More harbor action, this is Annie on a steep drop. She stuck it, but didn't make the section.
The imposing figure of brother Randy.
4am significant buoy readings
South shore
No sign of southerly energy at the buoys.
North shore
NW101
6.8ft @ 11s from 21° (NNE)
N
7.7ft @ 10s from 343° (NNW)
Hanalei
5.9ft @ 9s
5.1ft @ 13s from 323° (NW)
4.3ft @ 11s from 355° (N)
Waimea
5ft @ 11s from 5° (N)
4.7ft @ 14s from 324° (NW)
4.5ft @ 10s from 357° (N)
2.3ft @ 7s from 358° (N)
Pauwela
5.9ft @ 14s from 327° (NW)
So in a case like this, when the indication of the outer buoys don't help much, we just rely on the local ones, which instead are pretty consistent in terms of size and directions of the swells in the water. Let me report again the three main readings at Pauwela:
5.6ft @ 11s from 359° (N)
4.9ft @ 9s from 358° (N)
1ft @ 7s from 358° (N)
The map of the Hawaii buoys is available at link n.0 in the post Hawaii buoys position. I reported it below, and added the direction of the primary swells registered this morning by NW and N to show how those readings have no influence on us, as both have directions that will miss us. The more nearby and localized the fetches are, the higher the chances that this happens. If the primary swell is one generated remotely, all the buoys should show roughly the same size and direction instead. This has been the year of the nearby fetches, imo, and such will be the case for another week or so, before things are modeled to dramatically change for the worse, with a massive high pressure taking over the whole Pacific and generating trades in the "ugly strong" category.
So in a case like this, when the indication of the outer buoys don't help much, we just rely on the local ones, which instead are pretty consistent in terms of size and directions of the swells in the water. Let me report again the three main readings at Pauwela:
5.9ft @ 14s from 327° (NW)
5.6ft @ 11s from 359° (N)
4.9ft @ 9s from 358° (N)
At this point, I always feel like moving on to the wind map... the swells are there, the directions are pretty clear, what else you need to know? Where exactly to go surf? That obviously depends on each surfer's skills and preferences. I can only provide a little help with general considerations like the fact that Hookipa will be widely exposed to all those swells and will be still in the well overhead range, possibly still looking a bit stormy, although the early morning lack of wind will clean it up a lot.
If that doesn't appeal to you (like it doesn't to me, so don't expect a Hookipa report as I'm not even going to check it), then you need to know what are the other spots that will filter either the NW or the N energy to find smaller/cleaner conditions. How do you figure that out? It's part of the knowledge you build day after day observing the different spots under different swells. Here's a few tips that will shorten your learning curve:
- study and learn by heart the shadow lines reported in the post Buoys to Maui travel times and Maui's shadow lines
If that doesn't appeal to you (like it doesn't to me, so don't expect a Hookipa report as I'm not even going to check it), then you need to know what are the other spots that will filter either the NW or the N energy to find smaller/cleaner conditions. How do you figure that out? It's part of the knowledge you build day after day observing the different spots under different swells. Here's a few tips that will shorten your learning curve:
- study and learn by heart the shadow lines reported in the post Buoys to Maui travel times and Maui's shadow lines
- read this blog every day
- always know what's in the water when you go surf (good to know what the tide is doing too).
Wind map at noon. Enjoy today, it'll be the last light wind day in a long while.
- always know what's in the water when you go surf (good to know what the tide is doing too).
Wind map at noon. Enjoy today, it'll be the last light wind day in a long while.
North Pacific has three different small fetches: a remote WNW one, and two nearby NNW and NNE ones.
South Pacific has a small SSE fetch and a massive S one that is aiming at Central America. I believe we'll get some angular spreading out of it.
Morning sky.
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