Missing Sofar Spotter Buoy in the Gulf

While 2025 was coming to an end, a Sofar spotter buoy that Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary staff refer to as Bob due to his minion-like characteristics became dislodged from its location at East Flower Garden Bank. The buoy is an essential part of our monitoring efforts, as it tracks temperatures at the ocean surface as well as near the reef, but it also tracks sea surface conditions, which are crucial to boats visiting the area.Bob's location as of 12:50 p.m. CT on January 5, due south of Rezak Bank. © Flower Garden Banks National Marine SanctuaryWe would love to have Bob returned to us. Fortunately his GPS beacon is still active and anyone can track his movements through the Sofar dashboard site.We are asking anyone who may be heading out into the Gulf in the following days or weeks to check on Bob's last known location and attempt to recover him if you are in the vicinity. So far, Bob appears to be tracking westward and is currently located south of Rezak Bank. If it travels far enough, the spotter buoy may even wash up on shore. In either case, please contact us at [email protected] if you find and retrieve Bob.If you zoom in on the photo of the staff holding Bob, you can see the information labels on the top. One of the labels even says "Bob." © Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary