Cardinal Marks

The main purpose of a Cardinal Mark is to indicate the safe side on which to pass a danger.

The deepest water is on the named side.

The buoys always carry a topmark consisting of two cones which, from a distance, appear like
arrows. To help remember the meaning of the arrows, those on the North and South Cardinals point
north and south as if on a compass rose. West has inward arrows, which look like a Wineglass, or a
“W” on its side. East is the only one remaining (arrows outward).

Take the North Cardinal Mark as an example. The diagram shows that it is placed north of the
danger. When you see two arrows pointing upwards, they are pointing towards the clear water. So
when you see a North Cardinal marks, it can be helpful to think of it as a “CLEAR WATER NORTH”
mark.

Likewise, think of the others as “CLEAR WATER WEST”, “CLEAR WATER EAST” and “CLEAR WATER
SOUTH”. Another look at the diagram will indicate that if your vessel is proceeding northwards and
you see a North Cardinal Mark in front of you, you would be heading for trouble, because the clear
water is north of it!

The buoys are coloured black and yellow. The direction of the arrows relates to the position of the
black bands. If the arrows point both up and down (as with the East Cardinal) the black is at both
top and bottom of the buoy.

If the Standard Code is used, the retro-reflectors would be white band(s) with letters, numerals or
symbols. If the Comprehensive Code is used, the black and yellow bands on the buoy are
represented by blue and yellow retro-reflectors.

For the East Cardinal the two blue retro-reflectors would be on the top (black) part of the buoy,
and for the West Cardinal the two yellow retro-reflectors would be on the top (yellow) part of the
buoy. For North and South there would be one retro-reflector on each colour.

To memorise the light combinations of Cardinal marks, think of a clock face.

At 3 o’clock there are 3 flashes, at 6 o’clock there are 6 flashes, and at 9 o’clock there 9 flashes,
with continuous flashing at 12 o’clock.

At 6 o’clock there is an additional long flash to aid a quick and positive identification. Buoys get
tossed around in rough weather and sometimes it can be difficult to count the flashes.

Lights on Cardinal Marks either flash “Quick” (usually 50-60 per minute) or “Very Quick” (usually
100-120).

The light sequence is repeated every 5 or 10 seconds for the East Cardinal, and 10 or 15 seconds for
South and West, the shorter periods being for the very quick flash. mlr08_s10_uf02_co.eps
A Cardinal Mark may also be used to indicate a feature in a channel, such as a bend, junction, or
the end of a shoal.

Click on the images below to see the lights flash

North Cardinal

West Cardinal East Cardinal

 South Cardinal

Isolated Danger Marks

This refers to an isolated danger of limited extent with navigable water all around it. The buoy is black and red, and n
flashing 2 white. Keep well clear.

Click on the below above to see the light Flash

Lateral Marks
Remember that, when navigating in and around harbours, Lateral Marks are coloured as if you are approaching from th
vessel. When proceeding to seaward, you therefore leave them to starboard. This is known as the “Local Direction of
appear as a single buoy.
Click on the Port mark below to see it flash Click on the Starboard Mark below to see it flash

The other method of positioning buoys is known as the “General Direction of Buoyage”, which operates when you are
a clockwisedirection around the land mass. A continent is a large land mass, and it takes precedence over off-lying isla
conform with the continental concept. The direction of buoyage is shown on Admiralty charts by magenta arrow symbo

Port and starboard lateral marks use any light rhythm except (2 + 1) which is used for preferred channel marks. As men
buoys carry conical topmarks. The spherical shape is reserved for “Safe Water Marks”.

Think of the Preferred Channel mark as having a single colour with a horizontal stripe through the middle. Thus a red (
that the channel is to starboard. The green stripe means that there is another, lesser, channel to port. So the main (pr
port from seaward, or when following the General Direction of Buoyage. If proceeding in the opposite direction, the “p
coloured for the main channel.
A preferred channel mark (as depicted in Figure 3) applies when there is a main and secondary channel. If two channe

Safe Water Marks

If the buoy is not spherical, it will have a spherical topmark (red). The light signal is white. Normally, a flashing white
“relaxed” manner. As mentioned above, it will be isophase, occulting, long flash, or Morse Code “A” (short-long). The
Click on the lights below to see them flash

Occulting

Isophase

Long Flashing

Special Marks
These are yellow, with a yellow light of any rhythm. Topmark is usually an “X”. They are not “navigational marks” in t
quarantine anchorages, special mooring buoys, tide poles, underwater pipes, etc If they are can or cone shaped.
Click on the light below to see it flash

Types of Buoys
The IALA buoyage system provides for five types of buoy:

Lateral Marks, “lateral” means “side”, for port and starboard side.

Cardinal Marks, which relate to the cardinal points of the compass

Isolated Danger Marks

Safe Water Marks

Special Marks, for example:

  ODAS (Ocean Data Acquisition System) buoys

 Traffic Separation Schemes

 Spoil ground

 Military exercise areas

 Cables or pipelines, outfalls.

 Recreation areas

 A channel within a channel.

By day, buoys are identified by their shape and colour

There are five basic shapes:

 Can

 Conical

 Spherical

 Pillar and

 Spar.

The first three indicate which side to pass, (port, starboard or either side, in that order – see explanation under Later

The shape will be indicated by a topmark if the buoy itself does not follow that pattern.

“Pillar” is used to describe any buoy which has a tall central structure on a broad base. A “Spar” is a stout pole; when
up.

At night they are identified by a flashing light:

 Cardinal Marks White (four sequences shown below)

 Lateral Marks Red or Green

 Isolated Danger White (group flashing 2)

 Safe Water White (isophase, occulting, long flash or Morse A)

 Special Marks Yellow.

Isophase means “equal on, equal off”

Occulting means “on more than it is off”

Although it is important to be able to recognise instantly all of the marks and their identifying lights at night, it is also

Unlit buoys are identified by retro-reflectors, which are also fitted to lighted buoys in case of light failure. There are t
Comprehensive Code

The Standard Code uses the following markings:

 Red Lateral: Red band or shape similar to topmark

 Green Lateral: Green band or shape similar to topmark

 Preferred Channel As for Red or Green (see below)

 Special Marks Yellow band, “X” or symbol.

 Cardinal White band with letters, numbers, or symbols.

 Isolated Danger White band with letters, numbers, or symbols

 Safe Water White band with letters, numbers, or symbols

The Comprehensive Code uses the following markings:

 Lateral Marks Same as above.

 Cardinal Marks Blue and Yellow bands (imitating the black and yellow)

 Isolated Danger Blue Band over Red Band

 Safe Water Red Band over White Band (could also be vertical)

The history of world buoyage is long and tortuous, and it is only in the last 20 years or so that the IALA system has bee
alone. IALA has managed to narrow it down to two systems by dividing the world into two Regions, A and B.

Region B is the Americas (N & S) and Japan.

Region A is everywhere else.

The only real difference is that Region B reverses the colours for Lateral Marks. For example when entering a harbour i
localities which do not follow the IALA system, or supplement it with additional features, can normally be found in Sailing Direction