What should I watch out for at Tacoma Narrows?

At the north end, the current sets north along the east shore and south along the west shore for most of the cycle. The two sides can be running opposite directions at the same time.

What does Class 4 mean?

Class 4 is BoatRoutes' own 1-to-5 rating of how costly a timing or judgment mistake is here — it is not a NOAA scale. Class 4 means strong current, rips, or heavy traffic — a mistimed run puts small boats in real difficulty.

Tacoma Narrows — Currents, Slack & Local Knowledge

Tacoma Narrows 4

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The Narrows is the channel between Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula, spanned by the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Current can top 5 knots, among the strongest stretches in Puget Sound.

Timing

NOAA publishes daily current predictions for a midstream spot near the north end of The Narrows. Check them before a transit — the currents get more complicated further south into the sound.

Tacoma NarrowsPhoto: Chris connelly / Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-2.0)

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Coast Pilot, In Plain Words

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

Read the official text

Currents

In The Narrows current velocities exceed 5 knots at times. At the north end of The Narrows the current sets north most of the time on the east side of the passage and south most of the time on the west side. See Tidal Current prediction service at tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov for daily current predictions for a midstream position near the north end of The Narrows. Details of the current movement at other locations including the Southern Part of Puget Sound should be consulted for details of the complicated currents of this area. Links to a user guide for this service can be found in chapter 1 of this book.

Point Evans, 2 miles south of Point Defiance on the west side of The Narrows, is marked by a light. Power cables with a clearance of 200 feet cross 200 yards south of the point. Tacoma Narrows Bridge, a dual-span highway suspension bridge, crosses The Narrows a mile south of Point Evans. The bridge has a clearance 160 feet at the piers and 180 feet at the center; private sound signals are located on each pier.

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

Local Knowledge

Watch out
At the north end, the current sets north along the east shore and south along the west shore for most of the cycle. The two sides can be running opposite directions at the same time.
Tip
Power cables cross 200 yards south of Point Evans with 200 feet of clearance. The bridge itself, about a mile further south, clears 160 feet at the piers and 180 feet at the center.
Timing
NOAA publishes daily current predictions for a midstream spot near the north end of The Narrows. Check them before a transit — the currents get more complicated further south into the sound.

Plan a Trip Through Tacoma Narrows

1. Start from

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

2. Cross to the other side of Tacoma Narrows

Point Defiance Boathouse → Tacoma Narrows · 3.0 nm · ~0h 23m at · from the northeast

Full departure plan →

Questions

What is Tacoma Narrows?: The Narrows is the channel between Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula, spanned by the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Current can top 5 knots, among the strongest stretches in Puget Sound.
When is the best time to go through Tacoma Narrows?: NOAA publishes daily current predictions for a midstream spot near the north end of The Narrows. Check them before a transit — the currents get more complicated further south into the sound.
What should I watch out for at Tacoma Narrows?: At the north end, the current sets north along the east shore and south along the west shore for most of the cycle. The two sides can be running opposite directions at the same time.
What does Class 4 mean?: Class 4 is BoatRoutes' own 1-to-5 rating of how costly a timing or judgment mistake is here — it is not a NOAA scale. Class 4 means strong current, rips, or heavy traffic — a mistimed run puts small boats in real difficulty.

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.