NOAA NDBC buoys

NOAA's offshore buoys and coastal stations: wind, waves, sea temperature and buoy-camera photos, free.

Self-serve API, no key, irlpls adapter · docs

Mode
Live · minutes
Coverage
United States coastal and offshore waters, Partner stations relayed by NDBC: Canada
Price
Free
Key
Not needed
Resale
Not stated
AI training
Not stated

Eight links

0 of 8 links claimed · 0 evidenced

Compiled from public sources, unclaimed. What they mean

Each link
  1. 1. Real personNot stated

    Person · Not stated

    Still open: Not applicable in the usual sense: readings come from automated instruments, not individual contributors

  2. 2. Captured locallyNot stated

    Camera · Not stated

    Still open: Not a signed capture, so none (STANDARD §3). What is stated: NDBC says it operates BuoyCAMs at several stations; each image carries the station ID and UTC time burned into the frame. Images are not signed (no C2PA); camera hardware, mounting and any processing of the panoramas are not documented on the pages read. Sensor readings have no camera.

    Place · Claimed. Fixed stations with published coordinates in latest_obs.txt and station pages

    Still open: Moored buoys move within their watch circle and can break free; drifting positions are in separate .drift files

    Needs both: the weaker one counts.

  3. 3. Genuine deviceNot stated

    App · Not stated

    Still open: No signing or integrity proof from buoy to file or image; integrity rests on NOAA operating the network and on partners for their stations

  4. 4. Sealed captureNot stated

    Camera · Not stated

    Still open: Not a signed capture, so none (STANDARD §3). What is stated: NDBC says it operates BuoyCAMs at several stations; each image carries the station ID and UTC time burned into the frame. Images are not signed (no C2PA); camera hardware, mounting and any processing of the panoramas are not documented on the pages read. Sensor readings have no camera.

    Content · Claimed. Real-time data pass automated checks at NWSTG (transmission parity, range limit, time continuity, gust-to-speed relational checks); data from a sensor found degraded are removed or withheld

    Still open: How often bad values slip through real-time QC is not stated; stricter checks and duplicate-sensor comparisons are described for archived data. BuoyCAM images have no stated QC.

    Counts only with a stated signing mechanism (C2PA, a manifest).

  5. 5. Known timestampReported

    Time · Claimed. Every row carries a UTC observation time (YY MM DD hh mm); BuoyCAM file names and images carry the UTC capture time

    Still open: How station clocks are set or checked was not found in the pages read

    A time stated, not attested (RFC 3161, a log): Reported.

  6. 6. Tracked in transitNot stated

    Custody record (optional field) · Not stated

  7. 7. Independently verifiedNot stated

    Cross-check · Not stated

    Still open: No independent cross-check per observation. NDBC compares duplicate sensors on the same station, but that is not independent.

  8. 8. Delivered to youNot stated

    Delivery receipt (optional field) · Not stated

API

No account or key needed.

base
https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov
auth
No key
access
Self-serve
adapter
ndbc-buoys
  • GET /data/latest_obs/latest_obs.txt
  • GET /activestations.xml
  • GET /data/realtime2/{STATION}.txt
  • GET /buoycams.php
  • GET /buoycam.php

Rate limit. No numbers published. NDBC asks users to 'limit your retrievals to a minimal level'; the linked NWS use policy says NWS may block IP addresses of users who impact service.

Sources

14 sources
  1. Real-time files at data/realtime2/{station}.{type}; data types list; last 45 days; automated real-time QC; HTTPS; scripted access with wget/LWP described; keep retrievals minimal; most stations hourly, available about 25 minutes after the hour www.ndbc.noaa.gov
  2. Live keyless fetch of station 46026 at ~04:59 UTC 2026-10-27 returned rows every 10 minutes, newest 04:30 UTC, with WDIR, WSPD, GST, WVHT, DPD, APD, MWD, PRES, ATMP, WTMP, DEWP columns www.ndbc.noaa.gov
  3. latest_obs.txt lists one row per reporting station with coordinates; 817 rows on 2026-10-26, including Canadian, UK, Korean and tropical-array stations www.ndbc.noaa.gov
  4. 1,352 active stations with owner and program, including Environment and Climate Change Canada, UK Met Office and Korean Meteorological Administration www.ndbc.noaa.gov
  5. Realtime directory holds .srad, .rain, .supl and .dart files besides the FAQ types www.ndbc.noaa.gov
  6. NDBC operates BuoyCAMs at several stations, photos typically only in daylight; map refreshes every 15 minutes www.ndbc.noaa.gov
  7. BuoyCAM station list as JSON: 90 stations, 75 with a current image file www.ndbc.noaa.gov
  8. Latest BuoyCAM image at buoycam.php?station=xxxxx; error once the photo is older than 16 hours www.ndbc.noaa.gov
  9. Live keyless BuoyCAM fetch for 41004 returned a 2880x300 JPEG stamped with station ID and 10/27/2026 0410 UTC www.ndbc.noaa.gov
  10. Real-time QC: parity, range-limit, time-continuity and relational checks at NWSTG; degraded-sensor data removed; duplicate-sensor comparison at NDBC www.ndbc.noaa.gov
  11. Realtime files show times in UTC only; wind averaging and wave sampling periods www.ndbc.noaa.gov
  12. NWS disclaimer (NDBC footer link): public domain unless noted, free for any lawful purpose with three conditions; third-party data under the provider's licence; NWS may block abusive IPs www.weather.gov
  13. No NOAA-run MCP server; third-party NDBC wrappers listed registry.modelcontextprotocol.io
  14. activestations.xml owners include NZ NEMA/GNS/NIWA (12 stations), UK Met Office (14), ECCC (45) www.ndbc.noaa.gov
Notes

About. NOAA's National Data Buoy Center publishes real-time observations from moored offshore buoys, coastal C-MAN stations and partner stations (wind speed, direction and gust, significant wave height and period, air and sea temperature, pressure) as plain-text files over HTTPS, free and with no key. Most stations report hourly; the real-time directory holds the last 45 days. About 90 buoys also carry BuoyCAMs that take daylight photos of the sea surface.

Price. No fee and no key. NDBC asks users to 'limit your retrievals to a minimal level'.

Coverage. Only existing fixed stations; you cannot request a new buoy. activestations.xml listed 1,352 stations on 2026-10-26 (programs: IOOS partners, NOS/CO-OPS, NDBC, international partners such as Environment and Climate Change Canada, UK Met Office and the Korean Meteorological Administration, NERRS, tsunami DART, TAO); latest_obs.txt listed 817 currently reporting stations. Data from partner stations are the partners'. Not every station reports every variable (MM marks missing values), and buoys can go adrift or offline. BuoyCAMs: 90 stations listed, 75 with a current image. activestations.xml lists 12 New Zealand stations (NEMA, GNS Science, NIWA), 14 UK Met Office and 45 ECCC. latest_obs.txt had 868 lines on 2026-10-27 (817 the day before), so the count varies. Ireland and France are named in the regions but not confirmed in areas.

Timing. NDBC FAQ: 'Most stations report hourly and most of the data is available by 25 minutes after the hour.'

Licence. NDBC's footer 'Disclaimer' link goes to the NWS disclaimer, which says information on NWS web pages is in the public domain unless specifically noted otherwise and may be used without charge for any lawful purpose, so long as you do not claim it as your own, imply NOAA/NWS endorsement, or modify it and present it as official. Third-party information is used under licence from its provider; partner-station data (e.g. Canada, UK, Korea) may carry the partner's terms. The terms do not mention AI training or resale.

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Compiled from public sources · updated 2026-10-28JSONSiteCompare