San Diego Bay

San Diego Bay is a protected natural harbor about 12 miles long and 1 to 3 miles wide, and it is one of the busiest mixes of recreational, commercial and military traffic on the West Coast. The Port of San Diego and San Diego Harbor Police have jurisdiction over the water, and U.S. Coast Guard Inland Rules apply. The bay is also home to major U.S. Navy facilities, with several aircraft carriers homeported here, so most recreational boating happens alongside warships, cruise ships and cargo vessels.

The entrance past Point Loma

Boats enter around Point Loma, a ridge about 400 feet high. Kelp beds extend more than 1.5 miles south of the point, and Point Loma Light marks the entrance. The dredged entrance channel is 55 feet deep in the approach and 47 feet in the entrance, and it carries 37 to 47 feet through North Bay. Ballast Point, about 1.3 miles north of Point Loma Light, is a narrow choke point where crosscurrents can make vessels sheer suddenly. Zuniga Jetty is submerged and dangerous, and it is marked by orange-and-white signs with flashing lights. The Naval Submarine Base sits just north of Ballast Point.

Where recreational boats go

Shelter Island Yacht Basin and America's Cup Harbor, just inside the entrance, are the most important small-boat areas on the bay, with marinas, yacht clubs, a public launch ramp, fuel docks and the Port's guest docks. Harbor Island, Glorietta Bay in Coronado and the Chula Vista and National City waterfronts offer more marinas and ramps. The Coronado Bridge has 195 feet of clearance in the main channel, and South Bay, south of the Loews resort and Sweetwater Channel, has a posted 5 mph limit and numerous wrecks, shoals and sunken obstructions.

Navy traffic and security zones

Stay at least 100 yards from U.S. Navy vessels and slow to minimum speed within 500 yards. Security zones at Naval Base San Diego, Naval Base Point Loma and Naval Air Station North Island are off limits without permission, and floating barriers mark some of them. A restricted area south of Ballast Point allows temporary mooring of up to 24 hours but not permanent anchoring. Vessels under 66 feet and sailing vessels must not impede large commercial or naval ships in the channel.

Anchoring and guest docks

Anchoring is limited to the Port's designated anchorages, which require a free permit, and a holding tank is mandatory. The Port also rents 26 guest slips at Shelter Island for up to 15 days in a 40-day period.