How do I check near/offshore conditions online?

[JiminGA]

A "newbie" question:
We've done some limited inshore/nearshore fishing out of Panama City and Hilton Head and have been primarily relying on conditions as forecast on TV, and also of course by the marine weather forecast on VHF.

What I don't know is how to check online for sea-state conditions as reported by bouys. As an example, we're fishing out of Destin next month and I'd like to see whats going on say 10 to 25 miles out.

What is the website I should be using?

How do I locate the most appropriate bouy for where we'd like to fish? Thanks!

[tka]

we use the navy website for wave forecasts and they have been very accurate.https://www.navo.navy.mil/cgi-bin/gr.../40/21/0-0-1/4

you can also use http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/maps/Florida.shtml
http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/

[Allen Hamilton]

I asked the same question last week and was happy with:

buoyweather.com

[Jim Z]

tka - 4/17/2007 4:26 PM we use the navy website for wave forecasts and they have been very accurate.https://www.navo.navy.mil/cgi-bin/gr.../40/21/0-0-1/4 you can also use http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/maps/Florida.shtml http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/

Ditto on the last site. Plus it's text based so it's quick to pull up on the Blackberry...

[Black Water]

nws.noaa.gov

We all know how reliable that is...

[Hookster]

I like to get a few opinions of the weather and offshore forecasts before making a decision.

Check out the nearest buoy forecast and current buoy conditions at NOAA , check out the wave height and period (and wind direction and speed) at www.wa4phy.com, as well as your local weather forecast.

The size and period of the waves is very important...that's a cool feature. But forecasts change, so you must check them all days in advance up to the actual day you're going fishing. Soon, you'll know the difference between 3' at 4 seconds and 6' at 14 seconds.

Try to have a couple of different options open for fishing south and north depending on the forecast--and you'll have more enjoyable days at sea!...

BTW---"Eye Catcher"--you have eye candy for sure..

bk

[Ice Cream Man]

How do you interpret the data from buoyweather.com? What should I look for in a good weather conditions verses a bad weather report? Wave height & duration are confusing to me. Thanks..............ICM

[Mako Madness]

www.magicseaweed.com

[Lemke]

You can also call the buoys on your cell phone for current conditons... very convenient.

[saltlife88]

cyberangler.com

[ltcavery]

I also like fishweather.com and windguru.com

[farmerjane]

Here's where you can go for an indepth science lesson on ocean waves:

http://www.seafriends.org.nz/oceano/waves.htm


In a nutshell ~ there are MANY variables that you want to look for when deciding whether or not to go offshore - wind speed, wind direction, wave height, "chop", etc...

Going out and facing 4'-6' waves are fine as long as they're timed out at about 12-14 sec. apart. In fact, I'd PREFER that to going out in 2'-3' waves timed at about 3-4 sec. apart. Ugh... Especially in the Gulf of Mexico where we fish. Talk about churnin' action ~

Best thing to do is study up and learn to watch that weather - especially while out ON the ocean. Things can change in an instant ~ and you want to be alert at all times.

FJ

[southatlantic]

Another vote for buoyweather.com . This site has a really neat and compact way to report on wave (size and period) and wind conditions. They include a color code (green, yellow and red) to help you see at a glance whether you should go or not go. They seem to have put a lot of thought on their rules for color coding. Make sure that you look at the time slots just before and just after your intended trip (again easy with their format) as weather fronts can mover faster or get delayed vs expectations.

[gerg]

Try this iste - it will show a map of all buoy's in a region along with water temps - click the buoy for more info

http://www.pdfamily.com/weather/buoy.php