Portlock Bank - 76 NM ENE of Kodiak, AK
Alaska, United States
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
5.6 ft
1.7 m
- Dominant period
- —
- Direction
- from SSW 196°
Swell
5.2 ft1.6 m
15 sfrom SSW 203°
Wind waves
2.3 ft0.7 m
3.8 sfrom ESE 113°
Long-period groundswell leads: 5.2 ft at 15 s from the SSW, with 2.3 ft of wind waves at 3.8 s from the ESE on top. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 8.5 ft | 11 s | SSE |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 13.5 ft | 8.7 s | NW |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 12.9 ft | 8.3 s | NW |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 9.3 ft | 13 s | WSW |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 9.6 ft | 9.7 s | W |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 10.9 ft | 8.7 s | SE |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 14.4 ft | 11 s | S |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (58.000°N, 150.250°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Lower Cook Inlet1.0 ft · 4 sLive · 212 km
- Cape Cleare - 17 NM South of Montague Is, AK4.6 ft · 9 sLive · 216 km
- Western Gulf of Alaska - 175NM SE of Kodiak, AK10.2 ft · 10 sLive · 220 km
- Shelikof Strait, AK2.3 ft · 3 sLive · 241 km
- Cape Suckling - 35 NM SE of Kayak Is, AK32.2 ft · 13 sStale · 259 km
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 46°F (7.7°C)
- Wind
- 10 kt from the E, gusts 14 kt
- Air temperature
- 44°F (6.5°C)
- Pressure
- 995.3 hPa
Reported Nov 12, 11:50 PM GMT-10.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the S and SE.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 28.2 ft at 13 s on Nov 9.
- Station id
- 46080
- Operator
- NDBC
- Program
- NDBC Meteorological/Ocean
- Position
- 57.910°N, 150.129°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). 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.
