Shumagin Islands - 85NM South of Sand Point, AK
Alaska, United States
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
8.2 ft
2.5 m
- Dominant period
- —
- Direction
- from SW 229°
Swell
6.2 ft1.9 m
11 sfrom SW 225°
Wind waves
5.2 ft1.6 m
6.2 sfrom W 270°
Mid-period swell leads: 6.2 ft at 11 s from the SW, with 5.2 ft of wind waves at 6.2 s from the W 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 ran 13% high against the buoy.
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 9.8 ft | 7.7 s | WNW |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 10.3 ft | 9.9 s | WSW |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 12.8 ft | 11 s | SW |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 14.5 ft | 12 s | SW |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 11.7 ft | 8 s | SE |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 22.6 ft | 12 s | SW |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 17.1 ft | 11 s | WSW |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (54.000°N, 160.750°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- South Kodiak - 310NM SSW of Kodiak, AK11.8 ft · 13 sLive · 404 km
- Albatross Bank - 104NM South of Kodiak Is., AK9.2 ftLive · 554 km
- Shelikof Strait, AK2.3 ft · 4 sLive · 598 km
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 44°F (6.8°C)
- Wind
- 16 kt from the N, gusts 21 kt
- Air temperature
- 37°F (3.0°C)
- Pressure
- 1003.4 hPa
Reported Nov 12, 11:10 PM GMT-11.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the SW and W.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 19.7 ft at 12 s on Oct 30.
- Station id
- 46075
- Operator
- NDBC
- Program
- NDBC Meteorological/Ocean
- Position
- 53.930°N, 160.763°W
- Type
- Moored buoy
- Local time zone
- GMT-11 (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.
