Buoy 51001: Northwestern Hawaii One - 188 NM Nw Of Kauai Island, HI webcam — United States
Working Still image · every hour Open ocean · Official source · What camera types mean
What you are looking at
Station 51001, Northwestern Hawaii One, sits about 188 nautical miles northwest of Kauai over water roughly 4,895 meters (about 16,000 feet) deep. NDBC lists it as a 2.1-meter ionomer foam buoy, a smaller hull than many of its neighbors. Surfers and forecasters across Hawaii know this number well.
Winter swells generated by storms in the North Pacific travel toward Hawaii from the northwest and north, and they often pass this buoy many hours before they reach the north shores of Kauai and Oahu. When the wave height and period jump here, forecasters, lifeguards and surfers start watching for big surf to follow. The buoy also reports wind speed, gusts and direction, air pressure, and air and sea-surface temperature for National Weather Service marine forecasts.
Its BuoyCAM strip, generally taken about hourly in daylight, shows only open ocean and sky. From roughly October through April you might see long, organized swell lines and the clouds of passing fronts; in summer the sea is usually calmer under trade-wind skies, with hurricane season running June through November. The buoy's motion tilts the horizon.
Camera details
- Operator
- NOAA National Data Buoy Center
- Station ID
- 51001
- Station
- NORTHWESTERN HAWAII ONE - 188 NM NW of Kauai Island, HI
- Image size
- 2880 × 300 px (6 frames around the buoy)
- Daylight pictures only
- Yes
- Image updates
- Every hour
- Video format
- Still image (JPEG)
- Position
- Exact (from the provider)
- Licence
- U.S. public domain
- Data source
- NOAA NDBC BuoyCAMs
- Working, last 7 days
- 100 % of checks
From the provider's own camera list and our automatic checks. Readings and details can change without notice.
On the map
Nearby live views
Also nearby: Buoy 51101: Northwestern Hawaii Two - 186 NM Nw Of Kauai Is., HI (9.7 mi).
Questions about Buoy 51001: Northwestern Hawaii One - 188 NM Nw Of Kauai Island, HI
Is the Buoy 51001: Northwestern Hawaii One - 188 NM Nw Of Kauai Island, HI camera live right now?
Yes, it is working: at our last automatic check it was sending new pictures. It is a still image, not video: a new photo arrives about every 1 hour straight from NOAA National Data Buoy Center.
Where does this camera come from?
NOAA National Data Buoy Center runs this camera. It is an official source. Its images are in the U.S. public domain. LiveLocation shows them straight from the source with credit. About NOAA BuoyCAMs Watch at the source
Where is the Buoy 51001: Northwestern Hawaii One - 188 NM Nw Of Kauai Island, HI camera?
It is in United States. Coordinates: 24.475, -162.030.
Is it day or night there now?
This camera is out at sea or far from a time zone line, so we show approximate solar time. The "Right now" panel above shows the local time and whether the sun is up, updated live.
Can I see other cameras nearby?
Yes: 1 other camera is within 25 miles of this one. The live camera radar shows them all on a map, nearest first. Open the radar here
Does this buoy camera work at night?
No: NOAA BuoyCAMs take pictures only in daylight, so at night the last daytime image stays up. This is NOAA station 51001; its page also has the latest wind, wave and temperature readings. Station 51001 at NOAA
What do the sensors at Buoy 51001: Northwestern Hawaii One - 188 NM Nw Of Kauai Island, HI show?
The latest readings from the provider: Waves: 1.8 m / 5.9 ft, every 12 s from the NNW; Water: 26.0 °C / 78.8 °F; Air: 23.8 °C / 74.8 °F; Wind: 18 km/h / 11 mph from the SE, gusts 22 km/h / 13 mph; Air pressure: 1,005.6 hPa / 29.70 inHg. They update with the provider's data, so they can be a few minutes old.