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Sandown Bay wave buoy monthly means for 2023

Monthly means from the Sandown Bay wave buoy for 2023, including available wave height, period, direction, wind and sea temperature data.

Last observation shown

Data available:  to 

Latest

Period Summary

Programmatically generated summary. Hog Says

17,277 wave-buoy observations covered all 365 days. Typical wave height was 1.4 ft (10th–90th percentile 0.6–3.4 ft), while mean average of more than one wave period type was 6.1 seconds (10th–90th percentile 3.5–10.3 seconds). Mean water temperature was 13.6°C (10th–90th percentile 8.1–18.8°C). 152 of 68,769 checked values (0.2%) were excluded by quality control.

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

Typical Significant Wave Height

1.4ft
Mean: 1.7 ft
P10–P90: 0.6 — 3.4 ft
Recorded extremes

0.3 — 12.7 ft

Mean Observed Wave Period

6.1secs
P10–P90: 3.5 — 10.3secs
Recorded extremes

1.7 — 20secs

Available for 8,661 of 8,675 hourly samples

Observed Wave Direction

SSE

Circular concentration: 89%

Mean Water Temperature

13.6°C
P10–P90: 8.1 — 18.8°C
Recorded extremes

7.3 — 21.1°C

Chart showing grouped wave observations for Sandown Bay. Use the table on this page for a text version of the same measurements. To open daily observations, use a linked month name in the table.

About Sandown Bay wave buoy

Sandown Bay is a Channel Coastal Observatory National Network wave station off the east coast of the Isle of Wight. Its nearshore record represents conditions entering the bay between Culver Down and Dunnose, helping monitor a developed and erosion-sensitive frontage exposed to English Channel seas.

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

Metrics are rows; months run left to right.
Sandown Bay wave buoy monthly means 2023Last observation shown
Metric
Mean significant wave height (ft)212211211223
Mean maximum wave height (ft)323322222344
Mean peak period (s)777655556677
Mean zero-crossing period (s)444433334444
Mean energy period (s)------------
Mean wave power, kilowatts per metre------------
Mean peak wave directionSSEconcentration 91%SSEconcentration 89%SSEconcentration 92%SSEconcentration 88%SEconcentration 85%SSEconcentration 86%Sconcentration 95%Sconcentration 93%SSEconcentration 91%Sconcentration 91%Sconcentration 92%Sconcentration 95%
Mean directional spread (°)24.927.624.925.525.526.123.325.126.624.124.624.3
Mean water temperature(°C)9.08.18.210.213.216.718.318.719.217.213.210.3

Swipe sideways to see more months.

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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