The surface waves investigation and monitoring (SWIM) instrument onboard the China-France Oceanography SATellite (CFOSAT) is a wave scatterometer dedicated to monitor ocean surface waves. In this study, we compared the bulk wave parameters (significant wave height and wave period) and available directional spectra derived from SWIM against wave rider buoy observations from two stations, the Southern Ocean Flux Station (SOTS) and the Campbell Island Wave Rider Buoy (CIWRB) in the Southern Ocean region. Our goal is to determine co-located observations between satellite and in-situ data and assess how well these observations match up. Results show that SWIM data and in-situ buoy observations have high correlations with low matchup bias and error. Overall findings demonstrate the potential of SWIM to provide simultaneous and complimentary measurements to wave rider buoys, and consequently afford comprehensive information on ocean waves in the region. Given that CFOSAT is a first satellite purposely launched to measure and characterise ocean surface waves and winds simultaneously, understanding the datasets from these tools can contribute important information that has implications for weather forecasting, climate studies, and ocean research.