Text a Buoy

Even though we've been at the whole cruising thing for a really long time, every once in awhile I get completely gobsmacked by something I didn't know and this week was one of those. Did you know that if you don't have internet but you do have phone service that you can text a buoy number to the system and they will return the buoy data to your phone? Here's an example:

For buoys in the Southeast:

Text 843-603-8559 with the number of the buoy you want the information for and press send. You can get the list of buoys at this site:

https://secoora.org/text-a-buoy/

Here's an example of the text that I tested the system with:

Here's one from just offshore of Tampa Bay that shows wave height:

For Great Lakes Buoy Reports:

In your message box, enter the buoy ID number from one of the buoys listed below. Only buoys with numeric names can be texted. Example: Ludington Buoy: 45024. Depending on the buoy, some of the information available is as follows:

• Wind speed
• Wind location
• Surface water temperature
• Water temperature at depth (Certain buoys)
• Air temperature
• Wave height

 

LAKE MICHIGAN
Buoy ID	Location
45002	North Lake Michigan
45007	South Lake Michigan
45013	Milwaukee Atwater Park
45014	South Green Bay
45020	Grand Traverse Bay South
45022	Little Traverse Bay
45024	Ludington
45026	Cook Nuclear Plant
45029	Port Sheldon
45161	Muskegon
45168	South Haven
45170	Michigan City Buoy
45174	Wilmette
45175	Mackinac Straits West
45182	Milwaukee Atwater Park
45183	Sleeping Bear
45184	Green Bay East
45185	Green Bay West
45186	Waukegan
45187	Winthrop
PA-DEP-1538	PA-DEP-1538
SPOT-0648	SPOT-0648 Ludington
SPOT-0700	SPOT-0700 Little Traverse Bay

 

LAKE SUPERIOR
Buoy ID	Location
45001	Mid Superior
45004	East Superior
45006	West Superior
45023	North Entry
45025	South Entry Buoy
45027	McQuade Harbor
45028	Duluth
45136	Slate Island
45171	Granite Island
45172	Grand Marais
45173	Munising
45179	Stannard Rock

 

LAKE ERIE
Buoy ID	Location
45005	West Lake Erie
45132	Northern Lake Erie
45142	Port Colborne
45164	Cleveland DO
45165	Toledo Water Intake
45167	Erie Nearshore
45169	Cleveland Wind
45176	Cleveland Intake Crib
BGSUSD2	Sandusky Bay
ESF3	Dunkirk
WE2	Western Erie 2
WE4	Western Erie 4
WE8	Western Erie 8
WE13	Western Erie 13
OSUGI	Gibralter Island
UTLCP	Little Cedar Point
uwss-raeon1	UWSS RAEON Buoy 1
uwss-raeon2	UWSS RAEON Buoy 2
uwraeon1	UWindsor RAEON Buoy 1
uwraeon4	UWindsor RAEON Buoy 4
uwraeon2	UWindsor RAEON Buoy 2
uwraeon3	UWindsor RAEON Buoy 3

 

LAKE HURON
Buoy ID	Location
45003	North Lake Huron
45008	South Central Lake Huron
45137	Georgian Bay
45143	South Georgian Bay
45149	Southern Lake Huron
45154	North Channel East
45162	Alpena Thunder Bay

 

LAKE ONTARIO
Buoy ID	Location
45012	East Ontario
45135	Prince Edward Pt
45139	West Lake Ontario
45159	Northwest Ontario
ESF1	Oswego
ESF2	Sodus Bay South
ESF5	Sodus Bay Center
ESF8	Sodus Point Nearshore Monitoring Buoy
ESF9	Oak Ochard Nearshore Monitoring Buoy
OMOECC_O1	Western Ontario
OMOECC_O2	Western Ontario 2
45189	Oswego

 

OTHER LAKES
Buoy ID	Location
45147	Lake St Clair

If you have phone service you can also call Dial-a-Buoy for a report. Here is an exerpt from the NDBC Site

Dial-A-Buoy

Call Dial-A-Buoy at 888-701-8992 or 301-713-9620

What is Dial-A-Buoy?

Dial-A-Buoy gives mariners an easy way to obtain weather reports when away from a computer/the Internet. Wind and wave measurements taken within the last hour at buoy and coastal weather stations operated by NDBC and a growing number of Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) partners can be heard using a cell phone. NDBC, a part of the National Weather Service (NWS), created Dial-A-Buoy in 1997. In 2007, NDBC and the National Ocean Service's Center for Operational Ocean Products and Services (NOS/CO-OPS) jointly implemented a replacement for the original system which had operated well beyond its expected life cycle. The new system is an extension of the Great Lakes Online service that NOS/CO-OPS is expanding to include its National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) stations.

Large numbers of boaters use the observations, in combination with forecasts, to make decisions on whether it is safe to venture out. Some even claim that the reports have saved lives. Surfers use the reports to see if wave conditions are, or will soon be, promising. Many of these boaters and surfers live well inland, and knowing the conditions has saved them many wasted trips to the coast.

Buoy reports include wind direction, speed, gust, significant wave height, swell and wind-wave heights and periods, air temperature, water temperature, and sea level pressure. Some buoys report wave directions. Coastal weather stations report the winds, air temperature, and pressure; some also report wave information, water temperature, visibility, and dew point.

How do I use Dial-A-Buoy?

To access Dial-A-Buoy, dial 888-701-8992 using any touch tone or cell phone. Assuming you know the identifier of the station whose report you need, press "1". In response to the prompt, enter the five-digit (or character) station identifier. (For coastal stations whose identifiers contain both letter characters and numbers, use the number key containing the letter - for the letter "Q", press "7"; for "Z", press "9"; etc.) The system will ask you to confirm that your entry was correct by pressing "1". After a few seconds, you will hear the latest buoy or C-MAN observation read via computer-generated voice. At the end, the system will prompt you to press "1" to hear the report again, or "2" to continue with other options.

Dial-A-Buoy also can read the latest NWS marine forecast for most station locations. The system will prompt you to press "2" to continue after the observation is read, then "1" to hear the forecast. You can jump to the forecast before the end of the station report by pressing "21" during the reading of the station conditions.

When you are finished with Dial-A-Buoy, press 9 or simply hang-up!

There are several ways to find the station locations and identifiers. For Internet users, maps showing buoy locations are given at the NDBC Website. Telephone users can press "2" at the beginning of the call to be prompted for a latitude and longitude and receive the closest station locations and identifiers.

When you become familiar with the system, you do not have to wait for the prompts. For example, you can press "1420071" as soon as you begin to hear the welcome message to hear the report from station 42007.

How Does Dial-A-Buoy Work?

The Dial-A-Buoy system does not actually dial into a buoy or C-MAN station. The phone calls are answered by a computer that controls the dialog and reads the observations and forecasts from NDBC's web site.

What are some problems with Dial-A-Buoy?

How do I enter characters for a Station Identifier? Characters are entered simply by pressing the key containing the character. For Q, press "7", and for Z, press "9". For example, to enter CHLV2, press the keys 24582.

How do I quit Dial-A-Buoy? Simply hang-up.

How do I hear the observations for another station? When you are finished hearing the observation or forecast, the system will prompt you to press "1" to hear it again or '2' to continue. The second option will be to press "2" to enter a new station identifier. You can jump to the new station prompt before the end of the station report by pressing "221" during the reading of the station conditions.

If you press 22 at most points in the call, Dial-A-Buoy will take you back to the beginning dialog.

The complete list of buoys is on this map.

This is an amazing resource for sailors of all kinds and one I wish I had known about a lot sooner!