New PacIOOS wave buoy back in time for summer swells

PacIOOS Director Melissa Iwamoto helps deploy the buoy off of Barbers Point, O‘ahu. Image courtesy of PacIOOS.

The Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) deployed a new wave buoy off Kalaeloa Barbers Point on 31 May 2018, just in time for summer. The buoy, about 1.5 miles to the west of Kalaeloa Harbor on O‘ahu’s leeward side, will provide real-time information on wave heights, wave directions, wave periods and sea surface temperatures.

“The deployment of the Kalaeloa Barbers Point wave buoy was greatly anticipated by many of our users, stakeholders and partners, and we are thrilled that the buoy is now back on site,” PacIOOS Director Melissa Iwamoto said in a news release. “Our network of wave buoys collects important real-time wave observations in Hawai‘i and the Pacific Islands to inform and promote safe decision-making.”

Pat Caldwell, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data center liaison and Hawai‘i surf forecaster, said, “We are excited that the Kalaeloa Barbers Point wave buoy is back in the water right in time for south summer swells. Reliable, real-time wave observations from the PacIOOS wave buoys are incredibly important to establish daily surf reports and to enhance our forecasting ability and accuracy. They serve as eyes on the ocean as they provide us with a constant flow of timely data, 24/7.”

Read more about it at UH News (video), Big Island Now, and in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.