How to know if anchoring is allowed?

[John A]

Anchor within 80ft of the Grand Cayman Island in a place other than sand and it's a $250,000 fine - your choice, Anchor in the National Park area of St Johns Island and its a fine.

Those are two that I can think of.
Why are you arguing in defense of anchoring in Coral?

[Teknav]

Local charts depict the names of diving sites; walls and/or shipwrecks. In Cozumel - MX, dive sites have several anchor buoys on the periphery of major dive sites. A visiting boat can anchor to one of the park's buoys, after paying a small fee at the park's office, thus insuring no anchor damage to the reef; most of these buoys are in sandy areas with depth around 20 ft. Mauritz

[Benz]

Since Cozumel has come up, I'll chime in here and say that I was anchored in white sand there once, far from any coral, to the south of the cruise ship terminal. Just to await daylight so I could move to a spot more convenient to the port captain, town, etc. Early in the morning not one but several dive charter boats plowed by, belching all sorts of diesel smoke to tell me I was terrorizing the environment with the boat I both sailed in and out of there, and though there were no markings anywhere, nor any sign of coral, it was most highly illegal for me to be at anchor there. So be aware that anchoring restrictions can also occur for no other reason than that the local money machine, be it tours or charters or mooring sellers, want them there.

[JPA Cate]

John A,

Nobody is sanctioning anchoring in live coral. There are many places we've been where the bottom is thin sand over hard, dead coral--shown as S Co on charts, and entirely okay to anchor on if you can stand the insecurity. Okay, that is in terms of legality, and not damaging live coral.

The best way I know of to find out where to not anchor are two sources, and you use them together: the bureau of fishery and the bureau of parks, whatever their names are in your local areas. Through them you are most likely to find out about recently declared no-go zones, the sources are more likely than cruising guides to show new no-go zones. They may even provide maps or chartlets. Cruising guides are super for the long-declared ones. And that, plus charts showing non-anchoring zones are our primary sources of learning where to not go.