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Planned. The port authority describes a deepening (PENIP) that would take the Outer Entrance Channel from 45 to 55 feet and the Inner Entrance Channel and Main Turning Basin from 42 to 48 feet. It was authorized for construction through WRDA 2016 with an increased funding authorization in 2022; the page gives no completion date and puts the cost at $1.35 billion as of September 2023.Port Everglades (Broward County) – harbor improvements

Inlet

Port Everglades: the deepwater entrance to Fort Lauderdale

Two unmarked jetties protect an entrance Coast Pilot 4 calls virtually landlocked, 301 miles south of Jacksonville and 20 miles north of the Miami Harbor entrance. The port authority gives the outer entrance channel an existing depth of 45 feet.

Last checked 22 Oct 2026NOAA Coast Pilot 4, ch. 10 (2026) · Port Everglades (Broward County) – harbor improvements · NOAA CO-OPS station 8722956 South Port Everglades – tidal datums · NOAA CO-OPS current station PEV0901 Port Everglades Entrance · NWS Melbourne – Gulf Stream wave nomogram
Mean tide range · South Port Everglades (NOAA 8722956)
2.5 ft
Outer Entrance Channel, existing
45 ft deep · 500 ft wide
Inner Entrance Channel and Main Turning Basin, existing
42 ft
Harbormaster
VHF-FM 14

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

  • The entrance Coast Pilot 4 describes Port Everglades as a deepwater port "301 miles south of Jacksonville and 948 miles from New York", where "two unmarked jetties protect the harbor entrance, which is virtually landlocked".
  • Where the depths come from Coast Pilot 4 gives no project depth for the entrance channel. It says: "For detailed channel information and minimum depths as reported by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), use NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts." The figures on this page come from the port authority instead.
  • Submerged breakwaters Coast Pilot 4 reports: "Two submerged breakwaters, extending almost 0.7 mile offshore on either side of the entrance, are unmarked." The ruins of a former jetty, covered 3 feet, extend south from the inner end of the north jetty.
  • Markers A lighted buoy marks the entrance, and channel markers include lighted buoys, lights and a 269°30' lighted entrance range. Coast Pilot 4 adds that good radar targets are limited in the approach because of the low shoreline, though the jetties present good targets.
  • Anchoring Coast Pilot 4 advises small craft "never to anchor within 0.8 mile of Lighted Buoy PE or anywhere in the entrance channel itself". The commercial anchorage north-northeast of Lighted Buoy 2 is governed by 33 CFR 110.186, and vessels using it report to the harbormaster on VHF-FM channel 14.
  • Restricted area A Naval restricted area extends about 2.5 miles offshore and about 4 miles southward of the south edge of the entrance channel (33 CFR 334.580).
  • Traffic Large commercial vessels approach, enter and depart within both quadrants east of Lighted Buoys 2 and 3; Coast Pilot 4 advises small craft in the approach areas to be underway and prepared to get out of the way at all times.
  • COLREGS demarcation The lines established for Port Everglades are described in 33 CFR 80.727.

Questions sailors ask

How deep is the Port Everglades entrance channel?

The port authority gives the Outer Entrance Channel an existing depth of 45 feet over a 500-foot width, and 42 feet for the Inner Entrance Channel and Main Turning Basin. Coast Pilot 4 gives no project depth for the entrance at all and refers to NOAA electronic navigational charts and USACE surveys for minimum depths. Depths change; this page is not a chart.

Is Port Everglades being deepened?

The port authority describes a deepening that would take the Outer Entrance Channel from 45 to 55 feet and the Inner Entrance Channel and Main Turning Basin from 42 to 48 feet. It was authorized for construction through WRDA 2016 with an increased funding authorization in 2022; the page gives no completion date and puts the cost at $1.35 billion as of September 2023.

Can I anchor at Port Everglades?

Coast Pilot 4 advises small craft never to anchor within 0.8 mile of Lighted Buoy PE or anywhere in the entrance channel itself. The commercial anchorage north-northeast of Lighted Buoy 2 is governed by 33 CFR 110.186, and vessels using it report their position and time of anchoring to the harbormaster on VHF-FM channel 14.

What should small craft watch for entering Port Everglades?

Two submerged breakwaters extend almost 0.7 mile offshore on either side of the entrance and are unmarked, and the ruins of a former jetty, covered 3 feet, extend south from the inner end of the north jetty. Large commercial vessels approach, enter and depart within both quadrants east of Lighted Buoys 2 and 3; Coast Pilot 4 advises small craft in the approach areas to be underway and prepared to get out of the way at all times.

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.