![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Canbuoy11.jpg/640px-Canbuoy11.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Buoy
Floating structure or device / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the French commune, see Bouy. For the Norwegian island, see Buøy. For other uses, see Buoy (disambiguation).
A buoy (/ˈbɔɪ, buː.i/; boy, BOO-ee)[1][2] is a floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Lateral_Buoy.jpg/640px-Lateral_Buoy.jpg)
Green can #11 near the mouth of the Saugatuck River (IALA region B).
Green Can #11 on a nautical chart
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/NOAA-NDBC-discus-buoy.jpg/320px-NOAA-NDBC-discus-buoy.jpg)