Aids to Navigation

Lake Havasu

Contact:   Bill Bryan FSO/AN 92 at (928) 680-4713

Good day buoys and gulls,     

Understanding and using Aids to Navigation (ATONs) is an important part of operating your boat safely.  ATONs mark the waterways to assist boaters in navigation, and alert them to obstructions and hazards much as safety signals and signs used in driving on streets and highways.

     Here on Lake Havasu area we have almost the full range of ATONs: buoys, flashing beacons, lighthouses, range lights, bridge clearance lights and gauges.  As a prudent boater you should know where these are; what they indicate; and perhaps most importantly.....how to respond to their  "messages" while operating your boat.

     This ATON page is designed to help the boater better understand the Aids To Navigation that may be encountered on our lake.  Any questions or suggestions for the improvement of this page will be appreciated.

   Buoys

     Buoys on Lake Havasu are unlit and extra care must be taken at night as they are easy to hit and/or miss their warning.  The buoys are held in place by lengths of chain and concrete sinkers.  The more the lake level goes down, the more chain is available. In other words, the greater the boating danger posed by lowered lake levels....the more likely the buoys are away from their intended stations !  More than one boater has had to learn this the hard way !

      What does this buoy tell you ?

     If you said its message is, " Don't go between me and the nearest shore " you are correct.  Now if you also know that this is hard to see at night and that it can be way off station when the lake level is low,  then you are on the way to safer boating on Lake Havasu.

What does this mean ?

     If you said a diamond shape means "Danger" you are correct.  Did you also know that getting your boat close enough to read any wording in the diamond can cause serious problems ?  For example:

     OOPS !  You just ran over the rock because the buoy was "off station" as a result of too much chain from lowered lake levels.

     The "Danger Diamond" with a cross through it means "Boats Keep Out" !  Again, night boating requires knowledge of the lake and keeping a sharp lookout for hazards (both marked and unmarked) while proceeding at a prudent speed.

What does a Circle indicate ?

     Your guess that it indicates a "Controlled Area" is right !  It may tell you the maximum speed in MPH or it might say "No Wake" for example:

     Did you also know that most of Thompson Bay is a "Controlled Area" marked by a line of buoys stretching across the entire bay ?  That's correct...the bay is a no wake area.  While we're at it, most boaters are unaware that any damage or injury resulting from their wake is their responsibility.  Wakes have been known to cause severe damage to many boats and docks in marinas and anchorages........the hot dog gets to pay for it all.  Speaking of anchorages, what is wrong with this next ATON picture ?

     Two things are WRONG !  First, the color of the one horizontal band should be BLUE.  The other error is that this IS NOT considered an Aid to Navigation.  It is a mooring buoy !  Like the others, it is held by chains and sinkers and like the others it becomes more hazardous as the lake level goes down.  You see, this is THE ONLY buoy that you can tie up to.  When you are moored, your boat swings in a circle around the buoy by wave, current, and wind action.  The longer the chain, the further you are going to be swinging around !

      No ! We're not going to ask you what the navigational message of this buoy is.  It is covered with bumper stickers from top to bottom.  There is no way to know what it means.  Does it make any difference ?  You bet it does !  Aside from keeping boaters "in the dark" about its meaning, boaters are even more in the dark at night. The buoys have retro-reflective surfaces that show up when hit by a light at night.  Obviously this buoy can't do its job either by night or day. If you are thinking this is a bad example picture we found on the internet, guess again....it marked the center of the London Bridge Channel at the south end right here on Lake Havasu.  This is vandalism and it happens every big weekend.  Bird droppings can be scrubbed off...these "droppings" are considerably more difficult to remove.    

     CONGRATULATIONS if you got every question right.  If you missed even one, you might consider taking a boating safety class.