Reported Nov 13, 3:20 AM GMT-5Buoy 41009

Canaveral 20 NM East of Cape Canaveral, FL

Name: Canaveral 20 NM East of Cape Canaveral, FL buoy 41009 wave observations
Creator: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC)
License: https://www.usa.gov/government-works

Florida, United States

Last wave reading: Nov 13, 2:10 AM GMT-5

Now at the buoy

Significant wave height at the buoy

3.0 ft

0.9 m

Dominant period: —
Direction: from W 273°

Swell

1.0 ft0.3 m

6.7 sfrom NNE 23°

Wind waves

3.0 ft0.9 m

3.4 sfrom W 270°

Wind waves lead: 3.0 ft at 3.4 s from the W, over 1.0 ft of short-period wind chop at 6.7 s from the NNE. Building over the last 6 hours, up 0.9 ft.

Significant wave height is the average of the biggest third of waves at the buoy. It is not surf height at a beach.

Trend at the buoy

Height at the buoy

Total (significant height)
Swell
Wind waves

Period

Swell period
Wind-wave period

Hourly means of the buoy's readings. Arrows point the way the waves travel.

Model vs the buoy

Buoy, hourly
Model, past days
Model forecast

Over the last 5 days, the model tracked the buoy within 10%.

Model peak each day at the buoy
Day	Height	Peak period	From
Fri, Nov 13	5.2 ft	5.7 s	NNW
Sat, Nov 14	5.8 ft	7 s	NNW
Sun, Nov 15	3.9 ft	6.7 s	N
Mon, Nov 16	5.3 ft	5.9 s	ENE
Tue, Nov 17	7.0 ft	7.1 s	ENE
Wed, Nov 18	8.9 ft	8.3 s	ENE
Thu, Nov 19	9.6 ft	8.6 s	ENE

ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (28.500°N, 80.250°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.

Nearby beaches

Listed by distance only. Their Quiver forecasts are not linked to this buoy.

Cherie Down Park Beach42 km
Quiver forecast now: 0-1ft
Cocoa Beach Pier44 km
Quiver forecast now: 0-1ft
16th St South48 km
Quiver forecast now: 0-1ft

Beach numbers are each beach's own Quiver forecast, not a conversion of this buoy reading.

Nearby buoys

Cape Canaveral Nearshore, FL1.0 ftLive · 36 km
Fort Pierce, FL1.6 ft · 5 sLive · 105 km
Ponce de Leon Inlet Waves (PNCWAVE)2.6 ft · 4 sLive · 106 km
Canaveral East - 120NM East of Cape Canaveral5.6 ftLive · 171 km
St. Augustine, FL3.6 ft · 5 sLive · 187 km
Offshore Fernandina Beach, FL3.0 ft · 5 sLive · 267 km

Nearest tide station: Cape Canaveral 38 km for today’s highs and lows.

How to read this buoy

Canaveral 20 NM East of Cape Canaveral, FL sits in open water, 42 km from the closest beach listed here. It sees swell before the coast bends, blocks or shrinks it, so expect beach surf to differ from this reading.

Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the E and NE.

Biggest hourly reading in that record: 15.9 ft at 11 s on Oct 28.

Station id: 41009
Operator: NDBC
Program: NDBC Meteorological/Ocean
Position: 28.508°N, 80.185°W
Type: Moored buoy
Local time zone: GMT-5 (open ocean)
Swell split: Yes, swell and wind waves reported

Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC). Licence: Public domain (US government work). Station page at the source.

Not for navigation. Readings can be late, missing or wrong; check official marine forecasts before going to sea.

Buoy terms

Significant height: The average of the biggest third of waves the buoy measured. Sets in the surf zone can be bigger or smaller.
Dominant period: Seconds between the waves carrying the most energy. Longer period means more power and more bend around points.
Swell vs wind waves: Swell was made by distant wind; wind waves were made nearby. The buoy splits its spectrum at a cutoff period to report each.
Direction: Where waves come from, in degrees true. 270° is from the west.