In big wave surfing the wave heights are estimated based on how tall the surfer riding the wave is.  The surfer is the unit of measure.  IS THERE A WAY to use radar, lasers, GPS, or whatever electronic devices, to exactly measure the height of a breaking wave, from the shore in real time?  For example, this is how a wave's height is currently estimated:

Mike Parsons at Cortes Bank on Jan 6, 2008.  13 times overhead.  13 x 6 = 78 feet.  The actual estimate was 77 feet.

 

Here is a recent wave at Mavericks, on Dec 23, 2024, that some are calling 100 feet tall.  But how tall is it really?

Edited January 15Jan 15 by Airbrush

Maybe place a tethered buoy into the zone where the waves break? You could then just use an ordinary theodolite to determine how high the buoy is lifted by each breaking wave above standard sea level. Or even simpler, just place a precision GPS device on the buoy to read its height.

Hi.

  I would use 2 very parallel laser pointer beams (lines or dots).  The distance between beams being the same at origin and at the wave tells the height.

If these two lines below are laser beams distant -say 3 metres- from each other, when they hit the wave it will show also 3 metres apart on the targeted wave.

>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> peak of wave

beams source from shore

>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> valley of wave.

 

Or, something like this, if applicable :

Thanks for the suggestions above!

Hi

You could place a high power ultrasonic transducer on the sea floor beneath the break. This could be used like a fish detector (you'd probably use fish detector parts) but would detect the surface of the sea instead (the surface is very reflective).

It sounds like a professional job to me.

It's a water column. Think I'd look at a seabed pressure gauge first. They seem to work well enough on whale monitors etc.