Big Island Ocean & Surf Report

Live surf by shore, the Hilo buoy, today's tides and any beach advisories, so you know where the water's good before you drive.

Big Island surf & ocean

Big surf on the south shore

The National Weather Service has a High Surf Advisory up until Fri 6:00 PM. The current south-southwest swell has peaked overnight and will maintain south shore surf above the High Surf Advisory threshold as it declines today. Surf along south facing shores will be at borderline advisory heights tonight, followed by another pulse of swell that will likely push surf above the advisory level Saturday and Sunday. The leeward Kona side is usually calmest, the windward Hilo side livelier. Check lifeguards and posted signs before you get in.

Surf forecast issued Fri 8:52 AM HST · NWS · NDBC · NOAA Tides · Hawaii DOH

Surf by shore today

North

0-2 ft

East

4-6 ft

South

7-10 ft

West

4-6 ft

Forecast surf face heights from the National Weather Service, by the direction a shore faces. Which way a coast points decides what swell reaches it.

Hilo buoy, right now

Wave height
6.9 ft
Open-ocean swell off Hilo
Period
7 s
Longer means more powerful
Water
80°F
Hilo (windward)

Tides today

Now5:03 AMLow 0.2′1:17 PMHigh 2.4′8:39 PMLow 1′11:15 PMHigh 1.1′5:55 AMLow 0.1′

Hilo tide station. High and low times are HST. · Water 80°F

Beach advisories

  • Spencer Beach Park

    07-24-2026

    Beach Notification

    High Bacteria Count Notification at Spencer Beach Park, Hawai‘i

Elsewhere in Hawaii

  • Sharks Cove (Snorkeling Spot)· O‘ahu· Beach Notification07-24-2026
  • Hanalei Bay· Kaua‘i· Brown Water Advisory07-23-2026
  • Niumalu Beach· Kaua‘i· Brown Water Advisory07-22-2026
  • Hanamaulu Beach· Kaua‘i· Brown Water Advisory07-22-2026
  • Waioli Beach· Kaua‘i· Brown Water Advisory07-22-2026
  • Puaena Beach· O‘ahu· Brown Water Advisory07-14-2026

Posted by the Hawaii Department of Health. Stay out of water that looks brown or murky, especially after heavy rain, whether or not an advisory is posted.

Where to snorkel on the Big Island

The leeward Kona coast holds the clearest water and the easiest entries. Match the spot to today's shore surf above, and remember snorkeling is the most common way visitors drown here.

The Big Island snorkeling guide: spots, entries, tours →

Box jellyfish

Box jellyfish arrive on south and leeward shores about 8 to 10 days after each full moon. It's a predictable window worth checking before a south-shore swim.

See the box jellyfish calendar →

Before you get in

  • Never turn your back on the ocean. The waves that hurt people are the ones they didn't see coming, off a rock or a ledge.
  • Swim where there are lifeguards, and ask them about the day. They know the specific break and rip currents you can't read from a forecast.
  • If you're caught in a rip current, don't fight it. Float, signal, and let it carry you out until it releases, then swim in at an angle.
  • This page is a heads-up, not a green light. Surf and advisories change through the day; the posted conditions at the beach win.

Surf and alerts: National Weather Service. Buoy: NDBC 51206. Tides and water temperature: NOAA CO-OPS. Beach advisories: Hawaii Department of Health, open advisories only. Independent project, affiliated with none of them.