StaleBuoy 46246

Ocean Station Papa

United States

Last wave reading:

Last reading

This reading is more than 3 hours old. The buoy may have stopped sending waves for now.

Significant wave height at the buoy

24.3 ft

7.4 m

Dominant period
17 s
Direction
from WSW 258°

Swell

20.3 ft6.2 m

17 sfrom WSW 248°

Wind waves

13.5 ft4.1 m

9.9 sfrom W 270°

Long-period groundswell leads: 20.3 ft at 17 s from the WSW, with 13.5 ft of wind waves at 9.9 s from the W on top.

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

2 ft4 ft6 ft8 ft10 ft12 ft14 ft16 ft18 ft20 ft22 ft24 ft26 ft28 ft30 ft32 ft34 ft8 Sun9 Mon10 Tue11 Wed12 Thu
  • Total (significant height)
  • Swell
  • Wind waves

Period

5 s10 s15 s20 s8 Sun9 Mon10 Tue11 Wed12 Thu
  • Swell period
  • Wind-wave period
dir

Hourly means of the buoy's readings. Arrows point the way the waves travel.

Model vs the buoy

2 ft4 ft6 ft8 ft10 ft12 ft14 ft16 ft18 ft20 ft22 ft24 ft26 ft28 ft30 ft32 ft34 ftforecast
  • 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
DayHeightPeak periodFrom
Thu, Nov 1224.4 ft15 sW
Fri, Nov 1322.4 ft14 sWNW
Sat, Nov 1427.0 ft13 sWNW
Sun, Nov 1526.8 ft13 sWNW
Mon, Nov 1620.3 ft12 sW
Tue, Nov 1720.0 ft13 sW
Wed, Nov 1815.5 ft10 sSW
Thu, Nov 1915.0 ft12 sWSW

ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (50.000°N, 145.250°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.

Other readings

Water temperature
51°F (10.6°C)

Reported Nov 12, 6:56 PM GMT-10.

How to read this buoy

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

Biggest hourly reading in that record: 32.3 ft at 13 s on Nov 9.

Station id
46246
CDIP id
166
Operator
APL-UW, University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory
Program
IOOS Partners
Position
49.903°N, 145.246°W
Type
Moored buoy
Local time zone
GMT-10 (open ocean)
Swell split
Yes, swell and wind waves reported

Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by APL-UW, University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory. 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.