I looked into this weather buoy deal a few years back because along with Port Colborne buoy, one off Roch on Lake O...are just not true to the wave conditions under say 2 meters. These buoys are 3 meter discus style so like a 10' diameter, made of very heavy gauge aluminum and are ballasted. They have all kinds of sensors and one called a Inclinometer that measures the "heave" or vertical rise to the top third of a wave. It takes an average over I think 20 minutes. It's not rocket science to figure out that the size and displacement the buoy along with mooring chain restricts it's ability to accurately measure waves until they become large enough.
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