.
Have fun in the sun everyone!
The mix of swells continues.
Wind map shows the wind direction over the islands and also the low that will send us a solid NW swell on Monday.
Be careful out there, Maui has unfortunately seen serious injuries and even claiming lives lately.
Have fun in the sun everyone!
Thursday, November 27, 2014
11 27 14 morning call
4am main swell buoy readings:
Waimea
5.8ft @ 13s from 8° (N)
Waimea
5.8ft @ 13s from 8° (N)
4.5ft @ 6s from 23° (NNE)
4.1ft @ 9s from 3° (N)
3.1ft @ 10s
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
8.2ft @ 13s from 6° (N)
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
8.2ft @ 13s from 6° (N)
6.1ft @ 11s from 12° (NNE)
3.9ft @ 6s from 43° (NE)
1.9ft @ 4s from 53° (ENE)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
1.5ft @ 3s from 26° (NNE)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
1.5ft @ 3s from 26° (NNE)
1.4ft @ 14s from 285° (WNW)
1.1ft @ 11s from 293° (WNW)
1.2ft @ 9s from 284° (WNW)
Also today some serious numbers on the buoys!
The graph below shows that the NNE swell peaked during the night in Maui, but there's still plenty size out there.
And plenty there will be for a couple of more days, as the fetch to the NNE of the islands indicates in the weather map below.
Look for places that like a NNE direction and you'll have plenty thanks to give today.
Have fun in the sun everyone!
Also today some serious numbers on the buoys!
The graph below shows that the NNE swell peaked during the night in Maui, but there's still plenty size out there.
And plenty there will be for a couple of more days, as the fetch to the NNE of the islands indicates in the weather map below.
Look for places that like a NNE direction and you'll have plenty thanks to give today.
Have fun in the sun everyone!
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
11 26 14 morning call
4am main swell buoy readings:
North Hawaii
12.1ft @ 14s
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
6.1ft @ 9s from 358° (N)
North Hawaii
12.1ft @ 14s
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
6.1ft @ 9s from 358° (N)
4.6ft @ 13s from 325° (NW)
4.1ft @ 11s from 331° (NNW)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
2.4ft @ 12s from 275° (W)
1.4ft @ 10s from 292° (WNW)
1.4ft @ 3s from 25° (NNE)
0.6ft @ 4s from 309° (WNW)
Maui's buoy shows a mix of sizes, directions and periods and that is going to be reflected by a disorganized status of the ocean pretty much anywhere on the north shore.
Unless you pick a spot that is somewhere that filters some of that energy out and makes it cleaner. Honolua bay yesterday was a good example of that (much cleaner that I thought, because there was pretty much no active wind on it).
The wind map below shows at least 4 different fetches generating waves for us (I numbered them for you guys) and that means that this pattern will continue in the next few days.
I also want to point out that the north buoy shows some big numbers (12f, 14s). Unfortunately, it doesn't show the direction, but I'm gonna guess that it's somewhere out of the north. We'll have to wait and see for that one.
Trade winds slowly veering back to a more sideshore direction, but with such a cloudy sky, don't expect any epic sailing either.
It's winter in Hawaii and even if sometimes it's not epic, I still love it.
Have fun in the sun everyone! (if it comes out!)
Maui's buoy shows a mix of sizes, directions and periods and that is going to be reflected by a disorganized status of the ocean pretty much anywhere on the north shore.
Unless you pick a spot that is somewhere that filters some of that energy out and makes it cleaner. Honolua bay yesterday was a good example of that (much cleaner that I thought, because there was pretty much no active wind on it).
The wind map below shows at least 4 different fetches generating waves for us (I numbered them for you guys) and that means that this pattern will continue in the next few days.
I also want to point out that the north buoy shows some big numbers (12f, 14s). Unfortunately, it doesn't show the direction, but I'm gonna guess that it's somewhere out of the north. We'll have to wait and see for that one.
Trade winds slowly veering back to a more sideshore direction, but with such a cloudy sky, don't expect any epic sailing either.
It's winter in Hawaii and even if sometimes it's not epic, I still love it.
Have fun in the sun everyone! (if it comes out!)
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
11 25 14 morning call
4am main swell buoy readings:
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
8.5ft @ 10s from 349° (NNW)
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
8.5ft @ 10s from 349° (NNW)
6.3ft @ 13s from 320° (NW)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
3.1ft @ 9s from 284° (WNW)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
3.1ft @ 9s from 284° (WNW)
2.2ft @ 13s from 282° (WNW)
1.1ft @ 4s from 316° (NW)
0.6ft @ 16s from 234° (WSW)
As predicted yesterday morning was pretty epic until the wind turned onshore.That happened at 11am and it's always fascinating (unless you didn't know it was going to happen and were in the water or even worse just paddling out!) to watch the conditions go from heavenly to junk in 10 minutes.
