Harbor Island Marinas

Harbor Island is a man-made peninsula on the north side of San Diego Bay, just off Harbor Drive and less than a mile from San Diego International Airport. Harbor Island Drive loops around it, and several marinas line the shore, which makes it one of the easiest places in the city to keep a boat close to downtown, Point Loma and the open ocean.

The marinas

The Port of San Diego lists four marinas on Harbor Island Drive proper: Harbor Island West Marina (2040 Harbor Island Dr.), Marina Cortez (1880), Safe Harbor Sunroad (955) and Sheraton Marina (1380). Safe Harbor Cabrillo Isle, at 1450 Harbor Island Dr., sits on the same loop. Harbor Island West is the largest, with 620 slips from 21 to 100 feet, a full-service fuel dock, a sail repair loft and a sailing academy. Safe Harbor Sunroad advertises wet slips from 20 to 110 feet and separate transient slips from 30 to 110 feet, with room for a 20-foot beam and a 14-foot draft.

Fuel and pump-outs

Harbor Island West Marina has the island's fuel dock and a free public pump-out station, which the Port lists as open 24 hours. The Port's listing gives fuel dock hours of 7 a.m. to 5 or 7 p.m. depending on the season, so call ahead on a late arrival.

Visiting boats

The marina websites do not publish a transient slip count, except for Sunroad's transient category, so call the marina office before you arrive. The Port's own guest docks are not on Harbor Island. They are across the water at the southwestern end of Shelter Island, with 26 slips for vessels up to 65 feet. Boaters who would rather anchor can ask about the Port's cruiser anchorage (A9) at the east tip of Harbor Island, which is limited to boats not registered in San Diego County and requires an in-person permit and a Harbor Police inspection.

What boating here is like

Harbor Island is on the route of the annual San Diego Bay Parade of Lights. All of San Diego Bay is a no-discharge zone, so holding tanks and pump-outs are part of everyday boating here.