Find It!
Key West Visiting two spectacular Key West dive sites just got easier, thanks to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary’s mooring buoy program. The Sanctuary’s mooring buoy team installed a buoy on the Stargazer underwater sculpture off Sand Key and placed a subsurface buoy on the popular wreck the Cayman Salver.
“By installing mooring buoys on artificial reefs such as the Stargazer and the Cayman Salver, we hope to make it easier for dive operators and recreational boaters to visit these alternative dive sites,” said Sanctuary Superintendent Billy Causey.
The Sanctuary also completed installation of twelve mooring buoys in the Tortugas North section of the Tortugas Ecological Reserve to protect the region’s lush coral reefs from anchor damage.
Sanctuary resource manager John Halas developed the mooring buoy system in 1981 with the help of Sanctuary biologist Harold Hudson, and the devices are now in use around the world.
The Sanctuary maintains nearly 400 mooring buoys, and boaters can find one or more at most popular dive sites. In the 18 Sanctuary Preservation Areas and the Western Sambo Ecological Reserve, boaters must use mooring buoys if they are available. Thirty-inch round yellow buoys mark the boundaries of these areas.
Boaters must use mooring buoys, drift dive or remain underway in the Tortugas North section of the Tortugas Ecological Reserve. The new regulations prohibit anchoring.
By following a few simple steps, boaters can help make sure the buoys are safe and ready for use:
- Remember, you need to add extra line for scope just as if you were anchoring. If you don’t, your boat may put too much strain on the mooring buoy system. Do not put the yellow pick-up line from the mooring buoy directly on your cleat. Instead, run a line from your boat through the eye of the pick-up line. Use at least fifteen to twenty feet of line, double that if you have a large vessel (longer than 40 feet). You are responsible for damage to the system if you have not made this effort.
- If you arrive at the reef to find that every buoy is occupied, approach another vessel and ask the captain if you can tie off to his stern. Make sure to coordinate departure times to ensure a smooth transition.
- Always approach the mooring buoy by navigating into the wind or current. This reduces your risk of running over the buoy.
- If you accidentally sever a buoy, or find one floating or washed up on shore, please call one of the three Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary offices:
FKNMS Lower Region Office
(305) 292-0311
FKNMS Marathon
(305) 743-2437
FKNMS Upper Region Office
(305) 852-7717
Sanctuary staff will be happy to come pick it up, since new buoys run about $100 each.
If you discover a buoy is missing, report that to the Sanctuary as well. The buoy maintenance crews will replace it as soon as possible. Mooring buoy maintenance staff have a large area to cover and often face delays due to weather, so please be patient.
The mooring buoy program represents your tax dollars at work. Please help the Sanctuary make sure you get your money’s worth!
Divers and snorkelers will find it easier to
admire artist Ann Lorraine Labriola’s work the Stargazer, thanks to the
installation of a mooring buoy by the Florida Keys National Marine
Sanctuary. The series of ten structures lies in 22 feet of water east of
Sand Key. Photo Credit: Copyright Bill Keogh
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