The influence of the local wind on the waves is huge.
That's how The point looked before the front arrived.
As predicted yesterday morning was pretty epic until the wind turned onshore.That happened at 11am and it's always fascinating (unless you didn't know it was going to happen and were in the water or even worse just paddling out!) to watch the conditions go from heavenly to junk in 10 minutes.
The influence of the local wind on the waves is huge.
That's how The point looked before the front arrived.
On tap today we have two completely different swells:
8.5ft @ 10s from 349° (NNW)
Honolua bay contest, here's my call at 6am without having seen the ocean or anything.
There will be waves breaking. But it's going to be pretty ugly, disorganized and even sideshore windy. I don't know how many days they need to run a ladies contest, but the rest of the waiting period does not look good at all. So I'm gonna guess that they are going to send them out, also considering that round 1 is a non elimination one. I hope I'm right, so I'll be able to watch them in the background at the shop during my morning shift while helping rental customers.
No, it was not a case that I posted the 3pm wind map... :)
Have fun in the sun everyone!
8.5ft @ 10s from 349° (NNW)
6.3ft @ 13s from 320° (NW)
The 13s one was the one we surfed yesterday. It was generated by that big fetch just south of the Aleutians that I indicated in the past days. That is a good swell, a little inconsistent, but very clean.
The 10s one has been (and still is) generated by the much closer fetch of N winds that follow the front that arrived yesterday. You can see it in the wind map below just north of the islands.
That low is going to intensify and provide us with short to moderate period waves from N-NE for pretty much the whole week.
Not a huge fan of closely generated swells (not as clean as the ones that travel longer and way less lulls to paddle back out), but that is still much better than flat!
A look at the wind. Below is the maui county 2k map for 3pm today.
The wind will be from a direction around 40 degrees that DOES NOT get amplified at all by the Haleakala on the north shore. It does get amplified in other parts of the islands though if you're really desperate to go windsurfing...
The 13s one was the one we surfed yesterday. It was generated by that big fetch just south of the Aleutians that I indicated in the past days. That is a good swell, a little inconsistent, but very clean.
The 10s one has been (and still is) generated by the much closer fetch of N winds that follow the front that arrived yesterday. You can see it in the wind map below just north of the islands.
That low is going to intensify and provide us with short to moderate period waves from N-NE for pretty much the whole week.
Not a huge fan of closely generated swells (not as clean as the ones that travel longer and way less lulls to paddle back out), but that is still much better than flat!
A look at the wind. Below is the maui county 2k map for 3pm today.
The wind will be from a direction around 40 degrees that DOES NOT get amplified at all by the Haleakala on the north shore. It does get amplified in other parts of the islands though if you're really desperate to go windsurfing...
Honolua bay contest, here's my call at 6am without having seen the ocean or anything.
There will be waves breaking. But it's going to be pretty ugly, disorganized and even sideshore windy. I don't know how many days they need to run a ladies contest, but the rest of the waiting period does not look good at all. So I'm gonna guess that they are going to send them out, also considering that round 1 is a non elimination one. I hope I'm right, so I'll be able to watch them in the background at the shop during my morning shift while helping rental customers.
No, it was not a case that I posted the 3pm wind map... :)
Have fun in the sun everyone!
Monday, November 24, 2014
11 24 14 morning call
4am main swell buoy readings:
waimea:
7.0ft @ 13s from 328° (NW)
waimea:
7.0ft @ 13s from 328° (NW)
1.2ft @ 3s from 266° (W)
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
4.9ft @ 10s from 71° (ENE)
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
4.9ft @ 10s from 71° (ENE)
5ft @ 14s from 328° (NW)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
2.3ft @ 13s from 293° (WNW)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
2.3ft @ 13s from 293° (WNW)
1.6ft @ 4s from 232° (WSW)
1.3ft @ 5s from 208° (SSW)
1.1ft @ 6s from 201° (SSW)
The Waimea buoy went up to 7f this am and the Maui one is still at "only" 5f.
You might guess that it's gonna get a bit bigger here in Maui too, but this swell is a bit weird, I wouldn't be 100% sure about that.
But there's waves and they're gonna be veeery clean thanks to the morning light Kona wind.
As soon as the wind will turn north after the pass of the weak front you see in the satellite picture below, it will go from heaven to hell.
