Bluegraph
SIMarineUS

Wave intelligence

The systems in the sea

A buoy's significant wave height sums everything in the sea: long groundswell from a storm a thousand miles off, a closer swell, the chop of the local wind. Each buoy's measured directional spectrum is partitioned into those systems, which are followed through time, used to place the storms the swells came from, and checked for seas that cross.

Stations analysed
162 of 164
Newest spectrum
46 min ago
Systems named
307
Swell · wind sea
203 · 104
Seas crossing
7 buoys
Storms, last month
226 placed →
Window
The last 4 days
Method
Reference

Swells whose arrival places the storm that raised them, found over the last four days: how far off it was, in which direction, and when the waves left.

Each petal is a system, pointing to where it comes from, north up. Its length grows with height (the ring is 13 ft); its width is the directional spread. Swell Wind sea Storm placed

StationWhere the swell came from
Torrey Pines Outer, CA 46225 · California · 46 min agoAbout 1900 mi to the W (275°T)Waves left about 27 Sep 07Z · Swell peaking at 3.8 ft
Harvest, CA (071) 46218 · California · 46 min agoAbout 1600 mi to the NW (305°T)Waves left about 27 Sep 00Z · Groundswell peaking at 7.6 ft
Point Loma South, CA 46232 · California · 46 min agoAbout 2200 mi to the WSW (251°T)Waves left about 26 Sep 19Z · Groundswell peaking at 3.9 ft
West California 46059 · California · 56 min agoAbout 800 mi to the SSE (150°T)Waves left about 26 Sep 19Z · Groundswell peaking at 3.1 ft · 4 storms in all
Cape San Martin, CA 46028 · California · 56 min agoAbout 1650 mi to the NNW (329°T)Waves left about 26 Sep 18Z · Groundswell peaking at 8.8 ft
Bodega Bay, CA 46013 · California · 56 min agoAbout 1500 mi to the WNW (302°T)Waves left about 26 Sep 17Z · Groundswell peaking at 9.0 ft
Point Arena, CA 46014 · California · 56 min agoAbout 1600 mi to the WNW (298°T)Waves left about 26 Sep 10Z · Groundswell peaking at 4.4 ft
San Nicolas Island, CA 46219 · California · 46 min agoAbout 2200 mi to the NW (307°T)Waves left about 26 Sep 08Z · Groundswell peaking at 8.3 ft
Diablo Canyon, CA 46215 · California · 46 min agoAbout 1900 mi to the WSW (255°T)Waves left about 26 Sep 06Z · Groundswell peaking at 7.4 ft
Mission Bay West, CA 46258 · California · 46 min agoAbout 2550 mi to the W (276°T)Waves left about 26 Sep 00Z · Groundswell peaking at 4.8 ft
St Georges, CA 46027 · California · 56 min agoAbout 1750 mi to the WNW (295°T)Waves left about 25 Sep 22Z · Groundswell peaking at 5.5 ft · 2 storms in all
Tanner Bank, CA 46047 · California · 56 min agoAbout 3000 mi to the WNW (299°T)Waves left about 25 Sep 04Z · Groundswell peaking at 8.9 ft
West Santa Barbara, CA 46054 · California · 56 min agoAbout 3250 mi to the NW (304°T)Waves left about 24 Sep 13Z · Groundswell peaking at 8.3 ft
Santa Maria, CA 46011 · California · 56 min agoAbout 3250 mi to the WNW (301°T)Waves left about 24 Sep 08Z · Groundswell peaking at 8.5 ft
San Francisco, CA 46026 · California · 56 min agoAbout 3200 mi to the W (264°T)Waves left about 24 Sep 01Z · Groundswell peaking at 7.9 ft
Topanga Nearshore 46268 · California · 1 h agoAbout 4500 mi to the SSW (207°T)Waves left about 23 Sep 22Z · Groundswell peaking at 1.5 ft
Santa Lucia Escarpment, CA 46259 · California · 46 min agoAbout 3550 mi to the NW (306°T)Waves left about 23 Sep 22Z · Groundswell peaking at 8.7 ft
Point Sur, CA (157) 46239 · California · 1 h agoAbout 3600 mi to the WNW (298°T)Waves left about 23 Sep 17Z · Groundswell peaking at 9.1 ft
Cape Mendocino, CA (094) 46213 · California · 1 h agoAbout 3150 mi to the WNW (283°T)Waves left about 23 Sep 16Z · Groundswell peaking at 9.0 ft
Point Reyes, CA 46214 · California · 46 min agoAbout 3850 mi to the W (274°T)Waves left about 23 Sep 04Z · Groundswell peaking at 6.8 ft