Josiah Toepfer, Coast Guard Officer; Vessel Inspector, & Marine Casualty Investigator
A buoy is a something placed in the water to provide aid or information to mariners and people on shore. There are several kinds of buoys, but the most common are known as Aids to Navigation. They mark shipping channels, danger areas, safe water, and provide information to mariners. Think of them as road signs on the water.
Red and green buoys are the channel markers; they indicate the safe channel for vessels to transit in and out of port. They are numbered from the sea into port, so numbers 1 and 2 will always be the farthest out to sea where the channel begins. When entering port, red buoys will be even numbered and on your starboard, or right, side. You can remember this with the saying "red, right, returning home." Green buoys are will be odd numbered and on your port side when returning home. Think of these like mile markers on the highway.
Safe water marks are at the entrance to channels and let ships that are leaving know that there is now safe water (it is deep enough) all around. These buoys are red and white vertically striped.
Special areas are marked by yellow buoys. Completely yellow buoys are marks saying there is something there like a swimming area, pipeline or dredge spoils that boaters need to be aware of and stay away from.
Yellow and black horizontally striped buoys are "cardinal" buoys, which means they tell you which direction the danger is in based on the pattern of the stripes.
Yellow and blue horizontally striped buoys mark wrecks.
Black and red buoys are isolated danger marks and mark a specific danger such as a rocky shoal.
Orange and white buoys are informational buoys and identify areas such as "no wake zones" or fishing areas. These are often closer to shore.
Another type of buoy besides a navigation aid is a mooring buoy, which is a buoy you can moor your vessel to instead of having to anchor. These will have ratings so people will know whether that buoy can safely hold their vessel in place.
Finally there are scientific buoys, such as the weather buoys used by NOAA and the National Weather Service. These measure things like sea and swell height, wind direction and speed, water and air temperature, and salinity. They provide valuable data for predicting weather, ocean currents, and doing scientific research.
Josiah Toepfer, Coast Guard Officer; Vessel Inspector, & Marine Casualty Investigator
Red and green buoys are the channel markers; they indicate the safe channel for vessels to transit in and out of port. They are numbered from the sea into port, so numbers 1 and 2 will always be the farthest out to sea where the channel begins. When entering port, red buoys will be even numbered and on your starboard, or right, side. You can remember this with the saying "red, right, returning home." Green buoys are will be odd numbered and on your port side when returning home. Think of these like mile markers on the highway.
Special areas are marked by yellow buoys. Completely yellow buoys are marks saying there is something there like a swimming area, pipeline or dredge spoils that boaters need to be aware of and stay away from.
Yellow and black horizontally striped buoys are "cardinal" buoys, which means they tell you which direction the danger is in based on the pattern of the stripes.
Yellow and blue horizontally striped buoys mark wrecks.
Black and red buoys are isolated danger marks and mark a specific danger such as a rocky shoal.
Orange and white buoys are informational buoys and identify areas such as "no wake zones" or fishing areas. These are often closer to shore.
Another type of buoy besides a navigation aid is a mooring buoy, which is a buoy you can moor your vessel to instead of having to anchor. These will have ratings so people will know whether that buoy can safely hold their vessel in place.
Finally there are scientific buoys, such as the weather buoys used by NOAA and the National Weather Service. These measure things like sea and swell height, wind direction and speed, water and air temperature, and salinity. They provide valuable data for predicting weather, ocean currents, and doing scientific research.
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