The present paper investigates the short-term statistical distribution of wave heights. Specifically, some of the most commonly applied wave height distributions are assessed using field measurements. The latter comprise of wave radar observations from 10 different locations in the North Sea and cover water depths between 7.7 m and 45 m. In total, the field database includes more than 200 million waves, making it one of the largest of its kind in this water depth regime. In using these data, the accuracy of existing wave height distributions has been examined and guidance is provided concerning the best performing models and their domain of applicability. Additionally, insights concerning the influence of key met-ocean parameters are also provided. Taken together, the results in this paper present an overview of the statistical behaviour of wave heights in finite water depths, as observed in the field.