Reported Nov 12, 11:20 PM PSTBuoy 46022

Eel River - 17NM WSW of Eureka, CA

Name: Eel River - 17NM WSW of Eureka, CA buoy 46022 wave observations
Creator: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC)
License: https://www.usa.gov/government-works

California, United States

Last wave reading: Nov 12, 11:10 PM PST

Now at the buoy

Significant wave height at the buoy

13.1 ft

4.0 m

Dominant period: —
Direction: from WNW 283°

Swell

8.5 ft2.6 m

11 sfrom WNW 293°

Wind waves

10.2 ft3.1 m

6.7 sfrom SSW 203°

Wind waves lead: 10.2 ft at 6.7 s from the SSW, over 8.5 ft of mid-period swell at 11 s from the WNW. 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 tracked the buoy within 10%.

Model peak each day at the buoy
Day	Height	Peak period	From
Fri, Nov 13	26.8 ft	18 s	WNW
Sat, Nov 14	27.7 ft	18 s	WNW
Sun, Nov 15	19.0 ft	15 s	W
Mon, Nov 16	17.8 ft	15 s	WNW
Tue, Nov 17	13.8 ft	14 s	WNW
Wed, Nov 18	12.0 ft	13 s	NW
Thu, Nov 19	11.9 ft	13 s	NW

ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (40.750°N, 124.500°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.

Nearby beaches

Listed by distance only. Their Quiver forecasts are not linked to this buoy.

Samoa Dunes Surf Area27 km
Quiver forecast now: 9-10ft
Clam Beach47 km
Quiver forecast now: 10-11ft
Moonstone Beach / Little River50 km
Quiver forecast now: 10-11ft

Beach numbers are each beach's own Quiver forecast, not a conversion of this buoy reading.

Nearby buoys

Humboldt Bay, North Spit, CA11.5 ft · 13 sLive · 25 km
Cape Mendocino, CA9.2 ft · 13 sStale · 50 km
St Georges - 8 NM NW of Crescent City, CA14.4 ft · 12 sLive · 126 km
Pt Arena - 19NM North of Point Arena, CA12.5 ft · 13 sLive · 173 km
Port Orford - 15 NM West of Port Orford, OR16.7 ft · 9 sLive · 228 km
Bodega Bay - 48NM NW of San Francisco, CA12.1 ft · 15 sLive · 295 km

Nearest tide station: Cockrobin Island Bridge, Eel River 23 km for today’s highs and lows.

How to read this buoy

Eel River - 17NM WSW of Eureka, CA sits 27 km from the closest beach listed here: near enough to show what is arriving, far enough that islands, points and the seabed still change it before it breaks.

Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the NW and W.

Biggest hourly reading in that record: 19.7 ft at 15 s on Nov 9.

Station id: 46022
Operator: NDBC
Program: NDBC Meteorological/Ocean
Position: 40.716°N, 124.540°W
Type: Moored buoy
Local time zone: America/Los_Angeles
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.