Cape Suckling - 35 NM SE of Kayak Is, AK
Alaska, United States
Last wave reading:
Last reading
This reading is more than 3 hours old. The buoy may have stopped sending waves for now.
Significant wave height at the buoy
32.2 ft
9.8 m
- Dominant period
- —
- Direction
- from SE 124°
Swell
22.0 ft6.7 m
13 sfrom SE 135°
Wind waves
23.3 ft7.1 m
11 sfrom SE 135°
Wind waves lead: 23.3 ft at 11 s from the SE, over 22.0 ft of mid-period swell at 13 s from the SE.
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 2 days, the model tracked the buoy within 10%.
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Nov 12 | 8.1 ft | 9.2 s | S |
| Fri, Nov 13 | 9.7 ft | 12 s | S |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 9.1 ft | 9.7 s | ESE |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 10.6 ft | 11 s | SE |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 12.5 ft | 9.4 s | ESE |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 12.1 ft | 9.3 s | SSW |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 16.1 ft | 8.4 s | ESE |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 20.3 ft | 9.5 s | ESE |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (59.500°N, 145.250°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Seal Rocks - Between Montague and Hinchinbrook Islands, AK4.9 ft · 9 sLive · 119 km
- West Orca Bay - 8NM NW of Hinchinbrook Is., AK1.3 ft · 10 sLive · 144 km
- Cape Cleare - 17 NM South of Montague Is, AK4.6 ft · 10 sLive · 160 km
- Western Prince William Sound0.0 ftLive · 220 km
Nearest tide station: Middleton Island (north end) 66 km for today’s highs and lows.
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 48°F (8.9°C)
- Wind
- 41 kt from the E, gusts 54 kt
- Air temperature
- 45°F (7.1°C)
- Pressure
- 972.6 hPa
Reported Nov 9, 4:50 PM GMT-10.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the S and SE.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 29.9 ft at 14 s on Nov 9.
- Station id
- 46082
- Operator
- NDBC
- Program
- NDBC Meteorological/Ocean
- Position
- 59.568°N, 145.164°W
- Type
- Moored buoy
- Local time zone
- GMT-10 (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.
