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Perranporth wave buoy daily means for May 2026

Daily means from the Perranporth wave buoy for May 2026, including available wave height, period, direction, wind and sea temperature data.

Last observation shown

Data available:  to 

Monthly means for

Latest

Period Summary

Programmatically generated summary. Hog Says

1,483 wave-buoy observations covered all 31 days. Typical wave height was 3.4 ft (10th–90th percentile 1.6–7 ft), while mean reported wave period; measurement type unavailable was 5.6 seconds (10th–90th percentile 4–7 seconds). Mean water temperature was 13.5°C (10th–90th percentile 12.7–14.9°C). All 5,932 checked values passed quality control. Across 15 comparable years, mean wave height was the same as the same-month mean of 3.9 ft and mean wave period was below the same-month mean of 8.2 seconds.

Generated only from the observations and comparisons shown on this page.

Typical Wave Height

3.4ft
Mean: 3.9 ft
P10–P90: 1.6 — 7 ft
Recorded extremes

0.9 — 10.6 ft

Mean Wave Period

5.6secs
P10–P90: 4 — 7secs
Recorded extremes

3 — 9secs

Wave Direction

WNW

Circular concentration: 93%

Mean Water Temperature

13.5°C
P10–P90: 12.7 — 14.9°C
Recorded extremes

12.1 — 18.7°C

Compared With Previous Mays

Historical baseline from 13,030 observations across 15 years.

Wave Height
3.9ft
In line with the historical mean
Historical mean 3.9ft
Wave Period
5.6s
2.6s below mean
Historical mean 8.2s
Water Temperature
13.5°C
0.9°C above mean
Historical mean 12.6°C

Chart showing grouped wave observations for Perranporth. Use the table on this page for a text version of the same measurements. To open hourly observations, use a linked day name in the table.

About Perranporth wave buoy

Perranporth is a Datawell Directional WaveRider station in about 14 metres of water off Cornwall's exposed north coast. First deployed in December 2006, it measures Atlantic swell approaching Perranporth and the surrounding beaches. Observations include wave height, period and direction, sea temperature and calculated wave power; a nearby shore station supplies separate weather data.

Metrics are rows; days run left to right.
Perranporth wave buoy daily means May 2026Last observation shown
Metric
Mean wave height (ft)3222321135438954675854435432235
Mean observed period(s)7Reported7Reported6Reported5Reported4Reported4Reported5Reported5Reported5Reported5Reported4Reported4Reported5Reported5Reported5Reported4Reported5Reported6Reported5Reported7Reported7Reported7Reported6Reported6Reported8Reported8Reported6Reported5Reported4Reported6Reported6Reported
Mean wave power(kW/m)-------------------------------
Mean wave directionWconcentration 97%Wconcentration 99%Wconcentration 99%Wconcentration 97%NWconcentration 97%NWconcentration 87%Wconcentration 100%Wconcentration 100%NWconcentration 87%NNWconcentration 100%NNWconcentration 97%WNWconcentration 99%WNWconcentration 99%WNWconcentration 98%NWconcentration 97%Wconcentration 99%Wconcentration 98%Wconcentration 98%Wconcentration 98%Wconcentration 99%Wconcentration 98%Wconcentration 99%Wconcentration 99%Wconcentration 99%Wconcentration 99%WNWconcentration 98%Wconcentration 99%Wconcentration 98%Wconcentration 99%Wconcentration 99%Wconcentration 98%
Mean water temperature(°C)12.612.612.512.712.712.913.113.413.113.012.913.213.213.113.013.013.013.013.013.013.213.613.814.114.115.214.214.415.115.415.3

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Wave metric colour key

Colours move through the scale as each number increases. They do not by themselves mean that conditions are good, safe or suitable for you.

Wave & swell height0–40+ ft
Wave & swell period0–22+ s
Wind speed0–75 mph

The displayed numbers remain the source of truth; colour is an additional visual cue.

Which wave period is shown?

The table shows the best period measurement supplied for each observation. It is not necessarily the energy period used to calculate wave power.

Tp
Peak period: the period at the strongest spectral peak.
Tavg
The provider's average wave period.
Tm02
A mean period calculated from the wave spectrum.
Tz
Mean zero-crossing period.
Reported
A legacy value whose period type was not recorded.
Mixed
A daily or monthly mean containing more than one period type.

Wave power needs a genuine energy period (Te). SurfHog does not substitute Tp, Tavg, Tm02 or Tz when Te is missing.

What does buoy wave power mean?

kW/m means kilowatts of wave power per metre of wave crest. It describes the rate at which the observed sea state carries energy past the buoy.

Unlike the shore-directed forecast value, buoy wave power is the total power at the observation point. It is not projected towards a particular beach and does not predict breaking wave height.

In deep water, wave power can be calculated with:

P is approximately 0.49 times significant wave height squared times wave energy period.

P is power in kW/m, Hs is significant wave height in metres, and Te is wave energy period in seconds.

  • Provider-reported power is used when available.
  • Otherwise, a value is calculated only when both significant height and a genuine energy period are available. The ≈ symbol marks calculated values.
  • A dash is shown instead of substituting peak, Tm02, zero-crossing or other period measurements.
  • Daily and monthly figures use the mean of hourly-normalized observation power values; they are not calculated from mean height and period.

Wave direction, spectrum, water depth and local bathymetry still matter. Wave power is best read alongside height, period and direction rather than as a standalone surf-quality score.

The observation data displayed on this page is from the Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme.

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