Squaxin Passage 2
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Squaxin Passage runs south of Squaxin Island and Hope Island, leading north to Totten and Hammersley Inlets. A light on Hunter Point marks the southwest entrance.

Depth

Controlling depth about 9 ft below low water. Check the tide height and add it to the charted depth before you go through.

Coast Pilot, In Plain Words

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

Read the official text

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.

The passage is narrow, and strangers should proceed with caution. The south shore should be favored, and, at the west end, the north point of Steamboat Island should be favored. The principal danger in the passage is a reef that bares at extreme low water, southeast of Hope Island; a buoy is near its south end. This reef is easily avoided by keeping the north point of Steamboat Island well open of the south point of Hope Island. Tide rips are said to occur in Squaxin Passage. The usual velocity of the current is about 1.5 knots.

The passage between Hope and Squaxin Islands has a least depth of 9 feet in the middle; greater depths can be carried in the passage with local knowledge. However, bars migrate and the western passage around Hope Island should be taken by those unfamiliar with the region.

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

Local Knowledge

  • Watch out

    The north shore is foul, with a shoal covered by 19 feet off the west side of Hope Island. A reef that bares at extreme low water sits southeast of Hope Island, marked by a buoy near its south end.

  • Timing

    Favor the south shore, then the north point of Steamboat Island at the west end. Tide rips are reported here, though the current usually runs a modest 1.5 knots.

  • Tip

    The channel between Hope and Squaxin Islands carries only about 9 feet in the middle. Boats unfamiliar with the area should take the wider western route around Hope Island instead.

Plan a Trip Through Squaxin Passage

1. Start from

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

2. Cross to the other side of Squaxin Passage

Jarrell Cove State Park → Squaxin Passage · 4.0 nm · ~0h 30m at · from the north

Full departure plan →

Stations & Data

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

Questions

What is Squaxin Passage?
Squaxin Passage runs south of Squaxin Island and Hope Island, leading north to Totten and Hammersley Inlets. A light on Hunter Point marks the southwest entrance.
When is the best time to go through Squaxin Passage?
Favor the south shore, then the north point of Steamboat Island at the west end. Tide rips are reported here, though the current usually runs a modest 1.5 knots.
How deep is Squaxin Passage?
The controlling depth is about 9 feet below low water. Check the tide height and add it to the charted depth before you go through.
What should I watch out for at Squaxin Passage?
The north shore is foul, with a shoal covered by 19 feet off the west side of Hope Island. A reef that bares at extreme low water sits southeast of Hope Island, marked by a buoy near its south end.
What does Class 2 mean?
Class 2 is BoatRoutes' own 1-to-5 rating of how costly a timing or judgment mistake is here — it is not a NOAA scale. Class 2 means one thing to plan around (depth, a schedule, or mild current); getting it wrong costs time, not safety.

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.