Edisto - 41 NM Southeast of Charleston, SC
South Carolina, United States
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
5.6 ft
1.7 m
- Dominant period
- —
- Direction
- from WNW 288°
Swell
0.3 ft0.1 m
10 sfrom SW 225°
Wind waves
5.6 ft1.7 m
5.3 sfrom WNW 293°
Wind waves lead: 5.6 ft at 5.3 s from the WNW, over 0.3 ft of mid-period swell at 10 s from the SW. 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)
- 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 ran 15% high against the buoy.
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 5.3 ft | 5.3 s | WNW |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 5.1 ft | 5 s | WNW |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 3.7 ft | 4.7 s | N |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 4.7 ft | 5.9 s | ENE |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 6.5 ft | 6.5 s | ENE |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 6.8 ft | 6.4 s | ENE |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 7.0 ft | 6.9 s | ENE |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (32.500°N, 79.000°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- CHR60WAVE3.3 ft · 6 sLive · 53 km
- Capers Nearshore Waves (CAP2WAVE)2.0 ft · 6 sLive · 59 km
- FRP2WAVE2.0 ft · 3 sLive · 125 km
- Sunset Beach Nearshore Waves (SUN2WAVE)2.6 ft · 6 sStale · 159 km
- Frying Pan Shoals, NC5.9 ft · 5 sLive · 162 km
- Wilmington Harbor, NC3.9 ft · 7 sLive · 169 km
Nearest tide station: Cape Romain 63 km for today’s highs and lows.
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 75°F (23.7°C)
- Wind
- 16 kt from the NW, gusts 21 kt
- Air temperature
- 65°F (18.1°C)
- Pressure
- 1006.6 hPa
Reported Nov 13, 2:20 AM GMT-5.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the SE and E.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 12.8 ft at 8 s on Oct 18.
- Station id
- 41004
- Operator
- NDBC
- Program
- NDBC Meteorological/Ocean
- Position
- 32.502°N, 79.099°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.
