A buoy is a type of floating sign that is widely used in modern marine and river navigation. What does he look like? Where and why are buoys installed? And what functions are assigned to them? You will find answers to all these questions in our article.
What is a buoy?
"Do not swim for buoys!" - You probably have seen such a formidable inscription more than once on the seashore, river or lake. What are these buoys? And what role do they play?
A buoy is a signal floating tag located on a pond. It is attached to the bottom with a cable and an anchor. Buoys are intended to indicate a specific place in the water (for example, shallows), the boundaries of the waterway for the safe movement of ships or the area intended for bathing people.
What does a buoy look like? This is a small float conical or rounded, equipped with a flashlight for signaling. It can be made of wood, iron or plastic. If a signal lamp is provided in the buoy design, it is powered by batteries hidden in a special compartment on the surface of the hull.
The word "buoy", by the way, is of Dutch origin (boei). According to another version, it comes from an old French boye, which translates as “shackles”.
Buoy types
Depending on the place of use, the following types of buoys exist:
- River.
- Lakeside.
- Marine.
- Lake and river.
By purpose, buoys are allocated:
- Separating.
- Restrictive.
- Emergency.
- Meteorological.
- Signpost buoys.
In general, there are at least a dozen different types of buoys, each of which performs its own specific function:
- Navigation buoy (marks the borders of the waterway safe for passing ships).
- Sonar buoy (used in military affairs to localize enemy submarines).
- Meteorological buoy (used to measure pressure, temperature, wave height, etc.).
- Buoy-pointer (indicates the place for scuba divers).
- Beacon (designed to transmit distress signals on the water).
- Life buoy (used for throwing to a person who is overboard).
An ordinary person most often meets with beach buoys. They are used to protect the area safe for swimming. On children's beaches, buoys are set closer to the coast, on adults - a little further. Sometimes a rope stretches between them. As a rule, a bright red color is chosen for beach buoys.