Central Aleutians 230 NM SW Dutch Harbor
United States
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
8.2 ft
2.5 m
- Dominant period
- —
- Direction
- from SW 223°
Swell
7.2 ft2.2 m
12 sfrom SW 225°
Wind waves
3.9 ft1.2 m
5.6 sfrom W 270°
Mid-period swell leads: 7.2 ft at 12 s from the SW, with 3.9 ft of wind waves at 5.6 s from the W on top. Fading over the last 6 hours, down 2.7 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%.
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Nov 12 | 8.7 ft | 11 s | W |
| Fri, Nov 13 | 10.4 ft | 8.2 s | W |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 15.9 ft | 11 s | WSW |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 17.3 ft | 10 s | W |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 15.0 ft | 11 s | W |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 13.3 ft | 9.5 s | WSW |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 14.0 ft | 10 s | NW |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 16.6 ft | 10 s | NW |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (51.750°N, 172.250°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Southeast Bering Sea - 205 NM WNW of Dutch Harbor, AK7.9 ft · 9 sLive · 372 km
- Western Aleutians - 14NM South of Amchitka Is, AK6.9 ft · 10 sStale · 563 km
Nearest tide station: Finch Cove, Seguam Island 85 km for today’s highs and lows.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the W and SW.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 31.5 ft on Oct 29.
- Station id
- 46072
- Operator
- NDBC
- Program
- NDBC Meteorological/Ocean
- Position
- 51.645°N, 172.145°W
- Type
- Moored buoy
- Local time zone
- GMT-11 (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.
