335 Live NOAA Buoys, One Map
The ocean's ground truth — real measurements from real instruments, not just model output — refreshed hourly and free to explore.
What does a buoy actually measure?
A NOAA NDBC weather buoy reports significant wave height, dominant wave period, swell direction, wind speed, direction and gusts, air and water temperature, and barometric pressure — typically every hour. Forecast models predict; buoys report what the ocean is actually doing right now. PierMonkey shows both, side by side.
Beyond the headline number
Stations with spectral sensors break the sea state into swell partitions — separating a 12-second groundswell from 5-second wind chop riding on top of it. Each buoy page graphs the last 24 hours to 7 days of readings, so you can watch a swell build in the data before it shows on the beach.
Observations refresh hourly from the NDBC feed.
DART tsunami stations included
The network includes NOAA's deep-ocean DART stations — the tsunami-detection buoys that measure water-column height in the open ocean. Not surf forecasting, but a fascinating window into the same ocean, on the same map.
Buoys power the surf ratings
Every surf spot is paired with its nearest wave buoy, so spot pages blend forecast with observation — and live-mode surf alerts trigger off the buoy, not the model. When the buoy jumps, you know it's real.
Explore the buoy network — free
The map and live conditions are open to everyone. A free account unlocks full 16-day forecasts and custom swell alerts.