Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Buoy Program
Buoy
Program
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Every year, thousands of boaters enjoy visiting the Florida Keys to fish and dive. Mooring buoys installed and maintained by Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary make it possible for them to do this without damaging the reef. Buoys are also used to mark areas that have specific regulations, assist with navigation, and provide information.
Mooring buoys, which are 18” in diameter with a blue stripe, have been used in the Keys since 1981 as an alternative to anchoring, which can break and damage the coral reef. There are over 490 mooring buoys available for use within the sanctuary on a first-come, first-served basis at no cost to the boater. Anchoring on living coral within the sanctuary in waters less than 40 feet and when the bottom is visible is prohibited. If no mooring buoy is available and you are outside a no-anchor zone you may anchor in sand.
Other buoys used for marking zones such as Sanctuary Preservation Areas, Ecological Reserves, and Special-use Research Only areas. These buoys are 30” diameter and yellow and have no pick-up lines for you use to tie your vessel up to.
Spar buoys that are cylindrical, tall, and white with orange markings mark Wildlife Management Areas and sites on the Shipwreck Trail.
If you find a lost buoy or notice one missing
If you notice a damaged or missing line, or to report a missing or a found buoy, please call the appropriate sanctuary office. From Key Largo to Marathon, call 305-852-7717. For Marathon through Key West and the Tortugas, call 305-809-4700.
How to Use a Mooring Buoy
It’s important to properly tie up to a mooring buoy to prevent unnecessary wear and tear on the mooring system, as well as protect your vessel and other’s vessels. More…
Rescued Freediver Receives Buoy Memento
For more than 40 years, mooring buoys have been saving the coral reefs of the Florida Keys. Now, they have saved a human life. After freediver Dylan Gartenmayer was stranded in waters off Key West on Jan. 26, 2023, the swift current carried him into Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary's Western Sambo Ecological Reserve, which features several mooring buoys used by recreational boaters to tie up instead of dropping anchors on coral. With his knife, Gartenmayer cut loose three of Western Sambo's 18-inch buoys and fashioned a makeshift raft that kept him afloat until his family found him in near darkness. Understandably, the buoys were cast away during the rescue. One week later, Sugarloaf boater Ronnie Rupp found the buoys washed up on shore and reached out to the sanctuary. The buoy team is scheduled to replace the moorings in the coming days, but on Feb. 7, 2023, one buoy - W1 - was presented to Gartenmayer as a memento.
