Reported Nov 12, 11:00 PM GMT-11Buoy 51214

King-Poloa, American Samoa

Name: King-Poloa, American Samoa buoy 51214 wave observations
Creator: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System
License: https://www.usa.gov/government-works

American Samoa, United States

Last wave reading: Nov 12, 11:00 PM GMT-11

Now at the buoy

Significant wave height at the buoy

6.6 ft

2.0 m

Dominant period: 10 s
Direction: from SE 133°

Swell

4.3 ft1.3 m

10 sfrom SE 135°

Wind waves

5.2 ft1.6 m

9.5 sfrom SE 135°

Wind waves lead: 5.2 ft at 9.5 s from the SE, over 4.3 ft of mid-period swell at 10 s from the SE. 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 46% low against the buoy.

Model peak each day at the buoy
Day	Height	Peak period	From
Fri, Nov 13	3.9 ft	13 s	NE
Sat, Nov 14	3.9 ft	16 s	NE
Sun, Nov 15	3.8 ft	14 s	NNE
Mon, Nov 16	4.5 ft	12 s	ENE
Tue, Nov 17	4.7 ft	12 s	ENE
Wed, Nov 18	4.7 ft	12 s	ENE
Thu, Nov 19	4.5 ft	12 s	ENE

ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (14.250°S, 170.750°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.

Nearby buoys

Aunuu, American Samoa9.8 ft · 10 sLive · 40 km

Nearest tide station: Pago Pago Harbor, Tutuila Island 20 km for today’s highs and lows.

How to read this buoy

Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the S.

Biggest hourly reading in that record: 9.7 ft at 10 s on Nov 2.

Station id: 51214
CDIP id: 273
Operator: Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System
Program: IOOS Partners
Position: 14.296°S, 170.875°W
Type: Moored buoy
Local time zone: Pacific/Pago_Pago
Swell split: Yes, swell and wind waves reported

Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System. 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.