USCG to remove navigational markers in Carolina Beach Inlet due to safety concerns

CAROLINA BEACH, NC (WWAY) — The US Coast Guard plans to remove navigational markers from the Carolina Beach Inlet due unsafe conditions for boaters.

According to a news release, channel surveys this year show water depths in the inlet channel are less than four feet in some areas. That has prompted the USCG to remove aids to navigation that may “mislead mariners.”

On Monday, April 1, the Coast Guard will begin to temporarily remove 10 navigational aids in the inlet.

The Army Corps of Engineers provided recent surveys, which expose significant shoaling between Buoy 1 (LLNR 30265) and Buoy 9 (LLNR 30305).

Animation of 2019 Army Corps of Engineers’ surveys of Carolina Beach Inlet. (Photo: USCG)

The buoys are intended to mark safe areas for boaters with known depths.

“Leaving the buoys in place may lead mariners through an unsafe route,” USCG wrote in the release.

Boaters who choose to use the inlet without buoys, do so at their own risk.

“The safety of mariners is our first priority,” said Cmdr. Heather Stratton, chief of prevention for Sector North Carolina. “Right now, the waterway is unsafe to navigate due to extreme shoaling and currents. Once it is safe to navigate the channel, we will reestablish the aids to navigation.”

See the Army Corps of Engineers survey here.

Read details in the Coast Guard Marine Safety Information Bulletin here.