The photo is from 5am and the leading edge of the front is hitting the Oahu north shore. There will be some moderate rain that comes with it too.
The Waimea buoy went up to 7f this am and the Maui one is still at "only" 5f.
You might guess that it's gonna get a bit bigger here in Maui too, but this swell is a bit weird, I wouldn't be 100% sure about that.
But there's waves and they're gonna be veeery clean thanks to the morning light Kona wind.
As soon as the wind will turn north after the pass of the weak front you see in the satellite picture below, it will go from heaven to hell.
The photo is from 5am and the leading edge of the front is hitting the Oahu north shore. There will be some moderate rain that comes with it too.
The switch of the wind can be appreciated in the following map that shows SW wind on Maui and the ugly north wind right behind the front.
So what time is the wind going to switch exactly, I hear everybody saying...
Well, the best tool for that is the maui county @ km map, but as I write it's not updated yet to this morning, so I'm going to post a snip from Windguru.
Two words about the most popular wind forecast website between windsurfers and kitesurfers.
First, Windguru does not do any forecast. Like many other websites, it only presents data that is available to everyone in a very easy to read way.
The mathematical model that actually does the forecast presented in the table at the top of the page (the one that everybody checks) is called GFS.
Not many people know that if you go all the way down, there's two other forecasts by two other models, NAM and HRW. Those two are detailed hour by hour and both indicate that the wind should start turning west around 10 and north around 1pm. They don't indicate that today I start working at 2pm, but I do want to mention that because I love when my schedule fits right in with the forecast...
They didn't run the Honolua Bay contest (even though I believe there were sets at sunset) and they most definitely won't run it today. Honolua hates the Kona and I believe the north wind sucks pretty bad too.
They might start it tomorrow though. There will be a bump in the NW swell (8f 12s by surfline) and the wind should be NE enough to be ok there. Not the classic groomed offshore conditions with the regular ENE trades though, but better than nothing.
Have fun in the sun everyone and no pain no gain in the rain!
So what time is the wind going to switch exactly, I hear everybody saying...
Well, the best tool for that is the maui county @ km map, but as I write it's not updated yet to this morning, so I'm going to post a snip from Windguru.
Two words about the most popular wind forecast website between windsurfers and kitesurfers.
First, Windguru does not do any forecast. Like many other websites, it only presents data that is available to everyone in a very easy to read way.
The mathematical model that actually does the forecast presented in the table at the top of the page (the one that everybody checks) is called GFS.
Not many people know that if you go all the way down, there's two other forecasts by two other models, NAM and HRW. Those two are detailed hour by hour and both indicate that the wind should start turning west around 10 and north around 1pm. They don't indicate that today I start working at 2pm, but I do want to mention that because I love when my schedule fits right in with the forecast...
They didn't run the Honolua Bay contest (even though I believe there were sets at sunset) and they most definitely won't run it today. Honolua hates the Kona and I believe the north wind sucks pretty bad too.
They might start it tomorrow though. There will be a bump in the NW swell (8f 12s by surfline) and the wind should be NE enough to be ok there. Not the classic groomed offshore conditions with the regular ENE trades though, but better than nothing.
Have fun in the sun everyone and no pain no gain in the rain!
Sunday, November 23, 2014
11 23 14 morning call
4am main swell buoy readings:
NW
6.1ft @ 13s from 326° (NW)
NW
6.1ft @ 13s from 326° (NW)
4.9ft @ 10s from 6° (N)
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
5.4ft @ 9s from 82° (E)
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
5.4ft @ 9s from 82° (E)
3.8ft @ 11s from 330° (NW)
0.7ft @ 4s from 78° (ENE)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
1.6ft @ 11s from 265° (W)
Also because the wind will be good all day, as the wind map below shows. Beautiful SE direction, sideoff at Hookipa, straight offshore at Honolua, which will be completely flat in the early morning. I wonder if they keep the girls on hold all day waiting for the swell to show up in the afternoon.
Too bad, I was getting used at surfing with Sally... "surfing with Sally, better than surfing with Kelly", I spoke yesterday. The reasons for that are obvious.
Have fun in the sun everyone!
PS. This morning call is dedicated to Steve, who entered the big 6 in top shape. Thanks again brother, there was such a good energy up there!
PPS. I'm getting totally annoyed by these virus audio ads in the background. Microsoft SE, Malwarebytes and Tdsskiller by Kaspersky didn't work. Any suggestions from the readers?
