Buoy 51212
Barbers Point
Oahu south swell checkpoint
A useful Oahu-side checkpoint for south swell energy as it moves through the islands toward south Kauai.
Latest Snapshot
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Station Context
Region: Kalaeloa, Oahu
Station type: Directional wave buoy
Position: 21.323°, 158.149°W
Distance to Poipu: 80.3 nautical miles
NDBC lists this station as Barbers Point, Kalaeloa, Hawaii. It reports swell height, period, and direction and is a strong mid-chain reference for south swell tracking.
Historical Swell
Blue shows swell height over time. Hover points to see period and direction.
Historical swell chart unavailable for this buoy right now.
How to Use This Buoy
What to Watch
- Use it as a Hawaii-chain checkpoint between far-upstream buoys and south Kauai.
- Compare it with 51002 and 51214 to see how a south swell is holding together as it approaches Kauai.
- Watch the directional match here when you want a more relevant island-to-island read than a far South Pacific buoy.
How to Read It
- If 51212 is seeing the same south swell line as 51002, that is a stronger sign the event is still relevant to south Kauai.
- Because it is much closer than Samoa, its signed arrival timing should usually be more actionable for Kauai than 51214.
- This is still a checkpoint buoy, not a direct Poipu surf measurement, so local shape and winds still matter.
Swell Travel Time
Swell timing from this buoy uses the same deep-water group-speed and signed-distance method documented in the technical guide.
See the swell timing method