Wave buoy proved swell idea

More than a decade ago, a wave buoy was deployed off Albany’s coast to collect important data about the port city’s sea conditions.

The distinctive yellow buoy, which weighs about 110kg and measures almost 1m in diameter, would have been noticed by many skippers in the water eight nautical miles west-south-west of Eclipse Island since July 2005.

It was installed as part of a Statewide roll-out aimed at improving seafarers’ safety, by providing real-time information about sea and swell conditions.

At the time, it was one of five wave buoys, the others positioned at Jurien, Cottesloe, Rottnest and Cape Naturaliste. Buoys were later installed at Esperance and Mandurah, taking the total to seven along WA’s coast.

Department of Transport oceanographic services manager Tony Lamberto, who is responsible for the buoy’s maintenance, said it recorded wave height and direction, which was vital information for commercial and recreational boaters, commercial shipping and Albany Port Authority.

“The information from the buoy significantly benefits the safety of those going to sea and provides long-term data to assist in the management of the coastline and also in the planning and design of coastal infrastructure,” he said.

The buoy’s 2m antenna receives a radio signal from a station in Albany and calculates the height of each wave, then transmits the data to the department’s main computer system in Fremantle.

Data is updated every 30 minutes.

The largest swell recorded by the buoy was 8.2m in 2005.

The largest swell recorded this year was 7.45m during a storm last Tuesday, while 7.7m was the largest swell recorded last year.