West Tampa - 112 NM WNW of Tampa, FL
Florida, United States
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
4.3 ft
1.3 m
- Dominant period
- —
- Direction
- from WNW 296°
Swell
0.3 ft0.1 m
10 sfrom S 180°
Wind waves
4.3 ft1.3 m
6.2 sfrom WNW 293°
Wind waves lead: 4.3 ft at 6.2 s from the WNW, over 0.3 ft of mid-period swell at 10 s from the S. 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 | 5.4 ft | 5.9 s | NW |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 5.2 ft | 5.8 s | NNW |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 3.7 ft | 4.7 s | ENE |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 6.6 ft | 5.8 s | E |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 6.8 ft | 5.9 s | E |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 6.9 ft | 6.2 s | ENE |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 5.7 ft | 5.6 s | ENE |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (28.500°N, 84.500°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Offshore St. Petersburg, FL4.3 ft · 6 sLive · 130 km
- Pensacola - 115NM SSE of Pensacola, FL3.9 ftLive · 151 km
- Egmont Channel Entrance, FL3.9 ft · 6 sLive · 185 km
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 79°F (26.3°C)
- Wind
- 16 kt from the N, gusts 19 kt
- Air temperature
- 71°F (21.8°C)
- Pressure
- 1010.1 hPa
Reported Nov 13, 4:10 AM GMT-6.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the NE.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 9.5 ft at 7 s on Oct 18.
- Station id
- 42036
- Operator
- NDBC
- Program
- NDBC Meteorological/Ocean
- Position
- 28.500°N, 84.505°W
- Type
- Moored buoy
- Local time zone
- GMT-6 (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.
