Surf Science
By The Magicseaweed.com Team
21st November 2007

Magicseaweed Data Sources

Every six hours we gather all the available forecast, wave buoy and weather station information for the next eight days. This includes the NWW3 wave forecast model and the GFS weather forecast model. These models are produced by the NOAA and are used for their national and international weather forecasts. They are also used for aviation and shipping forecasts. This makes good basis for a surf forecast. In very basic language we have a huge database of reliable predictions for everything from rainfall to swell height covering the whole globe. Our job, ongoing, is to make this data as useful and relevant to the surfer as possible.

Additionally we now run our own detailed nearshore modelling systems in a state of the art data centre in (or all places) the desert in Texas. These systems run continually taking inputs of the latest forecast winds and swell and predicting exactly what they'll do as they near the beach in key surf locations. This software system has been built by the team at magicseaweed.com using some of the latest available modelling tools and the nearshore forecasts created are available only here. This information appears marked on our forecasts as 'nearshore wave height' or anywhere we use the term 'nearshore'.

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Submitted By The Magicseaweed.com Team on the 21st November 2007.