Byron’s Waverider buoy soon back in action after urgent repairs

Coastal engineers from Manly Hydraulics Laboratory (MHL) will complete critical repairs to Byron Bay’s iconic yellow Waverider buoy and redeploy it later this week, pending favourable weather and ocean conditions.

It has been unable to transmit real-time wave data since early November, after suffering a snapped antenna.

The buoy houses sensitive instruments that can be damaged when recreational water users tether their boats, dinghies or watercraft to it.

MHL is reminding the community to avoid using it as a mooring buoy and to keep at least a 20-metre distance from it at all times to prevent harming the equipment, which can also cause a loss of real-time wave data for the entire north coast region.

The spherical wave buoy is 1m in diameter, painted yellow with radar reflectors and has a 1.5m white antenna with a light and black flag on the top.

It is moored to the seafloor and measures wave motion using an accelerometer which produces critical statistics including wave height, period, and direction.

This data is important to the community including water users, marine emergency personnel and coastal professionals who rely on this information for effective coastal management and climate change adaptation in addition to safety and aiding navigation.

The buoy is located about 10 km offshore and is one of 7 Waveriders used by MHL to capture data from a 2,000 km stretch of the state’s coastline from Byron Bay to Eden.

MHL has been measuring waves continuously in near real-time off the NSW coast since 1974 and off the Byron Bay region since 1976.

MHL provides specialist and impartial advice relating to coastal and water engineering and water flows using state-of-the-art modelling and facilities. MHL is part of the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water (NSW DCCEEW).

Wave data is collected by MHL under the NSW Coastal Data Network Program managed byNSW DCCEEW – Biodiversity, Conservation and Science. Real-time data from the MHL’s wave buoys is available at: https://www.mhl.nsw.gov.au/Data-Wave

Manly Hydraulics Laboratory Director Edward Couriel said:

“We’re very pleased to be repairing the Byron buoy this week, weather permitting. This will get it back online and restore the live wave data feed to our webpage.

“Our wave buoys have been operating in NSW for over 50 years and provide valuable information about ocean conditions to all water users, including maritime emergency services.

"Fixing and redeploying damaged buoys takes time and is logistically complex, especially as it depends on finding appropriate weather windows to reach the site, carry out repairs safely, and ensure specialist equipment is fully operational.

“I urge locals to please keep a safe distance and avoid coming into physical or close contact with the buoys to avoid unnecessary disruptions to wave data for the North Coast region, as they are ‘live and listening ear’ to the ocean that helps everyone from surfers to coast guard vessels stay safe and enjoy our coastal waters.”