Central Gulf of Alaska - 265NM West of Cape Ommaney, AK
Alaska, United States
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
14.1 ft
4.3 m
- Dominant period
- —
- Direction
- from SSE 160°
Swell
13.1 ft4.0 m
11 sfrom SSE 158°
Wind waves
5.6 ft1.7 m
6.2 sfrom SE 135°
Mid-period swell leads: 13.1 ft at 11 s from the SSE, with 5.6 ft of wind waves at 6.2 s from the SE on top. Building over the last 6 hours, up 4.1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 14.4 ft | 12 s | S |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 11.5 ft | 10 s | WNW |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 22.3 ft | 11 s | W |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 17.0 ft | 13 s | SW |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 13.3 ft | 12 s | SW |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 11.5 ft | 9 s | S |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 16.9 ft | 11 s | SW |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (55.750°N, 143.000°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Western Gulf of Alaska - 175NM SE of Kodiak, AK8.9 ftLive · 322 km
- North Nomad15.4 ft · 11 sLive · 335 km
- Fairweather Ground - 105 NM West of Juneau, AK6.9 ft · 8 sLive · 400 km
- Cape Edgecumbe - 25NM SSW of Cape Edgecumbe, AK8.5 ft · 10 sLive · 432 km
- Cape Suckling - 35 NM SE of Kayak Is, AK32.2 ft · 13 sStale · 456 km
- Portlock Bank - 76 NM ENE of Kodiak, AK5.9 ftLive · 496 km
Other readings
- Wind
- 17 kt from the ENE, gusts 21 kt
- Air temperature
- 47°F (8.6°C)
- Pressure
- 991.4 hPa
Reported Nov 13, 12:10 AM GMT-10.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the W and S.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 32.8 ft at 14 s on Nov 9.
- Station id
- 46085
- Operator
- NDBC
- Program
- NDBC Meteorological/Ocean
- Position
- 55.840°N, 142.895°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.
