Santa Lucia Escarpment, CA
California, 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
13.1 ft
4.0 m
- Dominant period
- 17 s
- Direction
- from NW 319°
Swell
10.8 ft3.3 m
17 sfrom NW 315°
Wind waves
7.2 ft2.2 m
9.9 sfrom WNW 293°
Long-period groundswell leads: 10.8 ft at 17 s from the NW, with 7.2 ft of wind waves at 9.9 s from the WNW 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
- 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
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 13.5 ft | 15 s | WNW |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 22.8 ft | 18 s | WNW |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 16.3 ft | 17 s | WNW |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 17.5 ft | 16 s | WNW |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 15.9 ft | 15 s | NW |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 11.9 ft | 13 s | NW |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 12.0 ft | 11 s | NW |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (34.750°N, 121.500°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Santa Maria - 21NM NW of Point Arguello, CA9.2 ft · 16 sLive · 48 km
- Harvest, CA12.8 ft · 15 sLive · 74 km
- Diablo Canyon, CA8.2 ft · 15 sLive · 75 km
- Avila Beach Nearshore, CA5.2 ft · 14 sLive · 81 km
- West Santa Barbara 38 NM West of Santa Barbara, CA12.8 ft · 16 sLive · 109 km
- Cape San Martin - 55NM West NW of Morro Bay, CA10.8 ft · 16 sLive · 116 km
Nearest tide station: Point Arguello 80 km for today’s highs and lows.
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 69°F (20.3°C)
Reported Nov 7, 12:56 AM GMT-8.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the NW and W.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 13.5 ft at 16 s on Nov 6.
- Station id
- 46259
- CDIP id
- 222
- Operator
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Program
- IOOS Partners
- Position
- 34.774°N, 121.491°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 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 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.
