Nearshore Buoy Information

In September 2006, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers deployed two wave monitoring buoys. Fort Pierce Buoy is approximately 6 miles north-northeast of the Fort Pierce Inlet (27 33.084'N, 80 13.518'W, 53ft depth) and the Cape Canaveral Buoy is approximately 3.4 miles east of the Cape Canaveral channel entrance (28 24.00'N, 80 32.00'W, 33ft depth). 

Hourly, these buoys report wave height, wave period, wave direction and sea surface temperature to the National Weather Service, who in turn broadcasts the information on NOAA Weather Radio. The information is also disseminated in near real-time on the web at http://cdip.ucsd.edu  (click on Recent), and on the National Data Buoy Center website at http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/maps/Florida.shtml . 

This wave data is useful to coastal mariners and provides an important safety component to recreational as well as commercial boaters.  The buoy type is classified as a surface follower. It maintains its position by use of an elastic mooring system. The buoys will be adversely affected if small vessels attempt to tie up to them.  

These buoys are deployed and maintained by the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP) at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla , CA . Please contact www@cdip.ucsd.edu with questions.