For boaters enjoying a day on the water between Jupiter and Stuart, a number of options are available—whether it’s along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), in the Gulf Stream waters offshore, or somewhere in between. But the perils boaters often endure passing through ocean inlets to reach the space between the calmer ICW and the safety of deeper waters can place a crew in some dicey predicaments. Two of the biggest threats we face along the way are shallow water grounding and the dangerous breaking waves that go hand in hand with the power of ocean swells meeting suddenly shoaling water. This occurrence is quite common in Jupiter Inlet and, to a smaller extent, St. Lucie Inlet.
Jupiter Inlet has always been considered a “non-navigable” inlet—a term indicating a lack of maintenance to control its depth. The constantly changing nature of its topography requires timely local knowledge of shifting sands. Boaters who use the inlet regularly pay close attention to shifting sands to monitor daily changes to depths. The movement of the outer bar changes gradually enough that unless we have a significant weather event, it’s easy to track from day to day.
The shallows formed by relentless dredging projects along the coast are increasingly prevalent since they are importing sand from offshore and introducing new material to the beach. This new sand gets washed along with the tide and settles near the inlet mouth. These sand bars form the wall necessary to provide the swells a place to break. In Jupiter, the bar has become so extensive that a flat to the south is shallow enough to stand shin deep on. Boats going aground on this bar is a regular occurrence.
Breaking waves across the outside sandbar create the greatest hazard to boaters. Large swells coming from deeper water which are met by a wall of shallower depths suddenly gain height and roll over on the outer bar, generating a situation that will capsize a boat. This is especially true when a boater attempts to turn around suddenly to avoid the wave. Still, with a little knowledge and planning, you can learn to successfully and safely navigate through the inlet.
Inlet Safety Tips
To avoid placing yourself and your passengers in a dangerous situation, consider these key practices:
- Take the time to become familiar with potential trouble spots before attempting passage through any inlet. Spend time at the Jupiter inlet parking lot (on dry land) observing which routes the local charter boats and drift boats use.
- Watch the inlet camera and study the locations of the sandbars, while looking for the deeper holes that will allow safer passage.
- Choose a glassy, calm day at high tide while the water is clear, and carefully idle around in front of the inlet studying the bottom. Note the depths both visually and with your bottom sounder while marking a track line to follow on your chart plotter.
- Add a waypoint trail leading you over the deepest route to follow a safe course on days with limited visibility.
 of our local Atlantic Ocean inlets.){kind=link}
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