Keeping Buoys Safe During Storms
Keeping Buoys Safe During Storms
Posted October 2, 2026Above: Water Quality Buoy Technicians Cassandra Koby and Ethan Ward with “Dewey the Buoy” in Hilo Bay. Credit: Cassandra Koby.
Reflections by Cassandra Koby, PacIOOS Water Quality Buoy Technician, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
With hurricane season in full effect, PacIOOS technicians have been working hard to keep our water quality buoys safe!
Throughout the year, our team performs routine maintenance that includes inspecting and servicing buoys, cleaning bio-fouling, and troubleshooting when sensors start reporting inaccurate data or stop working entirely.
Recent storms have brought strong winds and high surf around Hawaiʻi Island. When severe weather approaches, it is important to assess conditions quickly. This also includes checking sensors to ensure they are recording changes in the water, as well as inspecting anchor lines to prepare for potentially rough waters.
Water Quality Buoy Technician Abby Moeras and Intern Chris do buoy maintenance in Hilo Bay. Credit: Erin Smith.
We learned first-hand just how important that can be when an earlier storm swept “Dewey the Buoy” in Hilo Bay all the way to the coastline, which prompted an extensive search and rescue mission. Dewey was pretty banged up and in need of some TLC, so another buoy was deployed as a placeholder. While back on land, Dewey received a spa day, getting new hardware, a thorough cleaning, and a fresh coat of paint – ready to go for the next deployment.
Now, in extreme conditions, the team evaluates in advance whether a buoy should be temporarily recovered as a pre-cautionary measure. If necessary, the buoy is pulled up alongside the boat, released from its anchor shackle, and a temporary float is anchored until conditions are safe for redeployment.
After storms and periods of heavy rainfall, these ocean observing systems become especially valuable for documenting changes in coastal waters, including temperature, salinity, turbidity, and other water-quality conditions. Maintaining a network like this requires careful planning around rapidly changing weather. By keeping these instruments operating throughout Hawaiʻi’s hurricane season, the PacIOOS water quality buoy team supports ongoing research and data collection, helping us better understand Hawaiʻi’s diverse coastal waters.
Hilo Bay Water Quality Buoy, “Dewey”. Credit: Steve Colbert.
Known as “Dewey”, the Hilo Bay Water Quality Buoy (WQB-04) is located offshore of Wailuku River in Hilo Bay on the windward coast of Hawaiʻi Island. Data are recorded every 15 minutes and transmitted hourly. Dewey monitors coastal water conditions to help provide early indications of potentially polluted run-off from storm drainage, sewage spills, and soil erosion from land-based waterways such as streams and other outflows that lead directly into the ocean. Data are available on the PacIOOS website at https://www.pacioos.hawaii.edu/water/wqbuoy-hilo/.
