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| FKNMS Diver David Becker |
The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Mooring Buoy team monitors,
repairs and installs valuable resource protecting buoys along the coral reef tract in the
Florida Keys. This system was developed over 30 years ago by NOAA Resource Manager John Halas
who tested the first mooring systems on French Reef in June 1981. To date there are over
470 mooring buoys available in the Florida Keys sanctuary. The embedment anchor system
is now used in over 38 countries around the world.
Buoy installations include surface
supported hydraulic tools to embed the hard bottom anchor eye and “MANTA RAY” anchor system into
the soft sea bottom. When the ocean floor can’t be penetrated, a drill system using a
special hollow two inch core barrel is used.
NOAA Diver Kent Edwards and David Becker install a mooring buoy on the Speigel Grove (above). Photos submitted by Brenda Altmeier.
MANTA RAY anchors are 8 feet long with a spade-like head
that pivots. Once the anchor is driven into the soft substrate using an
underwater jack hammer, a load locker is fitted over the rod and a hydraulic
device is connected to the rod lifting it and locking the shovel end in an
horizontal position.
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| Manta Ray mooring buoy anchors |
The heavy
equipment is lifted to and from the vessel by a davit system. Lift bags are
utilized to bring
equipment from the seafloor back to the surface. Once the anchor is installed, a shackle and mooring buoy line system are attached and the mooring is ready for use.
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| R/V Agassiz |
The R/V
Agassiz is a Key West number one hull employed into NOAA service in the late
80’s. The vessel
is specially outfitted for mooring installations and maintenance. It is named
for early marine
scientist Professor Louis Agassiz who studied the Florida coral reefs in 1851.
“I may say that here,
as in most cases where the operations of nature interfere with the designs of
man, it is not by a
direct intervention on our part that we may remedy the difficulties, but rather
by a precise
knowledge of their causes, which may enable us, if not to check, at least to
avoid the evil consequences.”
("Extracts from the report of Professor Agassiz to the Superintendent of
the Coast Survey, on the
examination of the Florida reefs, keys, and coast").
Article and Photos submitted by:
Brenda Altmeier
Program Support Specialist
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Great to hear about NOAA's ongoing work protecting this great Marine Sanctuary. I was familiar with mooring buoys, but had no idea about how they were installed. Nor did I realize that NOAA was instrumental in their development originally. Very interesting, and the diving pics are great.
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