Live wave + water from NOAA buoys.
Real-time wave height, water temperature, and wave frequency from NOAA's coastal and Great Lakes buoy network. Built for surfers, sailors, anglers, fisheries, and ocean climate researchers — the data behind every swell forecast and SST chart.
Why buoy data matters
How NOAA's buoy network works and what to do with it.
NOAA's National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) operates a network of moored and drifting buoys across the U.S. coast and Great Lakes. Each buoy reports wave height (m), average wave period (APD), dominant wave period (DPD), water temperature (C), plus atmospheric data like wind, pressure, and air temp.
For surfers, dominant period is the most useful single number — long-period swell (12+ sec) means powerful, well-organized waves; short-period (under 7 sec) is choppy local windswell. For anglers and fisheries, SST anomalies drive everything from salmon migration to red-tide blooms. For climate researchers, the multi-decade buoy record is one of the cleanest measurements of ocean change we have.
Drill into any buoy below for its full time-series. Tap the map to see the live 3D wave-height extrusion across the network.
Largest waves & warmest waters
Top-10 leaderboards built live from the latest reading at every buoy. Tap any station for its full time-series and forecast.
Largest waves
| Station | Wave height (m) |
|---|
Warmest waters
| Station | Water temperature (C) |
|---|
Wave frequency, height, and SST
How today's NOAA buoy readings are distributed across the network — useful as a national snapshot of swell quality and ocean temperature.
Wave frequency (APD vs DPD, sized by wave height)
Sea-surface temperature distribution
Wave-height distribution
About the buoy data
Where does the buoy data come from?
NOAA's National Data Buoy Center (NDBC). Snoflo aggregates the latest reading from every active buoy in the network, refreshed throughout the day.
What's the difference between APD and DPD?
APD (Average Wave Period) is the average time between wave crests. DPD (Dominant Wave Period) is the period of the strongest energy in the spectrum — usually what surfers care about. Long-period DPD (12+ sec) means clean swell traveled a long way; short-period DPD (under 7 sec) is local choppy windswell.
How fresh is the data?
Buoys typically transmit every 30-60 minutes. We re-pull throughout the day. The leaderboards re-rank as new readings arrive.
What about Great Lakes buoys?
Yes — NOAA operates buoys in the Great Lakes too. They're included in the directory and ranked alongside coastal stations. Lake Superior gets surprisingly serious wave heights during fall storms.
Can I get an alert for a specific buoy?
Yes. Save any buoy as a favorite in the Snoflo iOS app, set a wave-height or water-temp threshold, and you'll get a push the moment it crosses. Free with a Snoflo account.
Is this a substitute for an offshore weather forecast?
No. For boating + offshore safety always check the marine forecast from NWS Marine. Buoy data is real conditions right now at one point; the forecast tells you what's coming.