Hammersley Inlet 3
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Hammersley Inlet runs about 6 miles from Squaxin Passage west to Oakland Bay and the town of Shelton. It's obstructed by shoals, especially at the mouth, and the marked channel carries a controlling depth of only about 8 feet.

Timing

Most boats enter on the flood, usually after half tide, and leave on the ebb before it reaches full strength. Getting the tide stage right matters as much as watching the current.

Coast Pilot, In Plain Words

Here is what the U.S. Coast Pilot says about Hammersley Inlet and the water around it. The official text is below.

Read the official text

Local magnetic disturbance

Pickering Passage indents the west shore of Case Inlet, about 2 miles north of Herron Island. The passage extends in a general southwest to southerly direction for 8 miles, connecting at its south end with Peale Passage and Totten Inlet. The shores are generally low and wooded, and the depths vary from 1½ to 15 fathoms. The passage contains numerous sites of aquaculture farming and shoaling extends east from the mouth of Hammersley Inlet. A midchannel course is considered safe. In Pickering Passage the flood current sets from Case Inlet toward Hammersley Inlet and the ebb in the opposite direction. Strong currents are present throughout the inlet, especially near the south end approaching Hammersley Inlet, where velocities can reach 5 knots at times. The settlements are served by highway. A fixed highway bridge with a clearance of 31 feet crosses the passage from Graham Point to Harstine Island, about 2.6 miles north of the entrance to Hammersley Inlet. Private moorings can be found throughout the region in nearshore areas.

Eld Inlet to Oyster Bay

Squaxin Passage is south of Squaxin Island and Hope Island. This passage leads north to Totten and Hammersley Inlets. A light on Hunter Point marks the southwest entrance point of the passage. The north shore is foul; a shoal covered 19 feet is 150 yards off the west shore of Hope Island abreast Steamboat Island.

Hammersley Inlet to Oakland Bay

Hammersley Inlet indents the west shore of the sound about 1 mile north of the west end of Squaxin Passage. It is about 6 miles long, expanding at its head into Oakland Bay, which is 3.5 miles long in a northeast direction. The inlet is obstructed by shoals, particularly at its mouth, where there is an extensive bar. The rocky shoals have been partly removed. The channel, marked by lights on Libby Point and Church Point has a controlling depth of about 8 feet to the town of Shelton on Oakland Bay. It is navigated only by small craft and by tugs with log rafts and railroad car floats; local knowledge is required. Tidal current velocities may reach 5 knots at times in the constricted parts of the inlet. See the Tidal Current prediction service at tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov for specific information about times, directions, and velocities of the current at numerous locations throughout the area. Links to a user guide for this service can be found in chapter 1 of this book. Vessels enter on the flood, usually after half tide, and leave on the ebb, usually before maximum strength. Hammersley Inlet is considered dangerous for strangers.

Vessels with sharp rise of bilge should avoid the inlet as there is danger of capsizing in the strong current in case of grounding.

Arcadia is a small settlement on the south point of the entrance of Hammersley Inlet. It has a public ramp for launching small pleasure craft.

Source: U.S. Coast Pilot 10, Chapter 8, 7 ed. (NOAA, Office of Coast Survey). Updated weekly. Official Coast Pilot ↗

Local Knowledge

  • Watch out

    Current can reach 5 knots in the tight parts of the inlet. A boat with a lot of deadrise risks capsizing if it grounds in that current — the Coast Pilot calls this inlet dangerous for strangers.

  • Timing

    Most boats enter on the flood, usually after half tide, and leave on the ebb before it reaches full strength. Getting the tide stage right matters as much as watching the current.

  • Tip

    The approach from Squaxin Passage is narrow. Favor the south shore, then hug the north point of Steamboat Island near the west end, to stay clear of a reef that bares off Hope Island.

Plan a Trip Through Hammersley Inlet

1. Start from

Nearest harbor on each side of the narrows. Pick a side to start there.

2. Cross to the other side of Hammersley Inlet

Hope Island Marine State Park → Hammersley Inlet · 4.5 nm · ~0h 34m at · from the east

Stations & Data

Times are NOAA predictions, not live readings. Open a station for its full tide and current charts.

Questions

What is Hammersley Inlet?
Hammersley Inlet runs about 6 miles from Squaxin Passage west to Oakland Bay and the town of Shelton. It's obstructed by shoals, especially at the mouth, and the marked channel carries a controlling depth of only about 8 feet.
When is the best time to go through Hammersley Inlet?
Most boats enter on the flood, usually after half tide, and leave on the ebb before it reaches full strength. Getting the tide stage right matters as much as watching the current.
What should I watch out for at Hammersley Inlet?
Current can reach 5 knots in the tight parts of the inlet. A boat with a lot of deadrise risks capsizing if it grounds in that current — the Coast Pilot calls this inlet dangerous for strangers.
What does Class 3 mean?
Class 3 is BoatRoutes' own 1-to-5 rating of how costly a timing or judgment mistake is here — it is not a NOAA scale. Class 3 means real current or confined water — cross near slack or a fair stage; a mistimed run demands attention.

Predictions, not observations · U.S. Coast Pilot 10 (7 ed.)

U.S. Coast Pilot text is a work of the U.S. Government and is in the public domain. Per 17 U.S.C. §403, no copyright is claimed in that text. BoatRoutes is not endorsed by NOAA.