The buoys are back for 2025! Whether you’re on the water exploring the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore or planning your next adventure, the Wave Watch buoys can help you stay safe. A team from the National Park Service, the University of Wisconsin – Madison and Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore deployed five solar-powered buoys on Thursday, May 22nd, just ahead of the busy Memorial Day weekend.

After several days of extremely windy weather and dangerous conditions, the weather calmed and the waves laid down enough for a successful deployment mission covering an estimated 100 miles within the Lakeshore. The buoys now provide continuous reports on wave height, direction and period as well as water temperature from key locations within the National Lakeshore throughout the 2025 boating season.

UW Research Scientist Josh Anderson and student Josh Hodgdon work together on rigging a Wave Watch buoy – Jon Okerstrom photo

UW student Josh Hodgdon throws in the yellow Wave Watch flag attached to the solar-powered buoy – Jon Okerstrom photo

A Wave Watch buoy deployed and delivering real-time data – Jon Okerstrom photo

Each bright yellow buoy contains sensors and a transmitter that sends water and wave data to a satellite every 30 minutes. From there, the information is displayed on the Real Time Wave Watch page on the Friends website and on the University of Wisconsin’s WISC-Watch website.

The system, currently funded by Friends through donations from businesses and individuals, is designed to help all kinds of boaters make smart decisions before they hit the water and while they’re on the lake. Friends Executive Director Jeff Rennicke says Wave Watch 2025 is building on an incredibly successful 2024. He says, “More than 30,000 hits on our website proves that people are beginning to understand what an incredible tool this is. We have kayakers who use it, sailboaters, power boaters, even the cruise service boat behind me is a Wave Watch sponsor.”

Two new locations for the 2025 season

The buoys near the popular mainland sea caves, near the Stockton Island Tombolo and at the north end of Devils Island near the Devils Island sea caves are in familiar locations. However, two other buoys are now in new locations.

2025 buoy locations – click to enlarge

University of Wisconsin research scientist Josh Anderson says we moved the buoy that had been at the tip of Long Island to a fishing area known as the flats. “We understand there’s heavy fishing so we thought we could provide wave information for fishermen and it’s got a water temperature sensor on it, so maybe that’s useful for fishing as well.”

Anderson says the former Sand Island buoy has been moved to an area near Red Cliff Point. He says, “It’s more of a central location that we haven’t looked at waves before, so it’s new wave information to inform our models. It’s also a pretty heavily-traveled channel as well so hopefully it will provide useful wave information for boaters.”

Anderson also made adjustments to the rigging that anchors the buoys to the lake bottom, in part to increase buoy visibility and to reduce the chances that the anchor lines will tangle.

If you see the yellow buoys or yellow marker flags while you’re boating, please keep your distance. If you do run afoul of the anchor lines, each buoy is labeled with contact information. Please let us know of any issues as quickly as possible.

“Lake Superior is incredibly beautiful and inherently dangerous,” says Lucas Westcott, Director of Communications and Education for the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. “The Wave Watch buoys are one of the most important safety resources in the Apostle Islands. They give people a real time look at the potential risks of going out on the lake. Last summer hundreds of times a day people visited the Wave Watch for just this reason. In championing this program the Friends are providing boater, paddlers and sailors with condition reports they couldn’t get any other way.”

Wave Watch needs your support

This is the second year Friends has paid the bills to keep the Wave Watch network going. Rennicke says “This is a totally free concept. Safety shouldn’t come with a price, but of course, it takes money and effort to get the buoys out there, for upkeep, and so we would appreciate anyone who sees the value in safe boating, join us as an individual but think about your business too. If your business benefits from safe boating, let your customers know you care about their safety and join us as a business sponsor of Wave Watch.” Rennicke also thanked current Wave Watch sponsors, “because safety is good business.”

The crew prepares to drop the buoy at specific GPS coordinates. and depth – Jon Okerstrom photo

To make it easier to get the real-time data when and where you need it, Friends offers free QR Code stickers or clings, which you can stick on your boat or anywhere it’s convenient.

Then point your cell phone camera at the image to go directly to the real-time data page on our website.

If you don’t have your free cling or sticker for your boat or car yet, you can get one, and make an optional donation by following this link.

Friends of the Apostle Islands wishes to thank the University of Wisconsin – Madison, the National Park Service, including project lead Karl Carlson, and our Wave Watch partners and donors for helping to make the Lakeshore a much safer place to enjoy. We invite you to explore how the Wave Watch water safety program has evolved over the years. You can also join the cause by making a donation. With your support, we will continue offering this vital public safety effort in 2025 and beyond. 

Written and photographed by Jon Okerstrom. Watch a video report on the deployment here. Jon is a Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore board member and digital and social media volunteer with a background in digital and television journalism, photography and graphic design.