Hey everyone, First a 'hello'. I am M (I AM?) and surf at Assateague Island in Maryland. I follow Swellinfo religiously ... i.e., green means go. I also check OCSurfCam to double check. But I understand that Buoy data is the ultimate go-to. So ... which buoy and what am I looking for? Thanks a bunch!
Maybe 44093. I live on the west coast, so I'm not positive http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44093 Post some pictures of your chick
Yes - this is the premier surf forecasting website here. Welcome. Seeing that this is your first time posting and that your a junior member- it might be wise to start a hello (herro) threade to properly introduce yourself... It's kinda a right of passage around here Also- yes the bouy data is actually real time data. So use this site to check for tomorrow forecast- use bouy to see what it's like now to determine what spot your gonna surf. After watching the bouy for a while and watching / surfing different spots, you'll be able to check the bouy and know where to go... There's an app for that called "CRNT"- it's good for the bouy checks- just enter your town and it will choose a bouy close
The buoys lie! The dirty buoys are rigged by NOAA. It's a conspiracy. Just ask anyone from RI. Oh, can you even swimme? Green means go home!
you're on the right track. SI is great for forcasting a couple days out, bouys are great for knowing whats going on at that exact moment, and especially for watching trends. I don't know what your exact bouys is, but once you figure it out, you gotta look for trends. I'll set up a scenario for you. SI has been predicting a swell for tomorrow morning, and it's 8pm. You check the bouy and see that the dominant swell period is on a upward trend. This means set your alarm clock because there will be waves in the morning. Forcasting is all about knowing your local break; what tide, wind direction, wave direction, and how much swell it can handle. Then you gotta pay close attention to forcast models (like swellinfo) and your bouys to see how everything correlates. The key to good surf forecasting is to consistantly pay attention to forecasts, bouys, and real world conditions, and figure out how they all mesh together. Good luck!
Headhigh summed it up pretty good. What exactly to look for really depends on your location. But swell size and period and direction are the obvious details. Sometimes SI Will be calling for a waist high swell, but it's really knee high, or maybe chest high. Same could be said for a HH forecast. Is it only chest high out I'd it actually pumping OH surf. A quick bouy check before heading out gives you a good idea of what's actually going on. Especially if your like me and paddle out early, before the 6 AM update. Things can change between the midnight and 6 AM updates. As far as getting the buoy dialed in more and figuring out swell direction for diffrent spots and all that, I suggest a surf log. After every surf record swell direction, size, and period, tide and tide depth, wind direction and speed, board ridden, spot surfed, then a quick write up. How the board felt and how the waves were. It gets old but keep it up for a year. I originally did this so I could go back and check my log and decide on a spot. Never happened. It did however just engrave in my brain how diffrent spots work and got me paying attention to the details.
