Swell direction
S swells dominant April–October; NE trade swells secondary
West Side · Tutuila
American Samoa's western buoy — south-swell country.
Get Poloa, Tutuila (American Samoa) live dataFreeBuoy CDIP 273 · Poloa, Tutuila
CDIP buoy 273 sits off Poloa on the west side of Tutuila, the main island of American Samoa. Unlike most US Pacific buoys, this one sits in the Southern Hemisphere — so the seasons are flipped. The big surf season is the austral winter (April through October) when storms in the Roaring Forties send long-period south swells north.
What you want to see on the buoy before you paddle out.
Swell direction
S swells dominant April–October; NE trade swells secondary
Swell period
12–18 s for prime S swells
Best for
Tutuila reef passes; local knowledge essential
Wind
SE trade winds most of the year
Tutuila's surf is consequential — most reef passes are remote and unguarded. Wave data is for safety as much as surf calls.
American Samoa sits 14° south of the equator. Its prime swell season is the austral winter (April–October), when North Hemisphere is going flat. Buoy 273 reads the same long-period south swells that line up the rest of the South Pacific surf belt.
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