What does a swimming buoy mark?
PCOC Boating Test overview
PCOC Boating Test: Cardinal and special buoys
Cardinal buoy colours, topmarks and lights, and the special buoys: cautionary, anchorage, information, hazard, keep out, scientific (ODAS), diving, mooring, control and swimming.
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- Every answer explained
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- 16 questions
- Topic drill
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Study reference: Safe Boating Guide (TP 511E, 03/2026), Ch. Reference cards — Cardinal buoys and special buoys, p. 65
All 16 questions in this test
Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.
What does a swimming buoy mark?
- Deep water for diving
- A good place to anchor
- The outer limits of a swimming area
- A safe channel for small, slow boats
Which special buoys may carry a yellow 'X' topmark?
- Port and starboard hand buoys
- North and south cardinal buoys
- Cautionary, scientific and anchorage buoys
- Swimming, mooring and control buoys
What do the two cone topmarks on a cardinal buoy tell you?
- The direction of the current
- Who owns the buoy
- The depth of the water
- Where to find safe water
What is an ODAS buoy used for?
- Mooring large ships
- Marking a dive site
- Collecting weather and scientific data
- Marking a channel junction in open water
Will a diving buoy normally appear on your nautical chart?
- Only on Pacific charts
- Yes, always
- Yes, but only near busy harbours
- No, it is not normally charted
What should you keep in mind when you see a mooring buoy?
- Swimmers are nearby
- It marks a hazard to avoid
- Deep water lies to its north
- A vessel may be tied to it
What colour light does a lighted special buoy show?
- White
- Red
- Green
- Yellow
What colour light does a lighted cardinal buoy show?
- Green
- Red
- Yellow
- White
What does a keep out buoy tell you?
- Swimmers may be present
- Slow to 10 km/h in the area
- Anchoring is allowed there
- Your vessel may not enter the area
What does an orange diamond on a white buoy mark?
- A swimming area
- A mooring spot for visiting boats
- A hazard such as a rock or shoal
- A fuel dock
How are cardinal buoys identified?
- By letters, not numbers
- By odd numbers
- By even numbers
- By compass degrees
What kind of danger does a cautionary buoy warn you about?
- A spot to tie up your boat
- The outer edge of a beach
- Firing ranges or seaplane bases
- Safe water at a channel entrance
What colours are cardinal buoys?
- White and orange
- Red and white
- Yellow and black
- Red and green
What does the shape of a special buoy mean?
- Cones mark the right side of the channel
- Nothing; shapes have no special meaning
- Cans mark the left side
- Spheres mark safe water
You see a white buoy with an orange circle and a black '10' inside it. What does it mean?
- A swimming area ahead
- Keep out of the area
- An information buoy: a marina 10 km away
- A control buoy: obey the 10 km/h limit
What is the purpose of an information buoy?
- To mark rocks, shoals and other hazards
- To show a locality, marina or campsite
- To ban all vessels
- To limit boat speed
Cardinal and special buoys: key rules to remember
Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗
Cardinal buoys (reference card TP 14542)
- Yellow and black. White lights (flash characters) if equipped.
- The points of the 2 topmark cones show where to find safe water; the cones also show where the black bands are on the buoy.
- Lettered, no numbers. White retroreflective material.
- Four buoys: North, East, South, West.
Special buoys
- Shapes have no special meaning. May be lettered, no numbers.
- Cautionary, scientific (ODAS) and anchorage buoys may show a yellow "X" topmark.
- Yellow lights (if equipped). Retroreflective material the same colour as the markings; white buoys show yellow material.
- Cautionary: dangers such as firing ranges, underwater pipelines, race courses, seaplane bases, areas with no through channel.
- Anchorage: outer limits of designated anchorage areas; check the chart for depth.
- Information: information such as locality, marina, campsite inside an orange square.
- Hazard: random hazards such as shoals and rocks; information inside an orange diamond.
- Keep out: areas your vessel may not enter.
- Scientific (ODAS - ocean data acquisition system): collects weather and other scientific data.
- Diving: scuba or similar diving in progress; not normally charted.
