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Porthleven wave buoy daily means for Oct 2023

Daily means from the Porthleven wave buoy for Oct 2023, 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

1,491 wave-buoy observations covered all 31 days. Typical wave height was 3.8 ft (10th–90th percentile 2.7–8.5 ft), while mean average of more than one wave period type was 9.6 seconds (10th–90th percentile 6–12.5 seconds). Mean water temperature was 15.6°C (10th–90th percentile 14.7–16.6°C). 10 of 5,957 checked values (0.2%) were excluded by quality control. Across 11 comparable years, mean wave height was above the same-month mean of 4.3 ft and mean wave period was above the same-month mean of 9.4 seconds.

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

Typical Significant Wave Height

3.8ft
Mean: 4.9 ft
P10–P90: 2.7 — 8.5 ft
Recorded extremes

1.4 — 14.1 ft

Mean Observed Wave Period

9.6secs
P10–P90: 6 — 12.5secs
Recorded extremes

3.9 — 20secs

Observed Wave Direction

SW

Circular concentration: 97%

Mean Water Temperature

15.6°C
P10–P90: 14.7 — 16.6°C
Recorded extremes

14.4 — 17.6°C

Compared With Previous Octobers

Historical baseline from 6,943 observations across 11 years.

Wave Height
4.9ft
0.6ft above mean
Historical mean 4.3ft
Wave Period
9.6s
0.2s above mean
Historical mean 9.4s
Water Temperature
15.6°C
0.8°C above mean
Historical mean 14.8°C

Chart showing grouped wave observations for Porthleven. 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 Porthleven wave buoy

Porthleven is a National Network Datawell Directional WaveRider off Cornwall's exposed south coast. First deployed in October 2011, it characterises waves approaching the Porthleven frontage from the western English Channel, where Atlantic swell can wrap around Land's End and meet locally generated seas.

Its current data source reports wave height, wave period, wave direction, directional spread, wave power and sea temperature.

Metrics are rows; days run left to right.
Porthleven wave buoy daily means Oct 2023Last observation shown
Metric
Mean significant wave height (ft)43433434334474233679644447891086
Mean maximum wave height (ft)545545565466127345911149667710131416129
Mean peak period (s)9101010711111111966910107912101412977910141110109
Mean zero-crossing period (s)5654465775446664466865456666665
Mean energy period (s)-------------------------------
Mean reported period (s)5654455774446664466865456666665
Mean wave power, kilowatts per metre-------------------------------
Mean peak wave directionWSWconcentration 100%WSWconcentration 100%WSWconcentration 100%WSWconcentration 100%WSWconcentration 100%WSWconcentration 100%WSWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 99%SWconcentration 99%SWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 100%Sconcentration 98%SSWconcentration 93%SWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 99%WSWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 99%SWconcentration 97%SWconcentration 99%SWconcentration 99%SWconcentration 100%WSWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 99%SWconcentration 99%SWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 99%
Mean directional spread (°)19.222.424.520.020.717.016.619.420.519.520.519.819.421.331.821.228.724.518.524.819.419.921.820.221.018.120.419.418.519.820.0
Mean reported wave directionWSWconcentration 100%WSWconcentration 100%WSWconcentration 100%WSWconcentration 100%WSWconcentration 100%WSWconcentration 100%WSWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 100%WSWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 99%SWconcentration 99%SWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 100%Sconcentration 97%SSWconcentration 93%SWconcentration 100%SSWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 99%WSWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 99%SWconcentration 98%SWconcentration 99%SWconcentration 99%SWconcentration 100%WSWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 99%SWconcentration 99%SWconcentration 100%SWconcentration 99%
Mean water temperature(°C)16.516.515.715.515.615.816.116.016.616.616.516.516.215.915.615.515.215.215.215.415.315.315.315.215.215.215.014.814.614.514.5

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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.

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.

Learn how SurfHog combines, checks and summarizes observations in the data and methodology notes.

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