What is a buoy?
A buoy is a floating object employed as an aid to mariners to mark the navigable limits of channels, their fairways, sunken dangers, isolated rocks, telegraph cables, and the like; floating devices fixed in place at sea, lake or river as reference points for navigation or for other purposes.
A buoy is a floating device used in the maritime industry to mark a specific location or to warn of hazards. Buoys are often brightly colored and have distinctive shapes or patterns, making them easily visible to ships and other watercraft. They can be used to mark the location of a channel or fairway, to indicate the presence of submerged objects or hazards, or to mark the boundaries of a protected area. Buoys can also be equipped with lights or other signaling devices to aid navigation at night or in poor visibility.
In addition to marking navigational hazards, buoys also serve a variety of other purposes in the maritime industry. For example, some buoys are used as mooring points for boats, while others are used to mark the location of underwater pipelines or telegraph cables. Some buoys even have sensors that measure weather and water conditions or are equipped with radio transmitters that send out weather forecasts or marine forecasts. These buoys can also be used to track the movement of ships and other watercraft. Buoys are commonly found in harbors and ports, along coastlines, and in rivers and lakes. They are maintained by various organizations such as Coast Guard, Harbor Master, and other navigational authorities. They play a critical role in ensuring the safety of shipping and the protection of the marine environment.
