DISL Sofar Spotter
United States
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
2.3 ft
0.7 m
- Dominant period
- 3 s
- Direction
- from NW 322°
This reading came without the swell and wind-wave split, so the numbers are for the whole sea.
Short-period wind chop: 2.3 ft at 3 s from the NW. Holding steady over the last 6 hours.
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)
Period
- Dominant 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 ran 17% high against the buoy.
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 3.0 ft | 4 s | N |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 3.7 ft | 4.6 s | NE |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 4.4 ft | 4.9 s | ENE |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 7.3 ft | 6.5 s | E |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 7.5 ft | 7.7 s | ESE |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 7.1 ft | 7.5 s | ESE |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 7.0 ft | 7.2 s | ESE |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (30.000°N, 88.250°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Orange Beach - 44 NM SE of Mobile, AL2.6 ftLive · 64 km
- MS_State_SPOT_33439C - Biloxi Spotter - Mississippi Sound1.0 ft · 3 sLive · 64 km
- Chandeleur Island SE, LA2.6 ft · 5 sLive · 71 km
- MS_State_SPOT_33441C - Gulfport Spotter - Mississippi Sound0.7 ft · 2 sStale · 77 km
- Southwest Pass Entrance W, LA3.3 ft · 6 sStale · 185 km
- Pensacola - 115NM SSE of Pensacola, FL3.9 ftLive · 258 km
Nearest tide station: Dauphin Island Hydro 22 km for today’s highs and lows.
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 73°F (22.5°C)
- Pressure
- 1013.8 hPa
Reported Nov 12, 11:45 PM CST.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the SE.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 5.2 ft at 7 s on Nov 3.
- Station id
- 42357
- Operator
- Dauphin Island Sea Lab
- Program
- IOOS Partners
- Position
- 30.092°N, 88.212°W
- Type
- other
- Local time zone
- America/Chicago
- Swell split
- Yes, swell and wind waves reported
Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by Dauphin Island Sea Lab. 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.
