Channel Five
Long Key / Craig Key · Biscayne Bay and the Keys
Check Channel Five nowNWS advisories, tides and ebb, sun and moon. Free, no sign-up.Current in the inlet
NOAA publishes current predictions for this inlet (Long Key, drawbridge east of, station ACT8221). The ebb sets toward 202° (south); typical peak ebb 1.2 kn, up to 1.6 kn at spring tides.
Ebb against swell on the bar
Swell and wind from the south meet the ebb head on: waves get shorter and steeper and can break on the bar. The same swell on the flood is usually far easier. The app compares the hour-by-hour current with the forecast waves and wind to rate each hour.
Bar depth used to estimate wave steepening: about 3 m (10 ft). Sandbars move: this is not a chart and never says where to cross.
Local notes
- Bridge channel between Hawk Channel and Florida Bay: check the bridge clearance on the chart.
Hour by hour, 48 hours ahead
The app rates every hour of the next 48 for Channel Five: Lower risk, Caution, Hazardous or Extreme, with waves on the bar, wind, current and the inlet map. Free trial of Pro for 7 days.
Data for this inlet
- NWS marine forecast, zone GMZ043
- NWS marine forecast, zone GMZ032
- NOAA tide predictions: Channel Five, east side, Hawk Channel
- NOAA current predictions: Long Key, drawbridge east of
- NDBC buoy 42095 (waves, 130 km away)
- Wind observations: station LONF1
- Airport weather: KMTH