Which buoys to use?
For surfers in South Wales the most commonly used wave buoy data comes from the - this should always be your first point of reference.
I find buoys and are both really useful in tracking swell but I'll concentrate on the Pembroke buoy here to keep things simple.
Estimates of 'wave size at beach' will be based on Llangennith beach, Gower. Rest Bay and Freshwater West, the other main swell attractors are usually similar in size, with Freshwater West tending to be a little larger and Rest Bay a little smaller.
Here again there are so many possible variables that I have boiled the information down to generalisations which will act as a reasonable guide to the less experienced surfer.
The more experience you gain, the more accurately you will be able to read the information yourself.
In summary, the bigger the wave period, (the length of time between each wave), the larger the wave is likely to be at the beach.
On the Pembroke Buoy it is unusual for the period to be greater than 10 seconds.
The table below explains 'approximately' what the measurements mean , not taking into account the wind variables:
| Wave Height (feet) | Wave Period (seconds) | Wave Height @ Beach (feet) |
| 1-3 | 1-6 | Flat |
| 1-3 | 6-8 | 0-2 |
| 1-3 | 8-10 | 1-3 |
| 4-6 | 1-6 | 0-2 |
| 4-6 | 6-8 | 2-5 |
| 4-6 | 8-10 | 4-6 |
| 6-8 | 1-6 | 2-4 |
| 6-8 | 6-8 | 4-6 |
| 6-8 | 8-10 | 6-8 |
| 8-10 | 1-6 | 3-6 |
| 8-10 | 6-8 | 6-8 |
Untitled DocumentIf you are ever checking the buoys and happen to see data reporting 8ft @ 15 seconds with no wind and this has a history of a few hours, then let me know immediately - day or night! ;0
