Ways to Boat Safely!
BOATING SAFETY TIPS
Our members can be confident in knowing boat safety is the number one priority to us!! Be smart out there on the water!
1. Local knowledge required of the Inlet channel. Inlet conditions can change
rapidly. Follow the marked channel and even then be alert for shoaling.
2. Be especially alert for small boats anchored in or near the channel. While illegal,
many sports fishermen from outside the area are not aware of local rules and
regulations. Operate your boat in a defensive manner.
3. Be aware that because the Sebastian Inlet is both narrow and shallow, currents are
extremely strong and forceful. Ask your boat dock captain, Coast Guard
Auxiliary vessel, Marine Patrol or other experienced personnel the safest times to
enter and exit the inlet. Respect boater advisories issued by the Coast Guard.
4. Many boaters in small craft exit the channel only to experience difficulty trying to
reenter the Sebastian Inlet against an outgoing tide. Each year, several dozen small
craft are swamped and lost because of the treacherous nature of the inlet.
5. Typically the most hazardous boating conditions for entering or exiting the inlet at
the ocean is during an outgoing tide with easterly winds (>15 mph). Waves stand
straight up at the mouth of the inlet.
6. Pleasure boaters should also be aware that many commercial fishing vessels use
the Sebastian Inlet regularly. For commercial fishermen, time is money and a
commercial fisherman may or may not slow down at all times.
7. Be careful and watch for jet skiers. Many jet skiers are young and seeking thrills.
Jet skiers attempting to cross the wake of a boat may not be particularly alert to
traffic coming in the other direction.
8. Unfortunately, over the years many boaters have experienced incidents of either
boats or persons being struck by errant lines from land based fishermen – most
often from the north jetty. As you “hug” the north jetty of the inlet, be alert to the
activities of land based fishermen.
9. The tides can often be at or above three or four knots, even on the west or landward
side of the A1A bridge at the inlet. Many boaters are simply unaware of and
unprepared for these conditions and there are dozens and dozens of stories about
small boats being pulled out to sea even from the inlet.
10. A heavy rain or high winds can create shoaling overnight. While the Sebastian
Inlet District makes every attempt to keep the channel safe at all times, proceed in
the marked channel cautiously.