Key West Main Ship Channel
Key West · Biscayne Bay and the Keys
Check Key West Main Ship Channel nowNWS advisories, tides and ebb, sun and moon. Free, no sign-up.Current in the inlet
NOAA publishes current predictions for this inlet (Key West, Main Ship Channel Entrance, station FLK1302). The ebb sets toward 187° (south); typical peak ebb 0.3 kn, up to 0.6 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 10 m (33 ft). Sandbars move: this is not a chart and never says where to cross.
Local notes
- Cruise ships and Navy traffic; security zones around moving ships.
Hour by hour, 48 hours ahead
The app rates every hour of the next 48 for Key West Main Ship Channel: 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 GMZ044
- NWS marine forecast, zone GMZ054
- NOAA tide predictions: Key West
- NOAA current predictions: Key West, Main Ship Channel Entrance
- NDBC buoy 42095 (waves, 17 km away)
- Wind observations: station SANF1
- Airport weather: KEYW, KNQX