The net isopycnal displacements between early March and early December 1982 is shown for a section traversing the equator at 85¿W. This time period includes the onset of the 1982/1983 El Ni¿o. The section is analyzed in terms of both empirical orthogonal functions and dynamical modes derived from linear equatorial wave theory. Only a few functions, whether empirical or dynamical, are needed to describe most of the variance in the section. In particular, functions representing the structures of the Kelvin and first mode Rossby waves associated with the first three baroclinic modes of linear theory, when fitted to the sectionn in a least squares sense, can describe 86% of the variance. These waves may ultimately have been caused by a failure of the trade winds which began in the vicinity of the dateline prior to mid-June 1982 and subsequently spread eastward.