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
1.6ft @ 11s from 265° (W)
0.9ft @ 7s from 193° (SSW)
0.9ft @ 15s from 228° (SW)
0.8ft @ 5s from 201° (SSW)
As usual, let's start with analyzing the buoy readings.
NW reads 6f 1s from 326. Maui (and Waimea) don't show any sign of that yet.
Even though not particularly clear, the graph of the NW buoy show a steep rise around midnight. (connect that red dot at 13s with the last piece of dark blue line at 12s).
Once again, I'm hence going to predict a steep rise of the swell in Maui in the afternoon.
But there's still almost 4f 11s (just like the past 3-4 days), so it's gonna be fun all day.
As usual, let's start with analyzing the buoy readings.
NW reads 6f 1s from 326. Maui (and Waimea) don't show any sign of that yet.
Even though not particularly clear, the graph of the NW buoy show a steep rise around midnight. (connect that red dot at 13s with the last piece of dark blue line at 12s).
Once again, I'm hence going to predict a steep rise of the swell in Maui in the afternoon.
But there's still almost 4f 11s (just like the past 3-4 days), so it's gonna be fun all day.
Also because the wind will be good all day, as the wind map below shows. Beautiful SE direction, sideoff at Hookipa, straight offshore at Honolua, which will be completely flat in the early morning. I wonder if they keep the girls on hold all day waiting for the swell to show up in the afternoon.
Too bad, I was getting used at surfing with Sally... "surfing with Sally, better than surfing with Kelly", I spoke yesterday. The reasons for that are obvious.
Have fun in the sun everyone!
PS. This morning call is dedicated to Steve, who entered the big 6 in top shape. Thanks again brother, there was such a good energy up there!
PPS. I'm getting totally annoyed by these virus audio ads in the background. Microsoft SE, Malwarebytes and Tdsskiller by Kaspersky didn't work. Any suggestions from the readers?
Saturday, November 22, 2014
11 22 14 morning call
4am main swell buoy readings:
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
3.7ft @ 9s from 85° (E)
The wind is going to be favorable for surfing only tomorrow though (and I bet they'll run the contest at Honolua). Maybe also Monday morning, before turning straight North and ruining everything everywhere: stay tuned for that call.
Oh, yesterday I forgot to specify that the Hi-Tech Surf Bash contest is this morning at Pavils.
Have fun in the sun everyone!
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
3.7ft @ 9s from 85° (E)
3.4ft @ 11s from 322° (NW)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
1.7ft @ 13s from 210° (SSW)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
1.7ft @ 13s from 210° (SSW)
Pretty much the third very similar day in a row. Strong and gusty easterly wind with a background of 3-4f of swell from the NW.
Here's the graph of the Maui buoy that confirms that. What you want to look at is the light blue line
(the dark blue one is a windswell). So the call this morning is easy: it's gonna be just like the past couple of days!
Things are about to change though, both on the waves and wind sides.
New NW swell will arrive tomorrow (Sunday) and surfline is calling for 5f 14 from 333 at 8am, gradually increasing to 6.5 in the evening, 7 tomorrow and even 9 on Tuesday. Remember? We followed the evolution of the fetch in the past morning calls...
Here's the graph of the Maui buoy that confirms that. What you want to look at is the light blue line
(the dark blue one is a windswell). So the call this morning is easy: it's gonna be just like the past couple of days!
Things are about to change though, both on the waves and wind sides.
New NW swell will arrive tomorrow (Sunday) and surfline is calling for 5f 14 from 333 at 8am, gradually increasing to 6.5 in the evening, 7 tomorrow and even 9 on Tuesday. Remember? We followed the evolution of the fetch in the past morning calls...
The wind is going to be favorable for surfing only tomorrow though (and I bet they'll run the contest at Honolua). Maybe also Monday morning, before turning straight North and ruining everything everywhere: stay tuned for that call.
Oh, yesterday I forgot to specify that the Hi-Tech Surf Bash contest is this morning at Pavils.
Have fun in the sun everyone!
Friday, November 21, 2014
11 21 14 morning call
4am main swell buoy readings:
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
5ft @ 8s from 77° (ENE)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
1.7ft @ 13s from 253° (WSW)
Three surf contests about to happen in Maui:
- the final ASP Women contest at Honolua Bay (nov22 - dec 6)
- Hi-Tech Surf Bash at Pavillions
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
5ft @ 8s from 77° (ENE)
3.9ft @ 11s from 332° (NNW)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
1.7ft @ 13s from 253° (WSW)
Well, as usual 4f 11s would be pretty fun to surf at Hookipa if it wasn't for the 5f windswell and the active wind on it, but it's Maui and that is the norm.
