The buoys are designed to hold boats considerably larger than the average diver is likely to use. So if you have selected a dive site that has no buoys you know have to donate thought to anchoring. Anchoring a boat isn't considered an art form by many boaters, only the ones who have had regretful experiences from poor anchoring practices, or have seen the damage that a thoughtlessly dropped anchor can cause. This article is not designed to make everyone an anchoring artist, but to maybe increase boater awareness. The main objectives when anchoring in the Fabulous Florida Keys should be avoiding damage to the ecosystem, vessel security, and ground tackle retrieval.
Lets start with a basic description of the gear.
Anchors come in many forms. Thanks to centuries of trial and error we now have a large, and somewhat confusing selection from which to choose. They do however fall into two basic categories, sand anchors and rock anchors. Some types can be used in sand and rock with varying degrees of success. So lets start with sand anchors, the type most often used in the Keys.