Hanalei Bay Alert Guide

Hawaii, USA · part of the Hanalei Bay spot guide

The Hanalei buoy (51208) sits about 11 km off the bay and reads the swell before it reaches the point, so a live-observation alert is a sound trigger. The height below is the buoy reading (open-ocean significant height), which runs larger than the face.

The forecaster's checklist

1. 1.Watch for a strong Aleutian or Gulf-of-Alaska low with a long fetch aimed at Hawaii from the north-northwest.
2. 2.Read the Hanalei buoy (51208): a dominant direction from about 280° to 40° (best 320–350°) at 12 seconds or more is the green light.
3. 3.The tell is roughly 4-to-7-foot significant height at 13 seconds or more from the north-northwest for a solid point (about 6-to-9-foot faces); 7 to 10 ft and up is big.
4. 4.Pair it with a light or south-to-southeast wind and a dawn session.
5. 5.Apply the rain filter — after heavy rain in the prior one-to-four days, expect brown water and elevated shark caution, so wait it out.

Local winds & tide

Best wind: S–SSE offshore for the NW-facing point (dawn glass) — from 135° to 202° (SE–SSW).

Works at all stages; a low-to-mid tide sharpens the reef and a higher tide is safer and fuller.

Dial it in