We got spoiled last weekend (and most of last winter!) by the light Kona wind.
So no bitching around and go get them!
Below is the wind map of this morning.
You can see a humongous fetch that will send humongous waves to the Oregon coast.
Unfortunately, that region is at a latitude where two dreadful things happen:
- the fetch often reaches the coast and it's onshore wind
We got spoiled last weekend (and most of last winter!) by the light Kona wind.
So no bitching around and go get them!
Below is the wind map of this morning.
You can see a humongous fetch that will send humongous waves to the Oregon coast.
Unfortunately, that region is at a latitude where two dreadful things happen:
- the fetch often reaches the coast and it's onshore wind
- the water temperature is freezing.
A little luckier are California and Baja that will get the angular spreading of it, but the water is still too cold for my likes.
That's what I need to think later on while surfing the Maui windswell brutalized waves: at least it's warm!
A little luckier are California and Baja that will get the angular spreading of it, but the water is still too cold for my likes.
That's what I need to think later on while surfing the Maui windswell brutalized waves: at least it's warm!
Three surf contests about to happen in Maui:
- the final ASP Women contest at Honolua Bay (nov22 - dec 6)
- Hi-Tech Surf Bash at Pavillions
- the annual Paia Bay invitational (organized by some friends of mine and always a lot of fun to compete in) on Thanksgiving day.
Here's a bit of the surfline forecast, from which I'm gonna guess that they won't run the first couple of days of the ladies' contest and they will start on Sunday. Monday will have waves, but the wind will be very unfavorable, so a local call will be necessary. The wind will get a little better on Tuesday, but still far from ideal, so it's on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday that I see the best window of opportunity.
6f, 12s from the north will be on tap for Thursday (which is good news for the PBI also!), but that is a closely generated one and will not be picture perfect Honolua bay, that's for sure.
A couple of good additional days will be on Dec 2-3, with 8f, 12s from NNW to finish it off.
Of course I'll keep you guys posted, now let's go catch those 4f we have in the water.
Have fun in the sun everyone!
Here's a bit of the surfline forecast, from which I'm gonna guess that they won't run the first couple of days of the ladies' contest and they will start on Sunday. Monday will have waves, but the wind will be very unfavorable, so a local call will be necessary. The wind will get a little better on Tuesday, but still far from ideal, so it's on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday that I see the best window of opportunity.
6f, 12s from the north will be on tap for Thursday (which is good news for the PBI also!), but that is a closely generated one and will not be picture perfect Honolua bay, that's for sure.
A couple of good additional days will be on Dec 2-3, with 8f, 12s from NNW to finish it off.
Of course I'll keep you guys posted, now let's go catch those 4f we have in the water.
Have fun in the sun everyone!
Thursday, November 20, 2014
11 20 morning call
4am main swell buoy readings:
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
7.2ft @ 8s from 69° (ENE)
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
7.2ft @ 8s from 69° (ENE)
2.7ft @ 13s from 332° (NNW)
1.9ft @ 4s from 76° (ENE)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
1.5ft @ 14s from 218° (SW)
West lanai Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
1.5ft @ 14s from 218° (SW)
1.1ft @ 8s from 179° (S)
0.8ft @ 5s from 174° (S)
Another strong easterly gusty wind day, but with a tad of NNW swell. That's almost more frustrating actually because you see how a lovely groundswell can be annihilated by 7f of windswell travelling across it, but it's definitely better than nothing.
Hang in there guys, Sunday and Monday should be two very good days of surfing thanks to a NW swell that surfline is calling 7-8f 14s and no wind. That swell will be courtesy of the fetch that I circled in red in today's wind map. As you can see, it's long, wide and it has been there for quite a few days (check yesterday's weather map in yesterday's morning call), all things that contribute to the grow of the seas.
If the wind was stronger and the fetch captured (a fetch that moves in the same direction of the swell it generates and keeps building the same seas), we would have a giant swell... but fortunately (I don't surf Jaws) we won't!
Have fun in the sun everyone! Whenever it comes out between squalls of this pretty ugly strong trades weather!
Hang in there guys, Sunday and Monday should be two very good days of surfing thanks to a NW swell that surfline is calling 7-8f 14s and no wind. That swell will be courtesy of the fetch that I circled in red in today's wind map. As you can see, it's long, wide and it has been there for quite a few days (check yesterday's weather map in yesterday's morning call), all things that contribute to the grow of the seas.
If the wind was stronger and the fetch captured (a fetch that moves in the same direction of the swell it generates and keeps building the same seas), we would have a giant swell... but fortunately (I don't surf Jaws) we won't!
