How to measure breaking waves from shore?

[Airbrush]

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 Wednesday at 04:13 PM by Airbrush

[Markus Hanke]

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.

[Externet]

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 :