- Mooring: for mooring or securing vessels; a vessel may be tied to it.
- Control: obey the speed limit, wash restriction, etc. shown inside the orange circle.
- Swimming: outer limits of a swimming area; may not be charted.
Other topics
- Proof of competency and age limitsWho needs a Pleasure Craft Operator Card, the other accepted proofs of competency, the rental boat checklist, replacing a lost card, the horsepower limits for operators under 16 and which documents to carry.
- Licences, compliance notices and hull numbersPleasure craft licence rules (10 hp threshold, 5-year validity, 30-day deadlines, marking the bow), registration, compliance notices and safe limits, hull serial numbers and buying or building a boat.
- Lifejackets and PFDsLifejacket types and sizes, how PFDs differ, inflatable PFD restrictions, fitting children, checking and caring for flotation devices, heaving lines, lifebuoys and reboarding devices.
- Required safety equipment by boat lengthMinimum equipment by boat type and length, how length is measured, the notes on flares, reboarding devices, compasses and radar reflectors, manual propelling devices, anchors, bailers and sound-signalling devices.
- Flares and visual distress signalsRocket parachute, multi-star, hand and smoke flares, their heights and burn times, expiry and storage, electronic visual distress signals, disposing of old flares and other recognized distress signals.
- Fire, fuelling and carbon monoxideFire classes and extinguisher ratings, monthly checks, fighting a fire on board, the fuelling procedure and 4-minute blower rule, carbon monoxide, heavier-than-air vapours and ignition protection.
- Trip planning, weather and loadingSeaworthiness and the pre-departure check, marine forecasts and wind warnings, sail plans, charts and publications, local hazards, loading your boat and the free courtesy check.
- Rules of the road (Collision Regulations)Lookout, safe speed and risk of collision, head-on, crossing and overtaking situations, give-way and stand-on duties, which vessels keep clear of which, narrow channels and restricted visibility.
- Sound signalsShort and prolonged blasts, manoeuvring signals (one, two, three and five blasts), the bend signal, fog signals by vessel type, the Great Lakes difference and required sound appliances.
- Navigation lights and shapesMasthead, side, stern and all-round lights and their arcs, light options for power boats, sailboats and paddle craft, anchor lights and the anchor ball, the motor-sailing cone and towing lights.
- Lateral buoys and daybeaconsPort and starboard hand buoys and the upstream rule, bifurcation, fairway and isolated danger buoys, and port, starboard and junction daybeacons.
- Buoy numbers, tops, lights and markingsHow buoys are classified, odd and even numbers, flat and conical tops, light and reflector colours, the PRIV marking and how to recognise hazard, keep out, control, mooring and swimming buoys.
- Speed, wake, noise and local restrictionsChoosing a safe speed, wake damage, the muffler rule, the 10 km/h shoreline limit and its exceptions, Vessel Operation Restriction Regulations signs, and rules around marine mammals.
- Sharing the water and local hazardsLarge ships and their blind spots, tugs and tows, diver flags, seaplanes, low-head dams, power lines, historic canal rules, passing through a lock and the St. Lawrence Seaway.
- PWC, towing and paddlingPersonal watercraft age and handling rules, towing water-skiers and tubers (spotter, seats, sunset limit), stand-up paddleboard leashes and safety tips for paddlers, hunters and anglers.
- Impaired boating, fines and visitorsImpaired boating under the Criminal Code, the 2-hour rule, penalties, common contravention fines, who enforces boating laws, provinces without ticketing, and rules for non-resident boaters.
- Marine radio and distress callsVHF channels 16, 68 and 70, DSC and MMSI numbers, the operator certificate, cell phones and beacons, Mayday, Pan-Pan and Sécurité calls, false alerts and the duty to help.
- Person overboard and cold waterRecovering a person overboard, the Anderson and Williamson turns, reboarding, the 1-10-1 principle, signs of hypothermia, and the H.E.L.P. and huddle positions.
- Protecting the waterClean, drain and dry against invasive species, sewage rules (holding tanks, Ontario's ban on discharge and portable toilets), bilge pollution, green boating habits and reporting pollution or suspicious activity.