Have fun in the sun everyone! Whenever it comes out between squalls of this pretty ugly strong trades weather!
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
11 19 14 morning call
4am main swell buoy readings:
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
5.2ft @ 7s from 50° (NE)
West lanai (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
1.2ft @ 15s from 216° (SW)
Whatever you choose to do, have fun in the sun everyone!
Maui north shore (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's north shore)
5.2ft @ 7s from 50° (NE)
4.5ft @ 9s from 356° (N)
2.8ft @ 11s from 348° (NNW)
West lanai (indicative of what's in the water on Maui's south shore)
1.2ft @ 15s from 216° (SW)
1.2ft @ 3s from 23° (NNE)
0.8ft @ 9s from 299° (WNW)
0.7ft @ 11s from 307° (WNW)
As you can see from the buoy reading (I had to add some explanation about the two main buoys that I always use, because some readers have absolutely no clue of where they are and how to read them), there's not really much on offer today. At least nothing clean. Also because the wind is going to be blowing pretty hard today, as the parallel isobars over the islands indicate in the weather map below.
Strong trade wind brings frequent squalls (that make the wind go up and down) and increases the windswell and the chop on the waves.
In other words, I pretty much hate it.
And since I'm off, I'm gonna try to escape it possibly spending my day on a leeward side. But when the wind is this strong, it screws up the weather also there. I mean, look at the wind map at 8am!
Only Kihei will have some morning calmness.
Mmm... maybe a downwinder on a standup could be fun...
In other words, I pretty much hate it.
And since I'm off, I'm gonna try to escape it possibly spending my day on a leeward side. But when the wind is this strong, it screws up the weather also there. I mean, look at the wind map at 8am!
Only Kihei will have some morning calmness.
Mmm... maybe a downwinder on a standup could be fun...
Whatever you choose to do, have fun in the sun everyone!
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
11 18 14 morning call
4am main swell buoy readings:
Maui north shore
6.2ft @ 13s from 340° (NNW)
Which also tells us that there's still waves to be ridden. Not ideal weather for surfing (with the exception of Honolua Bay, of course), but windsurfers and kiters are going to be stoked all week.
After today, in fact, the waves will remain in the 4 feet range and the trade winds will be blowing pretty strong (particularly tomorrow).
A new bigger NW swell slotted for Sunday, with hopefully a lot less wind, but the week after that looks pretty horrible from the wind point of view. Which, you might want to remember this, in my case means strong wind. Too early to bitch about it now though.
The Lanai buoy is registering 0.7ft @ 18s from 215° (SW) in case you want to get out of the wind and go surf Lahaina.
And in case you're wondering where is that coming from, here's the weather map of 7 days ago.
I circled in red the fetch in the Tasman sea, just east of New Zealand, that generated a big (I'm sure) swell for Fiji. We're just getting the leftovers...
Have fun in the sun everyone!
Maui north shore
6.2ft @ 13s from 340° (NNW)
5.7ft @ 10s from 344° (NNW)
2.9ft @ 6s from 20° (NNE)
West lanai
West lanai
1.3ft @ 13s from 305° (WNW)
1.2ft @ 10s from 277° (W)
1.1ft @ 4s from 170° (S)
0.7ft @ 18s from 215° (SW)
Sorry, but I do have to brag about yesterday's call. I wrote that the new swell was going to have a "steep climb around noon" and below is the graph of of the Maui buoy...
Sorry, but I do have to brag about yesterday's call. I wrote that the new swell was going to have a "steep climb around noon" and below is the graph of of the Maui buoy...
Which also tells us that there's still waves to be ridden. Not ideal weather for surfing (with the exception of Honolua Bay, of course), but windsurfers and kiters are going to be stoked all week.
After today, in fact, the waves will remain in the 4 feet range and the trade winds will be blowing pretty strong (particularly tomorrow).
A new bigger NW swell slotted for Sunday, with hopefully a lot less wind, but the week after that looks pretty horrible from the wind point of view. Which, you might want to remember this, in my case means strong wind. Too early to bitch about it now though.
The Lanai buoy is registering 0.7ft @ 18s from 215° (SW) in case you want to get out of the wind and go surf Lahaina.
And in case you're wondering where is that coming from, here's the weather map of 7 days ago.
I circled in red the fetch in the Tasman sea, just east of New Zealand, that generated a big (I'm sure) swell for Fiji. We're just getting the leftovers...
Have fun in the sun everyone!
