What color pattern identifies a safe water buoy?

• A. Black and red bands
• B. Red and white vertical stripes
• C. Yellow
• D. White with blue horizontal band

Answer: (B)

In navigation, buoy colors and patterns tell you what the area is telling you to do. A Safe Water buoy uses red and white vertical stripes. That pattern means safe water is all around the buoy, so you can pass on either side and continue with confidence. Other patterns point to hazards or special purposes: for example, a buoy with black and red bands marks isolated danger, a yellow buoy signals a special purpose mark, and a white buoy with a blue horizontal band is an information or different type mark. So the red and white vertical stripes uniquely identify a safe water buoy.