OOI Pioneer - Mid-Atlantic Bight Northern Surface Mooring
United States
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
7.2 ft
2.2 m
- Dominant period
- —
- Direction
- from W 276°
This reading came without the swell and wind-wave split, so the numbers are for the whole sea.
Waves: 7.2 ft from the W. Building over the last 6 hours, up 1.6 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)
Period
- Dominant 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 11% high against the buoy.
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 7.2 ft | 6 s | WNW |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 9.8 ft | 7.4 s | N |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 7.7 ft | 6.6 s | NNW |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 6.1 ft | 6.3 s | N |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 3.9 ft | 6.5 s | NNE |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 2.8 ft | 6.3 s | NE |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 1.8 ft | 7.4 s | ENE |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (36.250°N, 74.750°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Virginia Beach 64 NM East of Virginia Beach, VA6.6 ftLive · 48 km
- Virginia Beach Offshore, VA6.6 ft · 6 sLive · 49 km
- OOI Pioneer - Mid-Atlantic Bight Southern Surface Mooring3.9 ftStale · 50 km
- Nags Head, NC3.9 ft · 5 sLive · 57 km
- Oregon Inlet, NC4.3 ftLive · 65 km
- Duck FRF 26m, NC3.3 ft · 4 sLive · 69 km
Nearest tide station: Jennettes Pier, Nags Head (ocean) 75 km for today’s highs and lows.
Other readings
- Wind
- 17 kt from the WNW
- Air temperature
- 58°F (14.7°C)
- Pressure
- 999.0 hPa
Reported Nov 13, 3:30 AM GMT-5.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the E and NE.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 20.0 ft at 14 s on Oct 21.
- Station id
- 44079
- Operator
- NSF Ocean Observatories Initiative
- Program
- IOOS Partners
- Position
- 36.175°N, 74.827°W
- Type
- Moored buoy
- Local time zone
- GMT-5 (open ocean)
- Swell split
- Yes, swell and wind waves reported
Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by NSF Ocean Observatories Initiative. 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.
