Below is an explanation of some of the terms. The result of larger wind wave action is usually chop. These waves are usually generated a little further away and are from greater meteorological phenomena, such as storms, hurricanes and other large depressions. As discussed above, this is how close the waves are together from peak to peak. Wind tends to be closer together and swell farther apart.
Wind waves tend to be smaller, while swell waves tend to be larger.
If the windwave is high or higher than swell, you may have a storm on your hands. There is also a measurement we use called Significant Wave Height. This is the highest wave regardless of type that is recorded by the buoy during the previous hour. Generally it's pretty close to the average, but we just use it for the highest wave chart on the home page. These colorful and useful graphics depict what is happening on the oceans from a few different perspectives.