Extreme tidal ranges have been the norm for the last year, giving not only lower, but also higher, than charted depths. Seeing highs and lows a foot or more off the charted numbers has been common. Navigating the constantly changing depths in the Waterway channels is part of the challenge (fun?) of staying off the bottom, even in normal depth conditions. Our advice has always been: follow the markers and do not depend entirely on the magenta line on your chart or chartplotter.

Cruising News:
Hi – wanted to report general shoaling in the stretch from just south of the South Santee River and extending down to Price Creek, past marker 80. We just ran it at low water, and did not see 9′ anywhere in that entire stretch; the average depth was 7.5 to 8′, and running a narrow zigzag centered on the channel showed the deepest water to be in the center and shoaling (mostly) slowly toward the edges. The variation in depth is small, with no bars that I saw. Extreme caution is recommended.
Also note that it doesn’t get a whole lot better after Price Creek: the depths come up very slowly, until suddenly going completely schizophrenic just past Dewees Island: up to 35′ as you cross the rivers and the inlets, instantly dropping to 7′ or 8′ as you come up on the other side (silting in.)
Ben