Cal Poly Pier at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Facility Overview
The Cal Poly Pier allows users to test equipment from an easily accessible, shore-based facility, without the expense and complications of ship time. The Pier extends 1 km into San Luis Obispo Bay, in 12 m/40 ft of water, providing ample depth for deploying and testing a range of equipment. There is also an 100-gallon/min flow through seawater system for aquaculture and organismal studies. It is a secured facility, with restricted access and loading capacities sufficient to transport large equipment out onto the Pier. The area around the pier is semi-protected by the Port San Luis Breakwater (~1.8 km to the SW), with moderate wave and wind fields relative to the open coast. As such, it provides an excellent location to deploy and test equipment in semi-exposed conditions from a fixed platform. The Pier is in a commercial harbor not associated with any special regulatory zones, with access to port infrastructure. Cal Poly is a world-class undergraduate research institution with faculty expertise in a wide range of disciplines.
