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Inlet

Bakers Haulover Inlet: a 32-foot fixed bridge over the cut

A cut dredged through the barrier beach at the north end of Biscayne Bay, 11.6 miles south of Port Everglades, to circulate water in the bay. The A1A bridge over it is a fixed span with a published clearance of 32 feet.

Last checked 22 Oct 2026NOAA Coast Pilot 4, ch. 10 (2026) · NOAA CO-OPS station 8723080 Haulover Pier – tidal datums · NOAA CO-OPS current station ACT8141 Bakers Haulover Cut · NWS Melbourne – Gulf Stream wave nomogram
Mean tide range · Haulover Pier (NOAA 8723080)
2.48 ft
Controlling depth through the inlet, 2008–2009
11 ft
A1A bridge · fixed span
32 ft
Current recorded in the inlet
2.9 kn flood · 2.5 kn ebb

Channel depths come from dredged-area records and change between surveys. This is not a nautical chart – use official charts and the Local Notice to Mariners.

Wind against the Stream

A northeast wind against the Stream builds the seas

NWS Melbourne publishes a nomogram of significant wave heights over the Gulf Stream by wind speed and direction, for an 18-hour wind duration. The office notes that boaters sometimes find the Coastal Waters Forecast underestimates wave heights in north to northeast winds.

  • 15 kn NE≈ 9 ft
  • 20 kn NE≈ 12 ft

Seas in the Stream · NWS Melbourne – Gulf Stream wave nomogram

What the Coast Pilot says

  • Why the cut is there Coast Pilot 4: "Bakers Haulover Inlet has been dredged through the barrier beach at the north end of Biscayne Bay, 11.6 miles south of Port Everglades, to provide circulation of water in the bay."
  • Depths, and how old they are Coast Pilot 4 carries a survey from 2008–2009: "the controlling depth was 11 feet through the inlet to the highway bridge, thence 10 feet in the basin and 9 feet in the channels leading to the Intracoastal Waterway." No newer figure is given.
  • Overhead The Route A1A bridge over the inlet has a fixed span with a clearance of 32 feet, and an overhead power cable just east of the bridge has a clearance of 53 feet.
  • Current Coast Pilot 4: "Current velocities of about 2.9 knots on the flood and 2.5 knots on the ebb have been recorded in the inlet."
  • Inside the inlet The channel leads westward through the inlet, then northward to a boat basin on the east side, and connects with the Intracoastal Waterway north of the basin and through a cut opposite it. The Intracoastal Waterway is 0.4 mile inside the entrance.
  • Speed zone Coast Pilot 4 reports a slow-no wake speed zone in the Intracoastal Waterway where the channels converge in the vicinity of Bakers Haulover Inlet.
  • Offshore An unmarked fish haven lies about 5.5 miles northeast of the entrance channel and about 2.1 miles offshore.

Questions sailors ask

How high is the bridge at Bakers Haulover Inlet?

The Route A1A bridge over the inlet has a fixed span with a clearance of 32 feet, and an overhead power cable just east of the bridge has a clearance of 53 feet. Both are Coast Pilot 4 figures for the structures, not a reading of the water level on the day.

How deep is Bakers Haulover Inlet?

Coast Pilot 4 carries a survey from 2008–2009: the controlling depth was 11 feet through the inlet to the highway bridge, then 10 feet in the basin and 9 feet in the channels leading to the Intracoastal Waterway. No newer figure is given. Depths change; this page is not a chart.

How strong is the current at Bakers Haulover Inlet?

Coast Pilot 4: current velocities of about 2.9 knots on the flood and 2.5 knots on the ebb have been recorded in the inlet.

Why was Bakers Haulover Inlet dredged?

To move water. Coast Pilot 4 says the inlet has been dredged through the barrier beach at the north end of Biscayne Bay to provide circulation of water in the bay. The Intracoastal Waterway is 0.4 mile inside the entrance.

Sources & checks

Written by buoya editorial from the sources above. Every figure was checked against its source on 22 Oct 2026. Found something wrong? Report a correction.