NOAA Bouy Reports

[Tyke]

So i'm trying to start using the reported info from the BB bouy on noaa's site to help in my decision making process but i'm a little confused with some of the info on the page. maybe you guys can shed a little light on it for me. It takes about wave height but then further down the page it takes about wind wave height and swell height so whats the difference and what makes up the "wave height" (that "wave height figure is also noted as the significant wave height further down the page) that is reported at the top of the page? also it takes about periods ( no not the gross kind) dominent and average? whats the difference there?

here's the site: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44018

[Deep C]

Wave height is a combination of both wind and swell heights. say you have three feet of gentle swell then have two feet of wind chop on top thats 5 feet for all intents and purposes. Not always a perfect match up though. You might have swell comming from one direction and wind slop comming from a slightly different one so the added total is not always exact.

Period tells you how far apart the waves are comming... Smaller number there means tighter and nastier... A quick rule of thumb I use is a second per foot to tell me if its gonna be nasty or really nasty. 4 foot and 4 seconds is really pretty sloppy. 4 foot and 3 seconds sucks bad. 4 foot at 8 seconds is pretty nice.

[colad]

Which period do you look at to determine that, Dominant or Average? I have been using Average and it seems to work but wonder if others use dominant (as they can be VERY different)

[CindyLou]

Which period do you look at to determine that, Dominant or Average? I have been using Average and it seems to work but wonder if others use dominant (as they can be VERY different)

I believe dominant is just the wave period of the largest swells/waves. Average is...well, average (all the waves). So, the dominant period should tell you how far apart the waves are in the big sets. At least that's my take...