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Inlet

Government Cut: Miami Harbor's entrance from the sea

The dredged entry to the Port of Miami between two unmarked jetties. A federal project carries 52 feet from the sea buoy to inside the cut, and Coast Pilot 4 records that the Biscayne Bay Pilots find cross-channel current variations here particularly difficult to negotiate.

Last checked 22 Oct 2026NOAA Coast Pilot 4, ch. 10 (2026) · NOAA CO-OPS station 8723178 Miami Beach, Government Cut – tidal datums · NOAA CO-OPS current station MIH0901 Miami Harbor Entrance · NWS Melbourne – Gulf Stream wave nomogram
Mean tide range · Miami Beach, Government Cut (NOAA 8723178)
2.32 ft
Federal project · sea buoy to inside Government Cut
52 ft
Current between the jetties
about 2 to 4 kn
Gulf Stream from Miami
5 miles

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

Coast Pilot 4 puts Miami 5 miles from the Gulf Stream. NWS Melbourne publishes a nomogram of significant wave heights over the Gulf Stream by wind speed and direction, for an 18-hour wind duration, and 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

  • What it is Coast Pilot 4: "Two unmarked jetties protect the harbor entrance, known as Government Cut, which was dredged to form a deepwater entry to the port."
  • Channel "A federal project provides for a 52-foot channel from the sea buoy to inside Government Cut, then 50 feet to the Fisher Island Turning Basin and to the end of container berth in Fishermans Channel." The channels and turning basins are maintained at or near project depths.
  • Edges of the channel Coast Pilot 4 advises that "abrupt shoaling may be encountered along the northerly and southerly edges of the dredged channel", and refers to NOAA electronic navigational charts and USACE surveys for minimum depths.
  • Current "Strong tidal currents run in the entrance between the jetties; the current velocity being about 2 to 4 knots." A northerly wind causes a considerable southerly set across the ends of the jetties, and Coast Pilot 4 advises favouring the southerly side of the entrance channel in southerly winds, when a pronounced northerly set may be experienced.
  • What the pilots report Coast Pilot 4: "The Biscayne Bay Pilots report variances between predicted and actual currents. Cross-channel current variations in Government Cut are particularly difficult to negotiate." It advises caution entering from the sea on the flood with northeasterly winds, when "a strong turning torque occurs when the bow is just inside the north jetty".
  • The approach Shoals extend about a mile offshore northward of the entrance; vessels approaching from the north are advised to keep at least 1.5 miles offshore until within 4 miles of the entrance. A precautionary area of one nautical mile radius surrounds the sea buoy, which carries a RACON.
  • Speed and demarcation All waters of the Port of Miami fall within a Regulated Navigation Area imposing a speed restriction on vessels less than 50 metres in length. The COLREGS lines established for Miami are described in 33 CFR 80.730.

Questions sailors ask

How deep is Government Cut?

A federal project provides for a 52-foot channel from the sea buoy to inside Government Cut, then 50 feet to the Fisher Island Turning Basin. That is a project depth — what the channel was dredged for. Coast Pilot 4 adds that the channels and turning basins are maintained at or near project depths, warns that abrupt shoaling may be encountered along the northerly and southerly edges of the dredged channel, and refers to NOAA electronic navigational charts and USACE surveys for minimum depths.

How strong is the current in Government Cut?

Coast Pilot 4 gives a velocity of about 2 to 4 knots between the jetties. A northerly wind causes a considerable southerly set across the ends of the jetties; in southerly winds it advises keeping to the southerly side of the entrance channel, where a pronounced northerly set may be experienced.

What do the Biscayne Bay Pilots report about Government Cut?

That predicted and actual currents differ, and that cross-channel current variations in Government Cut are particularly difficult to negotiate. Coast Pilot 4 advises caution entering from the sea on the flood with northeasterly winds, when a strong turning torque occurs as the bow comes just inside the north jetty.

Is there a speed limit in Government Cut?

All waters of the Port of Miami fall within a Regulated Navigation Area that imposes a speed restriction on vessels less than 50 metres in length. The COLREGS lines established for Miami are described in 33 CFR 80.730.

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.