Monday, November 17, 2014
11 17 14 morning call
4am main swell buoy readings:
NW
8.7ft @ 14s from 343° (NNW)
Waimea
Maui north shore
5.2ft @ 9s from 342° (NNW)
The wind is still from a more onshore direction than normal though, as the world wind map shows below, so we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, the wind sensor at Hookipa reads 0 at 6am, so don't forget the down patrol surf session. 5.2ft @ 9s from 342° (NNW) can be fun!
Have fun in the sun everyone!
NW
8.7ft @ 14s from 343° (NNW)
5.4ft @ 10s from 339° (NNW)
Waimea
3.4ft @ 7s from 345° (NNW)
3.2ft @ 9s from 334° (NNW)
2.2ft @ 11s from 332° (NNW)
2ft @ 12s from 333° (NNW)
Maui north shore
5.2ft @ 9s from 342° (NNW)
1.3ft @ 3s from 53° (ENE)
New swell on the way as the graph of the NW buoy clearly shows below.
You wonder how long it takes from that buoy to Maui? Here's an article on surfline that answers that for Oahu. For Maui, you have to add another 100 nautical miles, which, in the case of the example of a 14s swell from 300 means 5 more hours for a total of 17h. But this one is from 343, so my guess is an approximate 12h and that means that its going to have a steep climb around noon.
Below is the wind map of maui county @ 2km at noon, which seems almost sailable. Should get better later, but today I work at 2pm, so forgive me if I focus on a possible windsurf session before work.
Below is the wind map of maui county @ 2km at noon, which seems almost sailable. Should get better later, but today I work at 2pm, so forgive me if I focus on a possible windsurf session before work.
The wind is still from a more onshore direction than normal though, as the world wind map shows below, so we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, the wind sensor at Hookipa reads 0 at 6am, so don't forget the down patrol surf session. 5.2ft @ 9s from 342° (NNW) can be fun!
Have fun in the sun everyone!
Sunday, November 16, 2014
11 16 14 morning call
4am main swell buoy readings:
Maui north shore
4.5ft @ 13s from 335° (NNW)
South shore:
Don't be fooled by the Lanai buoy reading, it's the wrap of the NNW swell. Too bad because I have a lesson on the south shore and would have not minded a little bump.
Well, below is the weather map from a week ago. I circled a fetch of favorable winds that back then did create some waves headed our way. Are they going to make it all the way up here?
What kind of wind and currents did they meet during their (roughly) 7 days long journey?
Will the angular spreading of the big NW swell we had all week interfere with them?
Me and my student are going to find out.
I might not be the best surf instructor in Maui (ok, ok, top 10...), but I bet not many know what's in the water more than me. And this blog's followers.
BTW, trade winds back on Tuesday, but already gone by Saturday/Sunday.
Have fun in the sun everyone!
Maui north shore
4.5ft @ 13s from 335° (NNW)
3.1ft @ 9s from 343° (NNW)
West lanai
West lanai
2ft @ 13s from 208° (SSW)
Waves went down to a really fun size, but the wind is about to turn north and ruin them.
Here's the wind map that shows the fetch of north wind very close to the islands.
Waves went down to a really fun size, but the wind is about to turn north and ruin them.
Here's the wind map that shows the fetch of north wind very close to the islands.
The Maui county @ 2km map at 6am this morning, shows even better how close that fetch is, and active wind or not, you can imagine that the waves are not going to be clean as they have been for the past two days with the lovely light Kona offshore wind.
Talking about which, I'm glad I quickly recovered by my Charlie horse thingy. Yes I did miss the 2 best days of the year so far, but I'm just stoked I'm back in the water already!
They show the onshore setting in around 10-11am, so hit the waves as early as you can!
South shore:
Don't be fooled by the Lanai buoy reading, it's the wrap of the NNW swell. Too bad because I have a lesson on the south shore and would have not minded a little bump.
Well, below is the weather map from a week ago. I circled a fetch of favorable winds that back then did create some waves headed our way. Are they going to make it all the way up here?
What kind of wind and currents did they meet during their (roughly) 7 days long journey?
Will the angular spreading of the big NW swell we had all week interfere with them?
Me and my student are going to find out.
I might not be the best surf instructor in Maui (ok, ok, top 10...), but I bet not many know what's in the water more than me. And this blog's followers.
BTW, trade winds back on Tuesday, but already gone by Saturday/Sunday.
Have fun in the sun everyone!
Saturday, November 15, 2014
11 15 14 morning call
4am main swell buoy readings:
Waimea
6ft @ 13s from 332° (NNW)
Maui north shore
6ft @ 13s from 333° (NNW)
Still 6f 13s for a swell that has lasted pretty much all week is not a bad number.
