Buoy 51214

King-Poloa

Samoa south swell proxy

A far-upstream American Samoa buoy that can give an early read on long-period south swell energy aimed toward south Kauai.

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Station Context

Region: American Samoa

Station type: Directional wave buoy

Position: -14.296°, 170.875°W

Distance to Poipu: 2273.3 nautical miles

This station is far from Kauai, so it is best used as a broad upstream signal rather than a tight local timing buoy.

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 an early heads-up for long-period south swell energy in the South Pacific.
  • Compare it with 51002 to see whether the same swell line is still relevant as it works toward south Kauai.
  • Treat it as a trend and direction tool more than an exact surf-size predictor.

How to Read It

  • If this buoy sees a strong south swell well before 51002 or local south shore signs, it can help you start tracking a new event.
  • Because of the long distance, small changes in direction matter a lot for whether the swell remains relevant to Kauai.
  • Signed arrival time here should be treated as coarse guidance, not exact surf arrival.

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