BVI Mooring Buoys System

DAY MOORING

The BVI National Parks Trust has installed over 200 mooring buoys (surface buoys attached to stainless steel pins set in bedrock), for day-time use only at many BVI dive sites.
The system, installed in 1991, is protecting the underwater marine ecology from physical damage, particularly by boat anchors, and to maintain the pristine reefs for the future.
There is a 90-minute time limit on all moorings and use is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Vessels over 55ft in length or over 35 tons are not allowed to use any regular mooring, but they can use the larger yellow buoys, which are 18 inches in diameter.
Please note, that in virtually all of the areas where the National Parks Trust moorings are found, the areas can encounter rough, and unpredictable ground seas. In addition, some buoys are in the vicinity of shallow rocks and reefs. The moorings are, therefore, for DAY USE only, and it is illegal to use them overnight.
Sailors must check the integrity of the mooring and its lines for safety, before tying up or leaving the vessel. They are responsible for the vessel, even when tied to a National Parks mooring.
A small fee is charged for the use of the moorings. This conservation fee goes back into the maintenance of the system and installation of new buoys in other high traffic areas.
Sailors must, by law, obtain a National Parks Permit, either from the charter company, when Customs is cleared, or from the National Parks Trust Office, at 61 Main St. Road Town, Tortola,

The mooring buoys are 13 inches in diameter and are color-coded as follows:

• ORANGE BUOYS: Non-diving, day use only.
• YELLOW BUOYS: Commercial dive vessels only.
• LARGE YELLOW BUOYS: Commercial vessels or vessels over 55 ft.
• WHITE BUOYS: Non-commercial vessels, for daytime dive use only.
• BLUE BUOYS: For dinghy use only
  

OVERNIGHT MOORINGS

The National Parks Moorings should not be confused with overnight mooring buoys which are found in most anchorages all around the BVI. The overnight moorings are white and are all 18 inches in diameter. The maximum vessel length for allowed for overnight buoys is 60 ft.
It is advisable to get to your destination early as overnight moorings are limited and fill up quickly. The overnight buoys are privately managed. They are free for day-use. The overnight fee is US$20 to $30 depending on the anchorages (as of January 2004).

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