It is one of my favorite sizes to surf Lanes btw, even though I don't think I'll be able to do that this morning.
I was hit by my board surfing it yesterday and my leg is still a bit sore. Should be ok this afternoon or tomorrow though when the swell will still be around, but with onshore winds :(
Yesterday Hookipa was totally epic, the best day of the winter so far, without a doubt.
Not gonna bug you with weather maps today, just a shot I took of Charlie Smith.
What you need to know about today is that the wind is still going to be light kona (which means still epic surfing on the north shore) all day. Whoo-hoo!
Enjoy it until it lasts, because tomorrow it goes light onshore and that will turn it into shit.
Trade winds back from a regular ENE direction back around Tuesday/Wednesday for the happiness of the windsurfers/kitesurfers that don't surf (guys, do something about it!). But don't get too excited. It's winter and it's not gonna last long.
The magic alternating of surfing and windsurfing conditions is one of the reasons I love Maui so much.
Have fun in the sun everyone!
Waimea
6ft @ 13s from 332° (NNW)
Maui north shore
6ft @ 13s from 333° (NNW)
Still 6f 13s for a swell that has lasted pretty much all week is not a bad number.
It is one of my favorite sizes to surf Lanes btw, even though I don't think I'll be able to do that this morning.
I was hit by my board surfing it yesterday and my leg is still a bit sore. Should be ok this afternoon or tomorrow though when the swell will still be around, but with onshore winds :(
Yesterday Hookipa was totally epic, the best day of the winter so far, without a doubt.
Not gonna bug you with weather maps today, just a shot I took of Charlie Smith.
What you need to know about today is that the wind is still going to be light kona (which means still epic surfing on the north shore) all day. Whoo-hoo!
Enjoy it until it lasts, because tomorrow it goes light onshore and that will turn it into shit.
Trade winds back from a regular ENE direction back around Tuesday/Wednesday for the happiness of the windsurfers/kitesurfers that don't surf (guys, do something about it!). But don't get too excited. It's winter and it's not gonna last long.
The magic alternating of surfing and windsurfing conditions is one of the reasons I love Maui so much.
Have fun in the sun everyone!
Friday, November 14, 2014
4am main swell buoy readings:
NW Hawaii
9.2ft @ 12s from 328° (NW)
Waimea
7.7ft @ 13s from 337° (NNW)
NW Hawaii
9.2ft @ 12s from 328° (NW)
Waimea
7.7ft @ 13s from 337° (NNW)
2.4ft @ 10s from 333° (NNW)
Maui north shore
5.9ft @ 14s from 333° (NNW)
This is the Maui buoy graph instead showing the first bump hitting once again in the wee hours.
The other very important thing is the fact that the wind will be blowing Kona. Pretty much almost all waves on the north shore like that (as long as it's not too strong), there might be some barrels on offer. Good luck with that!
I clicked on maui's north shore and the map says 18km/h, which is 11m/h and that's what's blowing right now. I love that website (links n.2 and n.4 of the list to the right)
It shouldn't be enough for sailing, but unfortunately maui county @ 2km (link n.17) has not updated their map, so we can't be really sure.
Have fun in the sun everyone!
Maui north shore
5.9ft @ 14s from 333° (NNW)
3.5ft @ 10s from 343° (NNW)
Two relevant things to point out today.
The swell is going to have a bump back up in size. That is shown in the picture below showing the NW buoy graph (from surfline link n.11 on the right).
Notice that the size went up, but not the period. Notice also the start of a second bump in the wee hours of today.
Two relevant things to point out today.
The swell is going to have a bump back up in size. That is shown in the picture below showing the NW buoy graph (from surfline link n.11 on the right).
Notice that the size went up, but not the period. Notice also the start of a second bump in the wee hours of today.
This is the Maui buoy graph instead showing the first bump hitting once again in the wee hours.
The other very important thing is the fact that the wind will be blowing Kona. Pretty much almost all waves on the north shore like that (as long as it's not too strong), there might be some barrels on offer. Good luck with that!
I clicked on maui's north shore and the map says 18km/h, which is 11m/h and that's what's blowing right now. I love that website (links n.2 and n.4 of the list to the right)
It shouldn't be enough for sailing, but unfortunately maui county @ 2km (link n.17) has not updated their map, so we can't be really sure.
Have fun in the sun everyone!
PS. Alternative definition of wee hours from dictionary.com: the time spent in your life peeing
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