Search the data

Wave data series

Wave buoy prepared for deployment
Wave buoy prepared for deployment ©

The wave data index provides access to all instrumentally recorded wave data held in our National Oceanographic Database. Most sites returned data for at least one year and several substantially more than this.

Proceed to the wave data request area.

It includes entries for

  • directional wave spectra
  • one-dimensional wave spectra
  • short-term statistics

recorded by scientific and commercial organisations, using a variety of recording and processing techniques.

Within our request area you will be able to build your search, select data series, modify your selection and opt to receive the data as BODC netCDF, ASCII or Ocean Data View (ODV) format before adding data to your basket. After checkout, the data you selected will be auto-prepared and made available for you to download.

Wave model data

For more information on our model data, please see our high volume datapage.

Additionally, for academic users within the UK, wave model data extracted from the European Centre for Medium Range Forecasts (ECMWF) ERA-40 data set is available at the British Atmospheric Data Centre (BADC). The ERA-40 data set is a comprehensive set of global analyses describing the state of the atmosphere, land and ocean-wave conditions from mid-1957 to August 2002. Academics from other countries may access the ERA-40 data set via their National Meteorological Agency or from the ECMWF directly.