Yucatan Basin - 120 NM ESE of Cozumel, MX
Mexico
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
3.3 ft
1.0 m
- Dominant period
- —
- Direction
- from ESE 113°
Swell
3.0 ft0.9 m
7.1 sfrom ESE 113°
Wind waves
1.0 ft0.3 m
4 sfrom E 90°
Short-period swell leads: 3.0 ft at 7.1 s from the ESE, with 1.0 ft of wind waves at 4 s from the E 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 tracked the buoy within 10%.
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 3.1 ft | 8.2 s | E |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 3.5 ft | 7.5 s | NE |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 5.0 ft | 6.1 s | ENE |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 5.3 ft | 6.3 s | ENE |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 5.5 ft | 6.6 s | E |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 4.3 ft | 6.8 s | E |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 3.7 ft | 6 s | ENE |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (19.750°N, 85.000°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Western Caribbean - 195 NM WSW of Negril, Jamaica3.3 ftLive · 478 km
- Satan Shoal, FL1.3 ft · 2 sLive · 597 km
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the N, E and SE.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 7.2 ft at 7 s on Oct 15.
- Station id
- 42056
- Operator
- NDBC
- Program
- NDBC Meteorological/Ocean
- Position
- 19.820°N, 84.980°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.
