Reported Nov 13, 12:56 AM PSTBuoy 46218

Harvest, CA

Name: Harvest, CA buoy 46218 wave observations
Creator: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by SCRIPPS
License: https://www.usa.gov/government-works

California, United States

Last wave reading: Nov 12, 11:56 PM PST

Now at the buoy

Significant wave height at the buoy

11.5 ft

3.5 m

Dominant period: 15 s
Direction: from WNW 299°

Swell

10.5 ft3.2 m

15 sfrom WNW 293°

Wind waves

4.6 ft1.4 m

9.9 sfrom WNW 293°

Long-period groundswell leads: 10.5 ft at 15 s from the WNW, with 4.6 ft of wind waves at 9.9 s from the WNW on top. Building over the last 6 hours, up 2.4 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%.

Model peak each day at the buoy
Day	Height	Peak period	From
Fri, Nov 13	11.9 ft	14 s	WNW
Sat, Nov 14	21.0 ft	18 s	WNW
Sun, Nov 15	16.0 ft	17 s	WNW
Mon, Nov 16	15.9 ft	16 s	WNW
Tue, Nov 17	15.0 ft	15 s	WNW
Wed, Nov 18	11.3 ft	13 s	NW
Thu, Nov 19	9.9 ft	11 s	WNW

ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (34.500°N, 120.750°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.

Beaches whose Quiver forecast uses this buoy

Jalama Beach27 km
Quiver forecast now: 6-7ft

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

Nearby buoys

West Santa Barbara 38 NM West of Santa Barbara, CA11.5 ftLive · 35 km
Santa Maria - 21NM NW of Point Arguello, CA8.5 ft · 15 sLive · 58 km
Santa Lucia Escarpment, CA13.1 ft · 17 sStale · 74 km
Avila Beach Nearshore, CA4.9 ft · 15 sLive · 79 km
Diablo Canyon, CA7.9 ft · 17 sLive · 84 km
East Santa Barbara - 12NM Southwest of Santa Barbara, CA8.5 ftLive · 89 km

Nearest tide station: Oil Platform Harvest 9 km for today’s highs and lows.

How to read this buoy

Harvest, 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.

Biggest hourly reading in that record: 15.7 ft at 17 s on Nov 9.

Station id: 46218
CDIP id: 071
Operator: SCRIPPS
Program: IOOS Partners
Position: 34.452°N, 120.780°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); station operated by SCRIPPS. 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.