For the safest swimming on Anna Maria Island, swim at the county’s two public beaches, Manatee Beach and Coquina Beach, which are both lifeguarded.
At these two beaches, no-vessel zones are marked by buoys, which prohibit vessels from coming between the buoys and the shore at any speed, so swimmers have the water all to themselves.
Elsewhere on the Island, buoys designate either “slow speed/no wake” zones or “idle speed/no wake” zones between the buoys and the shore, so swimmers must share the water with vessels.
Law enforcement officers can issue tickets to vessel operators who ignore the buoys.
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