West California - 357NM West of San Francisco, CA
California, United States
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
16.1 ft
4.9 m
- Dominant period
- —
- Direction
- from WSW 256°
Swell
9.5 ft2.9 m
13 sfrom W 270°
Wind waves
13.1 ft4.0 m
9.1 sfrom WSW 248°
Wind waves lead: 13.1 ft at 9.1 s from the WSW, over 9.5 ft of mid-period swell at 13 s from the W. 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 tracked the buoy within 10%.
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 32.0 ft | 18 s | WNW |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 28.1 ft | 18 s | WNW |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 22.0 ft | 16 s | WNW |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 20.1 ft | 16 s | WNW |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 14.5 ft | 13 s | NW |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 12.9 ft | 13 s | NW |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 10.8 ft | 14 s | NW |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (38.000°N, 130.000°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- West Oregon - 275NM West of Coos Bay, OR20.7 ft · 13 sLive · 502 km
- Cape Mendocino, CA9.2 ft · 13 sStale · 508 km
- Pt Arena - 19NM North of Point Arena, CA12.8 ft · 15 sLive · 529 km
- Eel River - 17NM WSW of Eureka, CA14.1 ft · 15 sLive · 546 km
- Point Reyes, CA11.2 ft · 14 sLive · 563 km
- Humboldt Bay, North Spit, CA11.5 ft · 13 sLive · 570 km
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 64°F (17.5°C)
- Wind
- 21 kt from the W, gusts 31 kt
- Air temperature
- 61°F (15.9°C)
- Pressure
- 996.5 hPa
Reported Nov 13, 12:50 AM GMT-9.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the W and NW.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 22.3 ft at 15 s on Nov 8.
- Station id
- 46059
- Operator
- NDBC
- Program
- NDBC Meteorological/Ocean
- Position
- 38.067°N, 129.895°W
- Type
- Moored buoy
- Local time zone
- GMT-9 (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.
