Wednesday 3 16 19 morning call

The funding campaign for the new Lahaina harbor webcam has raised $705. Thanks a lot and let's keep them coming. I'm gonna start my posts with an update like this until it reaches its goal of $2,000.

A shortboard and a longboard session for me yesterday. First one was at Hookipa, second one at Honolua again. The reasons I chose to go despite the not so exciting 4am reading at Pauwela (3ft @ 13s from 346°) are the following:
- I checked the buoy later and it was back to 4ft
- the observation of the west side cams (particularly Little Makaha)
- I taught a lesson mid morning and was already on the Lahaina side
- the trades were blowing (north shore would have been blown out).

Looks like it was a good call: mostly flat, but a beautiful small set every 10 minutes and a very light crowd.
Here's a wave at The Point before my session.


Here's a couple of waves during my session.


Here's one where I was way too deep to make the section, but I kept grabbing on that rail. See the guy paddling all the way down the line?


I only saw him (with great surprise!) after I went through all the white water in between us.


Here's a wave at the Cave after my session.

The windsurfers at Hookipa enjoyed a last windy day. Since we're not going to see windsurfing photos for a while, I picked two out of Jimmie Hepp's gallery of the day..




4am significant buoy readings
South shore
Barbers
2.4ft @ 9s from 169° (SSE)

1.5ft @ 15s from 198° (SSW)

Lanai
1.2ft @ 14s from 187° (S)                        

0.8ft @ 18s from 188° (S)

 

Background southerly energy at the local buoys. Not sure about that 18s reading, as there's also 18s energy from the NNW and it could be a wrap of some sort. Yesterday it was knee high on the Lahaina side and today should be similar. Soon I'll be able to recommend again: "check the Lahaina webcam before going". Please keep the donations coming.

 

North shore
NW101

3ft @ 14s from 305° (WNW)

 

Hanalei

1.7ft @ 15s from 329° (NW)

 

Waimea

1.4ft @ 16s from 329° (NW)

 

Pauwela

4.3ft @ 9s from 31° (NE)

1.4ft @ 18s from 334° (NNW)

 

New long period NW swell on the slow rise plus 4.3ft 9s from the 31 should make for a fun friendly size day at Hookipa. This is Pat Caldwell's description of the fetch(es): A compact low pressure 3/22-23 in the Kamchatka corner aimed swell at Hawaii over the 310-320 degree band. A new low pressure formed 3/23 and raced NE crossing into the Bering Sea west of the Date Line early 3/25. Acting upon the existing swell, the combined seas and swell grew over 25 feet in a wide area near the Hawaii great circle about 2000 nm away by late Sunday 3/24. The fetch aimed too NE of of Hawaii as it weakened just south of the Aleutians west of the Date Line 3/25.

Below is the collage of the maps of March 23, 24 and 25.


Below is the graphs of NW, Waimea and Pauwela together with the Surfline forecast. I circled the rise of the new swell on all of the graphs, you can see how low the energy is. The Surfline forecast sees the swell picking up noticeably only tomorrow (reaching 5ft 15s), but it does seem to be a little higher than what predicted for today, so I'm going call for a possible increase in size this afternoon.
Will report early from Hookipa the dawn conditions.


Wind map at noon. Should be calm till 10-11am.

 

North Pacific offers a lovely wintery scenario with three lows that I named Huey, Dewey and Louie. Huey is going to generate a swell that Surfline calls at 6ft 15s from 310 on Sunday. Dewey is going to stay there quite stationary (that's why there will be no trades) and the fetch oriented towards us is modeled to intensify and produce a swell that Surfline calls at 9ft 12s from 330. The Bay is going to be breaking again...

 

Unfortunately, yesterday's promising Tasman Sea fetch is now not oriented towards us anymore. Hopefully we'll still get some waves from it around next Tuesday/Wednesday.

 

Morning sky.