Reported Nov 13, 1:26 AM GMT-8Buoy 46251

Santa Cruz Basin, CA

Name: Santa Cruz Basin, CA buoy 46251 wave observations
Creator: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by SCRIPPS
License: https://www.usa.gov/government-works

California, United States

Last wave reading: Nov 13, 12:56 AM GMT-8

Now at the buoy

Significant wave height at the buoy

5.6 ft

1.7 m

Dominant period: 17 s
Direction: from W 281°

Swell

4.3 ft1.3 m

17 sfrom W 270°

Wind waves

3.6 ft1.1 m

9.9 sfrom SW 225°

Long-period groundswell leads: 4.3 ft at 17 s from the W, with 3.6 ft of wind waves at 9.9 s from the SW on top. Building over the last 6 hours, up 1.1 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 ran 19% high against the buoy.

Model peak each day at the buoy
Day	Height	Peak period	From
Fri, Nov 13	8.5 ft	13 s	W
Sat, Nov 14	10.8 ft	17 s	W
Sun, Nov 15	9.4 ft	17 s	W
Mon, Nov 16	10.0 ft	16 s	WNW
Tue, Nov 17	9.7 ft	15 s	WNW
Wed, Nov 18	6.6 ft	12 s	WNW
Thu, Nov 19	5.5 ft	6.4 s	WNW

ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (33.750°N, 119.500°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

C Street / Ventura Point61 km
Quiver forecast now: 4-5ft
Emma Wood62 km
Quiver forecast now: 3-4ft
Solimar Reef63 km
Quiver forecast now: 2-3ft

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

Nearby buoys

Santa Monica Basin - 33NM WSW of Santa Monica, CA4.9 ftLive · 45 km
East Santa Barbara - 12NM Southwest of Santa Barbara, CA8.5 ftLive · 59 km
South Santa Rosa - 14 NM SW of Santa Rosa Island, CA11.2 ftLive · 62 km
San Nicolas Island, CA12.5 ft · 15 sLive · 68 km
Santa Monica Bay, CA3.6 ft · 13 sLive · 86 km
Topanga Nearshore, CA2.3 ft · 13 sLive · 95 km

Nearest tide station: Prisoners Harbor, Santa Cruz Island 30 km for today’s highs and lows.

How to read this buoy

Santa Cruz Basin, CA sits in open water, 61 km from the closest beach listed here. It sees swell before the coast bends, blocks or shrinks it, so expect beach surf to differ from this reading.

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

Biggest hourly reading in that record: 7.4 ft at 7 s on Oct 23.

Station id: 46251
CDIP id: 203
Operator: SCRIPPS
Program: IOOS Partners
Position: 33.769°N, 119.565°W
Type: Moored buoy
Local time zone: GMT-8 (open ocean)
Swell split: Yes, swell and wind waves reported

Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by SCRIPPS. 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.