Broceanographers are constantly checking surf reports for current conditions as well as forecasts for the next swell.  There are countless websites that report surf and ocean weather conditions.  Each site tries to set itself apart from all the others by focusing on specific regions, using fancy graphics, and making claims that they’ve got the most accurate information on the planet.  I wonder how many surfers are aware of the fact that nearly all of those sites get their data from the same sources, one of which being NOAA.

NOAA operates a global network of buoys and satellites, constantly monitoring Earth’s weather conditions.  NOAA also built and maintains WaveWatch III, a computer model that predicts global swell movements. Just  about every surf forecasting site that I’ve ever seen uses the WWIII model, which is freely available for public use, to generate their forecasts.  Whenever you see a fancy map of swell movements, chances are that the map is being generated by the WWIII model.  Some sites, like Surfline, make little tweaks to WWIII based on local knowledge & expertise in order to generate a more accurate forecast.  That’s right, we can all thank NOAA for those fancy, animated maps that show purple blobs prowling the ocean.

This fall the mothership is getting a new mothership.  Wired Magazine has a cool article about the new building that’s replacing NOAA’s old headquarters.  It sounds like some cool architecture. Link