FAQs

  • The data frequency is customizable: 15 minutes to once per day. The battery can last up to 6 months with data transmission once per day. At a 15 minute frequency, the battery can last up to two weeks between chargers.

  • Battery life varies based on a number of factors including message frequency, ocean conditions and ambient temperature. The data frequency is customizable: 15 minutes to once per day. The battery can last up to 6 months with data transmission once per day. At 15 minute frequency, the battery can last up to two weeks between chargers.

  • We are officially rated to 400m and have seen even better results in actual use.

  • Data collected by our current Farallon Buoy includes lat/long coordinates, distance traveled, velocity, ambient water temperature and acceleration. We will be announcing several new features later this year.

  • No. Radio frequencies cannot transmit through water. Farallon buoys can gather and store data while submerged and then transmit that data when they surface. The buoys can hold up to being under ice for many months and will send a message when the ice clears, depending on the customizable data frequency. Ask for more details.

  • No third parties can see your data without your permission. (We may in certain circumstances use your data on an anonymized, aggregated basis. Please see our data privacy policy (link) for more details.)

  • You can set up multiple user accounts within in your organization with customizable access to some or all of your buoys. You can also share data selectively with third parties (such as regulators, other vessels in your fleet, etc.)

  • Yes. Our solution needs internet and cellular service to get data, but if you don’t have it where you fish, our PlotterLink transceiver provides universal connectivity and will be available in the next few months. For more information about PlotterLink see our Products Page.

  • We are currently selling buoys in North America, Western Europe and ANZAC and have a growing list of partners and distributors worldwide. For more information, you can visit our contact page.

  • All of our products comes standard with a one year warranty, protecting the buoy to depths up to 400m. If you experience any issue, you can contact us at support@blueoceangear.com or the phone number on our website.

  • Available alert conditions for receiving a text alert via SMS:

    Buoy Enters/Exits Water

    Buoy Moves 250m In 15minutes* (customizable)

    Buoy Resurfaces From A Dive

    Buoy Remains At Surface In A Closed Area

  • The time is in UTC. Universal Time is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks. We choose to use that because most satellites operate in that time and it help us keep the buoys operating smoothly. In our app, it reads the relative time since the buoy last reported, such as 8 hours ago.

  • Best practice is to charge the buoys every 4 months they are in storage. If you notice that when you put the buoy on the charger it appears to flash green for 1 minute or less, that means it’s indicating its fully charged (solid green) but it is not. It’s probably completely drained. Not to worry! If that happens, where the first minute it goes from flashing to solid green, just leave it on the charger overnight then remove it for 1 minute and place it on the charger again. You should see it flash for longer than one minute. Then you know it is taking a charge. This process may need to be repeated until the green light continues to flash for more than one minute. We recommend testing the buoys in seawater or a bucket of seawater. Just need a clear view of the sky.