Sunset Beach Nearshore Waves (SUN2WAVE)
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
2.6 ft
0.8 m
- Dominant period
- 6 s
- Direction
- from SE 143°
This reading came without the swell and wind-wave split, so the numbers are for the whole sea.
Short-period wind chop: 2.6 ft at 6 s from the SE.
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
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 3.3 ft | 5.6 s | WSW |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 2.5 ft | 3.3 s | NW |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 2.0 ft | 3 s | NNW |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 2.0 ft | 3.2 s | ENE |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 2.7 ft | 3.4 s | NE |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 2.8 ft | 5.8 s | E |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 3.0 ft | 6.4 s | E |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (33.750°N, 78.500°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby beaches
Listed by distance only. Their Quiver forecasts are not linked to this buoy.
Quiver forecast now: 0-1ft
Quiver forecast now: 0-1ft
Beach numbers are each beach's own Quiver forecast, not a conversion of this buoy reading.
Nearby buoys
- Wilmington Harbor, NC4.3 ft · 7 sLive · 45 km
- Masonboro Inlet, ILM2, NC2.0 ft · 7 sLive · 79 km
- Frying Pan Shoals, NC5.2 ftLive · 80 km
- Onslow Bay Outer, NC6.6 ft · 5 sLive · 148 km
- Capers Nearshore Waves (CAP2WAVE)2.0 ft · 6 sLive · 156 km
- Edisto - 41 NM Southeast of Charleston, SC4.3 ftLive · 159 km
Nearest tide station: Sunset Beach Pier 4 km for today’s highs and lows.
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 67°F (19.3°C)
Reported Nov 4, 1:15 AM EST.
How to read this buoy
Sunset Beach Nearshore Waves (SUN2WAVE) sits close to shore, 13 km from the closest beach listed here. Its readings already include some of the local shadowing, so they track nearby beaches more closely than an offshore buoy.
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the SE.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 4.3 ft at 20 s on Nov 1.
- Station id
- SSBN7
- Operator
- CORMP
- Program
- IOOS Partners
- Position
- 33.838°N, 78.484°W
- Type
- Moored buoy
- Local time zone
- America/New_York
- Swell split
- Yes, swell and wind waves reported
Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by CORMP. 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.
