4 13 16 morning call

Surf at dawn, windsurf at sunset, this is my recipe to escape the strongest wind. At least for the days in which my schedule keeps me on the north shore.

Today I have an afternoon work shift, so I'll escape it by driving to the west side instead. Here's how Honolua looked like yesterday in this photo by Kazuma Saita.


Meanwhile the windsurfers where facing challenging conditions at Hookipa. Stunning photo by Jimmie Hepp.


4am buoy readings
NW
6.8ft @ 8s from 94° (E)

4.6ft @ 12s from 314° (NW)

Waimea
6.9ft @ 13s from 327° (NW)         

4.3ft @ 8s from 39° (NE)

2.7ft @ 6s from 42° (NE)

Mokapu
7.5ft @ 8s from 73° (ENE)

3.0ft @ 13s from 345° (NNW)

2.3ft @ 11s from 343° (NNW)

NW swell peaked yesterday, but with 7s 13s still at the Waimea buoy, ther should be no shortage of waves this morning. Going down a couple of feet and 1-2 seconds towards the end of the day.
Notice also the high windswell reading at Mokapu, the east facing shores will have some size and roughness.

Not a chance that MC2km has updated the maps this early, so here's the 1pm one from yesterday's run. Interesting shape of the 30-35 knots patch over the north shore. Link n.17 if you want to check the updates. Today should be the strongest wind of this very windy week.
The trades are not modeled to slow down any time soon, but fortunately also the NW ground swells.
 here's how Pat Caldwell puts it:"In the northern hemisphere, the active jet stream trough pattern is modelled to continue with new low pressures forming off the Kurils island about every 3-4 days with an eastward track. That should keep peak days above average locally with a similar spacing of arrival about 4 days apart. Models target a new arrival from WNW to NW 4/19.
Trades and windswell from within 40-90 degrees are expected to trend up and down on a similar near 4-day cycle associated with the alternating jet level ridges and troughs."


Wind map shows a strong NW fetch and a windswell one. The related NW swell starting on Friday is going to be pretty solid on Saturday too.


South Pacific shows a nice fetch, just really far far away and aiming more at the Americas. We'll get a small angular spreading in a week to keep the flatness away from our south shores.