Meet the Buoys Made for Hurricanes
If you were thrown from a plane into the ocean without a parachute, you would have to be very strong to survive. Now, if a hurricane is approaching, you know what it’s like to be one of Sofar’s Spotter buoys.
These sensor-filled technology packages give a front-row seat to incoming storms, where they collect and send back critical data to help those on shore plan, prepare and survive.
POV: You drop an observation buoy from an aircraft into the path of a hurricane.
As a hurricane approaches, accurately predicting storm intensity, expected rising water levels (storm surge), and which areas may need to be evacuated can be a matter of life or death. Obtaining data for predictions becomes easier with the Spotter buoy manufactured by Sofar Ocean Technologies.
Surface Spotter by Sofar.
Sofar makes two different types of Spotter buoys: a bright yellow buoy that floats on the surface, and a submersible cylindrical buoy with an anchor that can be towed to the seafloor.
Surface observation buoys remain in the ocean for long periods of time, joining global sensor networks and regularly providing ocean data to help ships navigate safer and more efficiently.
Sofar’s submersible spotter buoy.
Sofar surface observer buoy map in the path of Hurricane Helene.
After the storm passes, the submersible observer surfaces to transmit data, thanks to a current-timed release device that corrodes in seawater and separates the observer from its anchor.
In 2024, Sofar deployed buoys in front of hurricanes Francine, Helen and Milton. To see highlights of their deployment and our visit to Sofar’s San Francisco office, watch the video in this article.
