UK Wave Height & Sea State
Real-time Solent sea conditions, plus wider sea-area wave forecasts
The Solent and Southampton Water are well sheltered by the Isle of Wight, so local wave heights here are usually modest even when it’s blowing hard outside — but ground swell generated far out in the Atlantic, and wind-driven ‘chop’ from a strong Channel blow, both still reach the approaches and matter to anyone sailing, racing or crossing the Solent. The charts below combine real local buoy readings with the wider wave-model picture.
Local Live Sea Conditions
These are real readings from Solent weather buoys — not a forecast — updated on a 5-minute cycle by the volunteer-run Solent Support Group.
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Sotonmet (Southampton Dockhead) 
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Bramblemet (Bramble Bank, central Solent) 
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Source: Sotonmet & Bramblemet (Solent Support Group) — see Credits for full details.
How To Read The Forecast Charts
Significant wave height (Hs) is the average height of the highest third of waves — the figure sailors and forecasters actually use, since it corresponds closely to what a competent observer would estimate by eye. Individual waves within that can be noticeably taller. Wave period is the time between successive crests: a long period (well-spaced, powerful ocean swell) behaves very differently from a short, steep period (choppy, wind-driven sea), even at the same height. Pressure contours show sea-level pressure in millibars — purple/blue shading marks low pressure (storms), yellow marks high pressure (settled weather). Wind barbs show both direction (the way the ‘flag’ points from) and speed: each full flag is 50 knots, each long barb 10 knots, each short barb 5 knots. Black arrows on the wave charts show the direction waves are travelling towards.
North Sea & Channel Approaches
Sea-Level Pressure Synopsis
Significant Wave Height
Mean Wave Period
Wider North Atlantic
Long-period ground swell generated well out in the Atlantic can still work its way into the Channel and the Solent approaches days later, even on a locally calm day — this wider view shows where it’s coming from.
Significant Wave Height
Source: Oceanweather Inc. — see Credits for full details.
See also: Shipping Forecast • Inshore Waters Forecast • Solent Weather Buoys • Solent Beach Forecast • Local Tides