Lower Cook Inlet
United States
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
1.0 ft
0.3 m
- Dominant period
- 5 s
- Direction
- from SSW 212°
Swell
0.0 ft0.0 m
10 sfrom SSW 203°
Wind waves
1.0 ft0.3 m
4.7 sfrom SSW 203°
Wind waves lead: 1.0 ft at 4.7 s from the SSW, over 0.0 ft of mid-period swell at 10 s from the SSW. 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%.
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Nov 12 | 1.3 ft | 4.4 s | WSW |
| Fri, Nov 13 | 2.0 ft | 4.7 s | NNW |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 3.8 ft | 6.9 s | W |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 3.6 ft | 6.5 s | WSW |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 5.1 ft | 6.9 s | WSW |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 3.6 ft | 6.4 s | WSW |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 4.5 ft | 6.6 s | N |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 5.8 ft | 6.8 s | N |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (59.500°N, 151.750°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Portlock Bank - 76 NM ENE of Kodiak, AK5.6 ft · 8 sLive · 212 km
- Cape Cleare - 17 NM South of Montague Is, AK4.6 ft · 10 sLive · 216 km
- Shelikof Strait, AK1.6 ft · 3 sLive · 236 km
- Western Prince William Sound0.0 ftLive · 237 km
- Seal Rocks - Between Montague and Hinchinbrook Islands, AK4.9 ft · 9 sLive · 287 km
- West Orca Bay - 8NM NW of Hinchinbrook Is., AK1.3 ft · 10 sLive · 299 km
Nearest tide station: Seldovia, Kachemak Bay 19 km for today’s highs and lows.
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 46°F (7.8°C)
Reported Nov 12, 10:30 PM AKST.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the SW and S.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 9.4 ft at 7 s on Oct 20.
- Station id
- 46108
- CDIP id
- 204
- Operator
- Alaska Ocean Observing System
- Program
- IOOS Partners
- Position
- 59.598°N, 151.828°W
- Type
- Moored buoy
- Local time zone
- America/Anchorage
- Swell split
- Yes, swell and wind waves reported
Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by Alaska 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.
