Reported Nov 13, 2:00 AM PSTBuoy 46274

Leucadia Nearshore, CA

Name: Leucadia Nearshore, CA buoy 46274 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 13, 1:30 AM PST

Now at the buoy

Significant wave height at the buoy

4.6 ft

1.4 m

Dominant period: 13 s
Direction: from W 264°

Swell

3.9 ft1.2 m

13 sfrom W 270°

Wind waves

2.0 ft0.6 m

9.1 sfrom W 270°

Long-period groundswell leads: 3.9 ft at 13 s from the W, with 2.0 ft of wind waves at 9.1 s from the W on top. Building over the last 6 hours, up 1.2 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 ran 42% high against the buoy.

Model peak each day at the buoy
Day	Height	Peak period	From
Fri, Nov 13	6.6 ft	14 s	W
Sat, Nov 14	9.8 ft	17 s	W
Sun, Nov 15	9.3 ft	17 s	W
Mon, Nov 16	9.1 ft	16 s	W
Tue, Nov 17	10.0 ft	14 s	W
Wed, Nov 18	6.6 ft	12 s	W
Thu, Nov 19	4.7 ft	7 s	W

ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (33.000°N, 117.500°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.

Beacons1.7 km
Quiver forecast now: 4-5ft
Grandview Beach2.1 km
Quiver forecast now: 4-5ft
Moonlight State Beach2.2 km
Quiver forecast now: 4-5ft
D Street2.3 km
Quiver forecast now: 4-5ft
Ponto2.7 km
Quiver forecast now: 5-6ft
Swami's3.6 km
Quiver forecast now: 4-5ft
Pipes4.7 km
Quiver forecast now: 4-5ft
San Elijo State Beach5.0 km
Quiver forecast now: 3-4ft
Cardiff Reef5.4 km
Quiver forecast now: 5-6ft
George's7.3 km
Quiver forecast now: 4-5ft

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

Nearby buoys

Del Mar Nearshore, CA4.3 ft · 14 sLive · 12 km
Torrey Pines Outer, CA3.9 ft · 13 sLive · 16 km
Oceanside Offshore, CA4.3 ft · 13 sLive · 20 km
Scripps Nearshore, CA2.6 ft · 13 sLive · 22 km
La Jolla, CA3.3 ft · 12 sLive · 22 km
Red Beach Nearshore, CA3.0 ft · 13 sLive · 31 km

Nearest tide station: La Jolla (Scripps Institution Wharf) 22 km for today’s highs and lows.

How to read this buoy

Leucadia Nearshore, CA sits close to shore, 1.7 km from the closest beach listed here. Its readings already include some of the local shadowing, so they track nearby beaches more closely than an offshore buoy.

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

Biggest hourly reading in that record: 6.2 ft at 7 s on Nov 1.

Station id: 46274
CDIP id: 262
Operator: SCRIPPS
Program: IOOS Partners
Position: 33.062°N, 117.314°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.