An important US weather buoy which went adrift from its mooring was retrieved by scuba divers at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research (BBSR).

The buoy, about the size of a small boat, was found 190 miles northeast of Bermuda by scientists on the R/V Weatherbird II. Operated by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the buoy's original location is about 120 miles off Cape Hatteras.

"It would likely have drifted to Ireland if Weatherbird II had been unable to retrieve it at this time," said BBSR Marine Supt. Capt. Lee Black.

The equipment will be put on a container ship and taken to Jacksonville, Florida before it is redeployed.