Reported Nov 13, 2:56 AM ESTBuoy 44087

Thimble Shoal, VA

Name: Thimble Shoal, VA buoy 44087 wave observations
Creator: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by U.S. Navy
License: https://www.usa.gov/government-works

Virginia, United States

Last wave reading: Nov 13, 2:56 AM EST

Now at the buoy

Significant wave height at the buoy

2.0 ft

0.6 m

Dominant period: 3 s
Direction: from WNW 283°

Swell

0.0 ft0.0 m

22 sfrom ESE 113°

Wind waves

2.0 ft0.6 m

2.7 sfrom WNW 293°

Wind waves lead: 2.0 ft at 2.7 s from the WNW, over 0.0 ft of long-period groundswell at 22 s from the ESE. 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 33% low against the buoy.

Model peak each day at the buoy
Day	Height	Peak period	From
Fri, Nov 13	2.0 ft	4 s	N
Sat, Nov 14	2.4 ft	4 s	NNW
Sun, Nov 15	1.8 ft	4.1 s	N
Mon, Nov 16	2.0 ft	3.9 s	N
Tue, Nov 17	0.8 ft	2.9 s	NNE
Wed, Nov 18	0.4 ft	6.4 s	ENE
Thu, Nov 19	0.3 ft	6.2 s	E

ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (37.000°N, 76.250°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.

North End19 km
Quiver forecast now: 0-1ft
71st Street North End21 km
Quiver forecast now: 0-1ft
42nd–46th Street North End23 km
Quiver forecast now: 0-1ft
Virginia Beach Oceanfront25 km
Quiver forecast now: 0-1ft
Virginia Beach Pier26 km
Quiver forecast now: 0-1ft
1st Street Jetty (Virginia Beach)28 km
Quiver forecast now: 0-1ft
Croatan Jetty28 km
Quiver forecast now: 0-1ft
Croatan Beach29 km
Quiver forecast now: 0-1ft
Camp Pendleton29 km
Quiver forecast now: 0-1ft
Sandbridge Beach37 km
Quiver forecast now: 0-1ft

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

Nearby buoys

York Spit, VA2.0 ft · 16 sLive · 21 km
Cape Henry, VA3.6 ft · 4 sLive · 39 km
Stingray Point, VA2.0 ft · 3 sLive · 59 km
Duck FRF 26m, NC3.6 ft · 4 sLive · 100 km
Duck FRF, NC2.0 ft · 3 sLive · 101 km
Potomac, MD2.6 ft · 4 sLive · 112 km

Nearest tide station: Cbbt, Chesapeake Channel 4 km for today’s highs and lows.

How to read this buoy

Thimble Shoal, VA sits 19 km from the closest beach listed here: near enough to show what is arriving, far enough that islands, points and the seabed still change it before it breaks.

Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the E.

Biggest hourly reading in that record: 5.4 ft at 6 s on Oct 17.

Station id: 44087
CDIP id: 240
Operator: U.S. Navy
Program: IOOS Partners
Position: 37.043°N, 76.129°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 U.S. Navy. 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.