Buoy Reporter shows you recent wind, wave, and pressure conditions from
real ocean buoys operated by NOAA's National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) — the
same observations the pros use for weather and passage planning.
The map
When the page opens, the map centers near your current location and shows
the buoys around you as dots. Each dot is a real buoy bobbing out on the
water, reporting in. Hover a dot to see its station ID and name; tap or
click it to pull up its data below the map.
- A red dot marks a buoy whose data you're
currently viewing.
- Some buoys measure waves but not wind. When you pick one of those, the
app automatically borrows wind from the nearest buoy that reports it, and
marks both buoys in red so you can see where each reading comes
from. The summary line notes how far away the borrowed wind came from.
The map stays pinned at the top, so you can keep clicking different buoys and
the charts below refresh in place.
Choosing a time range
By default you see the most recent 1 day. Use the
1 / 3 / 7 day buttons to zoom out, or set a custom
From / To range. The "Available locally" note tells you how
far back the data goes — it grows over time as the app keeps each buoy's
history.
Reading the charts
- Wind — wind speed and gusts in knots
(right axis), with wind direction plotted as dots on the
left axis. The direction axis is labeled by compass point (N, NE, E, …)
and reads as the direction the wind is coming from.
- Waves — significant wave height in feet
and the average period in seconds (right axis), plus wave
direction as compass-point dots on the left axis. Longer periods generally
mean longer, more organized swell.
- Pressure — barometric pressure in hPa, with the 3-hour
pressure tendency. A falling barometer often signals deteriorating
weather; a rising one, improving.
Times on every chart are shown in your device's local time zone,
so you don't have to do any UTC math.
A few things to know
- Data is observed, not forecast — it tells you what conditions
have been, which is a great reality check against the forecast.
- Buoys occasionally drop offline or skip a sensor, so you may see gaps.
That's normal.
- Readings come straight from NOAA and are refreshed when you select a
buoy.
Part of Bucket, the onboard dashboard.
Fair winds! ⛵