Reported Nov 13, 3:30 AM ESTBuoy 44086

Nags Head, NC

Name: Nags Head, NC buoy 44086 wave observations
Creator: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by UNC Coastal Studies Institute
License: https://www.usa.gov/government-works

North Carolina, United States

Last wave reading: Nov 13, 3:00 AM EST

Now at the buoy

Significant wave height at the buoy

3.6 ft

1.1 m

Dominant period: —
Direction: from NW 321°

Swell

0.3 ft0.1 m

10 sfrom SE 135°

Wind waves

3.6 ft1.1 m

4.2 sfrom NW 315°

Wind waves lead: 3.6 ft at 4.2 s from the NW, over 0.3 ft of mid-period swell at 10 s from the SE. Building over the last 6 hours, up 0.7 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	4.3 ft	5.1 s	N
Sat, Nov 14	6.7 ft	6.2 s	N
Sun, Nov 15	4.7 ft	6.7 s	N
Mon, Nov 16	4.9 ft	5.8 s	NNE
Tue, Nov 17	3.4 ft	5.4 s	NNE
Wed, Nov 18	2.4 ft	5.9 s	NE
Thu, Nov 19	1.6 ft	5.7 s	E

ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (36.000°N, 75.500°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

Jennette's Pier18 km
Quiver forecast now: 0-1ft
Nags Head Beach19 km
Quiver forecast now: 0-1ft
Jennette's Pier Northside19 km
Quiver forecast now: 0-1ft

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

Nearby buoys

Oregon Inlet, NC4.6 ft · 8 sLive · 29 km
Duck FRF 26m, NC3.6 ft · 4 sLive · 32 km
Duck FRF, NC2.0 ft · 3 sLive · 34 km
OOI Pioneer - Mid-Atlantic Bight Northern Surface Mooring6.6 ftLive · 57 km
OOI Pioneer - Mid-Atlantic Bight Southern Surface Mooring3.9 ftStale · 60 km
Cape Hatteras East, NC5.9 ft · 8 sLive · 84 km

Nearest tide station: Jennettes Pier, Nags Head (ocean) 18 km for today’s highs and lows.

How to read this buoy

Nags Head, NC sits 18 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 NE and E.

Biggest hourly reading in that record: 15.6 ft at 13 s on Oct 19.

Station id: 44086
CDIP id: 243
Operator: UNC Coastal Studies Institute
Program: IOOS Partners
Position: 36.001°N, 75.421°W
Type: Moored buoy
Local time zone: America/New_York
Swell split: Yes, swell and wind waves reported

Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by UNC Coastal Studies Institute. 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.