A U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat equipped with twin outboard engines and mounted equipment navigates the Milwaukee River beneath the Wells Street Bridge. The vessel formed part of the multi-agency security perimeter surrounding the 2024 Republican National Convention, with maritime units maintaining a visible presence along the riverfront as protesters and delegates converged downtown.

A U.S. Coast Guard response boat moves steadily across Boston Harbor on a calm, overcast day, with Logan International Airport visible in the distance. The aluminum and orange-hulled vessel, equipped with mounted security equipment, is part of routine maritime patrol operations ensuring the safety of one of New England’s busiest ports. Behind it, commercial ships and aircraft highlight the harbor’s strategic role as a hub for both air and sea transport serving the Greater Boston area.

The Magestic Star casino boat sitting at Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. The boat was docked for decades in Gary, Indiana before closing in 2021 after new Indiana legislation allowed for land-based casinos.

A cargo ship is docked at an industrial pier surrounded by warehouses and factory buildings, their signs bearing familiar Japanese corporate logos. The port’s calm waters and moored vessels hint at the steady rhythm of maritime logistics, with goods flowing in and out of Japan’s manufacturing heartlands. Overhead, a muted sky and the ship’s red funnel add contrast to the subdued industrial palette, capturing a typical day in one of the nation’s bustling coastal trade zones.

A sign for Las Amapolas at El Cocal promotes “Reef Runner” glass-bottom boat tours, a long-standing local attraction offering snorkeling and fishing excursions to the Belize Barrier Reef. These tours provide visitors direct access to the island’s marine biodiversity, a defining feature that has shaped San Pedro’s economy and identity since the mid-20th century when tourism began replacing commercial fishing.

A boat at the dock in San Pedro, Guatemala.

A boat docked in Panajachel, Guatemala.

Patrick Gannaway docked on the Mississippi River in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Abandoned boat off the coast in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Along the eastern coast of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, a coastal tour boat rests against the pale sandy shore as shifting weather approaches over the Caribbean Sea. The turquoise shallows—characteristic of this stretch of the Atlantic coast lined by coral reefs—contrast sharply with a dense bank of darkening storm clouds moving inland. Beach excursions and snorkeling trips commonly depart from this area, where the water remains shallow and calm before the reef break. The photograph captures the transitional weather common to the region’s tropical maritime climate, highlighting the tension between the inviting clarity of the shoreline and the dramatic sky signaling an imminent rainfront.

Boats on Bde Maka Ska in Minneapolis.