Anyone else noticed those SSE arrows in the last couple of days on the Ocean Reef wind meter?

For the first time in 9 years I've been monitoring this meter daily I can say it's definitely not accurate anymore...the wind was mostly SSW today with the occasional South, but definitely not SSE.

Even the Swanbourne meter which is more inland displayed far more accurate wind directions today:
I double checked on BOM's website and it's the same: www.bom.gov.au/products/IDW60901/IDW60901.94607.shtml

Any ideas what would be causing this issue? Laurie?

Thanks
Christian

Were there fewer kites out this arvo as a result I wonder?
I was at Trigg looking at the southerly there and the seabreeze app thinking that no way it could be offshore at Ocean Reef??

Hope you weren't teaching in an offshore

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cauncy said..
Hope you weren't teaching in an offshore

Hmmmmm, don't be so cynical Herr Cauncy. You are addressing numero uno in the world of kite instruction. The grand poobah would never entertain such a practice.

The FSC fish rocks wInd reading was really accurate for the woodies to cott area but then it started to give some really over excited readings then the direction webt all out of wack now it's been taken down for maintenance until it can be fixed, I guess the same is happening to the ocean reef wind meter.

You've really just gotta look at all of the wind meters and try to get an idea for what it's like where your kiting

I believe the meter is correct. With the recent hot days when the graphs at Ocean Reef showed S-SSE winds switching back and forth, I kited on Monday from lunch time and the wind was indeed cross to cross offshore and switching back and forth. I got stuck behind The Marina for 10 mins when it swung slightly SSE and dropped off a bit. When it puffed back in Southerly, I got out of the Lee and was fine.

The meter is fine imo. Heed the meter reading. Don't assume it may be incorrect and go out regardless people.

As an add. Everyone, both beginners and experienced riders alike, should determine the conditions first hand at the beach rather than relying on wind meters. Wind direction, strength and forecast should all be checked to determine whether you have the necessary skills to rig and go riding. Hot days are more likely to be S-SSE. Even if the wind does come in S-SSW, there is a high likelyhood that the wind will switch back to SSE or even SE very early and often before sunset. Learn more about weather and don't trust gadgets and gizmo's. Use them as a guide, not an authority.

Learn how to read synoptic charts (its not difficult), learn the Beaufort scale. Here is a basic practical guide. White caps start at 8-9 knots, lots of white caps 15-20 knots. Sand starting to blow down the beach 25knots +.

DM

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ActionSportsWA said..
I believe the meter is correct. With the recent hot days when the graphs at Ocean Reef showed S-SSE winds switching back and forth, I kited on Monday from lunch time and the wind was indeed cross to cross offshore and switching back and forth. I got stuck behind The Marina for 10 mins when it swung slightly SSE and dropped off a bit. When it puffed back in Southerly, I got out of the Lee and was fine.

The meter is fine imo. Heed the meter reading. Don't assume it may be incorrect and go out regardless people.

DM

Ocean Reef readings from Monday Jan 28, 2019. Not a single SSE or SE arrow from 12pm till 7pm.

The meter is down at the moment. I emailed BOM this morning regarding the meter's inaccuracy. I'll post any updates on here.

The wind was definitely SSW all afternoon yesterday (with the rare South) at Pinnaroo (30/01/19) any kiters or instructors working that day would agree with this

Christian

Electronics + Weather = Failures. Ocean reef taken offline today.

The FSC (fremantle) meter was a non-moving-part meter, which would supposedly reduce maintenance. The only meter physically positioned in the actual ocean, and not on land. This meter used a "doppler" effect to measure wind, however ... seagull poop saw an end to all the clever math of non-moving parts a number of times. (Plus poop on the solar panel). In the end, it kept reading higher and higher, and was taken down and shipped to manufacturer for de-poopification & repair .. should be back soon, all going well.

With all this poop taking wind meters down, something to think about next time you throw chips to the seagulls...

I dunno Lozza,

the arrows look pretty spot on when comparing to The other graphs prior to it being taken down. ??



Just sayin' ??

DM

Assuming inaccuraccies or even accuracy about your location from a wind recorder that is 100 foot in the air and 4kms away and from your location is bogus. Further to what DM says if your standing on the beach and the wind is blowing a certain direction at a certain speed then it is what it is. I was out at Pinaroo yesterday and the wind was gutless and sketchy. Everyone I spoke to had the same opinion, with some even saying they thought it may turn offshore. It is possible that counter air currents of a se nature at the wind recorders altitude and location were in fact causing the sh1t wind at Pinaroo yesterday.

Pinnaroo can be a tricky place to work out wind direction due to shape of the coast. If your standing on the point looking south down the coast it can give you a false perspective to what's really going on.
Here's an example of Pinnaroo versus Scarborough for comparison.

Definitely no west in the wind in Yanchep yesterday afternoon. Would've been moments of SSE as spray was getting blown of the backs of the waves every now and then (and it was nearly impossible surfing right.)

I thought there was some East yesterday at Pinna's especially when it dropped out a few times and later.

Can't help myself I've been monitoring seabreeze ocean reef daily for 12 years and have always found it to be an excellent GUIDE for wind direction

There's bloody E in the wind again....