diff --git a/mhkit/tests/test_wave.py b/mhkit/tests/test_wave.py
index 07312274d..20986c94b 100644
--- a/mhkit/tests/test_wave.py
+++ b/mhkit/tests/test_wave.py
@@ -1045,7 +1045,7 @@ def test_multi_loc(self):
             meta_dir)=(wave.io.hindcast
                        .request_wpto_directional_spectrum(lat_lon,year='1995'))
             dir_multiyear = dir_multiyear.sel(time_index=slice(dir_multiyear.time_index[0],dir_multiyear.time_index[99]))
-            dir_multiyear = dir_multiyear.rename_vars({87:'87',58:'58'})
+            dir_multiyear = dir_multiyear.rename({87:'87',58:'58'})
 
             assert_frame_equal(self.ml,wave_multiloc)
             assert_frame_equal(self.ml_meta,meta)
diff --git a/mhkit/wave/io/hindcast.py b/mhkit/wave/io/hindcast.py
index ac834def3..cf4bfe481 100644
--- a/mhkit/wave/io/hindcast.py
+++ b/mhkit/wave/io/hindcast.py
@@ -221,8 +221,9 @@ def request_wpto_directional_spectrum(lat_lon, year, tree=None,
         # get metadata
         col = data_raw.columns[:]
         meta = rex_waves.meta.loc[col,:]
-        meta = meta.reset_index(drop=True) 
+        meta = meta.reset_index(drop=True)
 
-    data = data_raw.to_xarray()
+    data = data_raw.to_xarray().to_array().drop('variable').squeeze()
+    data['time_index'] = pd.to_datetime(data.time_index)
 
-    return data, meta    
\ No newline at end of file
+    return data, meta
\ No newline at end of file