Cape Sorell Waverider Buoy, Wave monitoring buoy off Cape Sorell, Tasmania.
The Cape Sorell Waverider Buoy is a wave measuring device positioned off Tasmania's coast that monitors wave heights, periods, and directions in the Southern Ocean. It continuously transmits data to monitoring stations for analysis and helps support safety for vessels navigating through the local waterways.
The Bureau of Meteorology installed this wave monitoring device in January 1998, building on earlier measurement efforts. The CSIRO had conducted previous wave measurements from 1985 to 1993 before the bureau established this current system.
The buoy earned its name Captain Fathom through a vote by ABC Radio listeners in Tasmania during the Bureau of Meteorology centenary celebrations in May 2015. This naming shows how the community connected with the daily tools of ocean monitoring.
The device sits too far offshore to see from land, but its data is valuable for ships traveling through Macquarie Heads and Hell's Gates. Visitors interested in maritime operations can view the coastal area from nearby points to understand the rough conditions the buoy monitors.
In September 2006, the device recorded waves reaching about 19.5 meters, one of the highest measurements in Australian waters. This extreme storm event shows the severe conditions that southern Tasmania regularly faces.
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