Shoaling Hazard in New Pass, Sarasota, FL, Gulf Coast, 4/13/2016
New Pass has been undergoing surveying, NavAid relocation and Navigation Alerts in the past months, a need confirmed by this Local Notice. New Pass leads directly to the Sarasota waterfront and the entrance portion between the Entrance Light and Light 7 is constantly shifting and shoaling. SSECN has long recommended that this pass not be used.
FLORIDA – FORT MYERS TO CHARLOTTE HARBOR AND WIGGINS PASS – NEW PASS CHANNEL IN LEE COUNTY: Shoaling/Hazard
to Navigation.
The U.S. Coast Guard has received a report of shoaling in the vicinity of New Pass. Shoaling is occurring from Private aid New Pass Lighted Buoy 1 (LLNR 17964 [26°22.4639N / 081°52.5781W, 26.374398 / -81.876301]) position 26-22-19.080N/081-52-27.960W (26°22.3180N / 081°52.4660W, 26.371967 / -81.874433) to Buoy 4 (LLNR 17970 [26°22.6600N / 081°52.1660W, 26.377666 / -81.869433]) position 26-22-38.460N/081-52-09.330W (26°22.6410N / 081°52.1555W, 26.377350 / -81.869258) . This channel is very shallow and marked with Private Aids to Navigation. MARINERS ARE ADVISED TO EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION AND LOCAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE CHANNEL CONDITIONS IS RECOMMENDED BEFORE ATTEMPTING PASSAGE. Chart 11427 LNM 15/16
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To A “Navigation Alert” Position at New Pass.
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Sarasota New Pass and Big Pass Update
March 22, 2018
Report from Sarasota Herald-Tribune:
SARASOTA COUNTY — State and local officials are warning boaters to use the Big Pass and New Pass channels at their own risk after conditions at both passes became too hazardous to continue marking safe navigation routes.
Sarasota County in recent weeks removed five navigation markers from the Gulf of Mexico side of Big Pass because they no longer indicated a good route after some parts of the channel became shallow and dangerous to navigate, officials said. The county’s move comes a year after the USCG removed all channel markers in New Pass after that channel experienced unsafe shoaling, or hazardous shallowing in some parts of the pass.