BackInlets & channels

How old is the chart?

Nine ocean inlets across 106 miles, worst first — by how long since anyone official measured them. Plus which have a gauge actually measuring, and every buoy moved in the last twelve months.

How much water is there?The depth the Corps actually measured in each reach, with the survey age on every figure Which way is the water running?An inlet is a sea-state problem, not a depth problem — wind against an ebb is what stands the water up

Not for navigation

A planning aid, not a chart. Nothing here is a depth — it is how old the official information is. Seven of these nine inlets are unstructured sand inlets that move between surveys, so a channel surveyed months ago may no longer exist. Navigate from a current chart, the Local Notice to Mariners, a working sounder and local knowledge.

Longest survey gap

1509d

Since USACE last measured one of these channels

Inlets with a gauge

3 of 9

3 NOAA stations report real water level here. The other 42 predict it.

Markers moved

Aid corrections in this corridor in 12 months, 70 of them relocations

No federal survey

Inlets USACE does not survey at all — local knowledge only

Mason Inlet

Unjettied sand inlet·ICW mile 280

Not published

—

no federal survey

USACE publishes no survey area over this inlet. There is no federal channel here — nothing official has ever been measured to be out of date.

Water level

Live gauge4.89 ft MLLW · 10 min ago

Observed water level 1.7 nm away at Wrightsville Beach (8658163).

Markers · last 12 months

Frequently re-marked6 changes · 4 moved

Latest: Wrightsville Channel Daybeacon 25 — relocated 7 months ago. 4 aids moved on one notice, 17 Mar 2026.

Local knowledge

North end of Wrightsville, and it migrates. Locals run small boats through on a good tide but it is not a dependable inlet and it is not marked like Masonboro. Shell Island shoals build on the south side.

MigratingShallowLocal knowledge

Rich Inlet

Unjettied sand inlet·ICW mile 276

Not published

—

no federal survey

USACE publishes no survey area over this inlet. There is no federal channel here — nothing official has ever been measured to be out of date.

Water level

Gauge far off

No gauge at this inlet. The nearest working one is 5.4 nm away at Wrightsville Beach — that is the state of the tide in the region, not the water on this bar.

Markers · last 12 months

Occasionally re-marked1 change · 1 moved

Latest: New River - Cape Fear River Daybeacon 105 — relocated 10 months ago.

Local knowledge

Unmarked and shifting between Figure Eight and Lea-Hutaff. Beautiful, undeveloped, and genuinely not worth attempting without current local knowledge and a rising tide under you.

UnmarkedShiftingRemote

Masonboro Inlet

Twin jetties·ICW mile 283

Over a year

1509

days since USACE survey

Coastal Inlets - Section 4 Tanget 3 Masonboro Inlet Crossing North Widner

Surveyed 29 Aug 2022 · 12 on file

No survey in over a year. USACE has not measured this channel in this dredging cycle.

Water level

Live gauge4.89 ft MLLW · 10 min ago

Observed water level 2.5 nm away at Wrightsville Beach (8658163).

Markers · last 12 months

Frequently re-marked6 changes · 5 moved

Latest: Masonboro Inlet Lighted Buoy A — characteristic changed 31 days ago. 2 aids moved on one notice, 18 Aug 2026.

Local knowledge

Jettied on both sides and one of the more reliable inlets on this stretch, but an outgoing tide against an east wind stands the seas straight up between the rocks. Wait it out.

InletTide-sensitive

Cape Fear River Entrance

Dredged ship channel

Stale

283

days since USACE survey

Wilmington Harbor - Baldhead Shoal - Reach 1

Surveyed 6 Jan 2026 · 77 on file

Between 6 months and a year old. Treat the charted channel as historical.

Water level

Gauge far off

No gauge at this inlet. The nearest working one is 21.5 nm away at Wilmington — that is the state of the tide in the region, not the water on this bar.

Markers · last 12 months

Occasionally re-marked3 changes · 3 moved

Latest: Cape Fear River Entrance Channel Lighted Buoy 12 — relocated 3 months ago. 2 aids moved on one notice, 14 Jul 2026.

Carolina Beach Inlet

Unjettied sand inlet·ICW mile 293

Aging

days since USACE survey

Coastal Inlets - Carolina Beach Inlet Crossing Widner

Surveyed 11 Aug 2026 · 148 on file

Between 45 days and 6 months old. A sand inlet can move a long way in that time.

Water level

Gauge far off

No gauge at this inlet. The nearest working one is 9.8 nm away at Wrightsville Beach — that is the state of the tide in the region, not the water on this bar.

Markers · last 12 months

Constantly re-marked22 changes · 20 moved

Latest: New River - Cape Fear River Buoy 162 — relocated 59 days ago. 10 aids moved on one notice, 24 Mar 2026.

Local knowledge

Unjettied and it moves. The channel is not where the chart says it is — follow the current buoys, not your plotter, and get a fresh report before you run it.

Shifting channelLocal knowledge required

New Topsail Inlet

Unjettied sand inlet·ICW mile 270

Aging

days since USACE survey

Coastal Inlets - Topsail Banks Channel Connector

Surveyed 24 Aug 2026 · 27 on file

Between 45 days and 6 months old. A sand inlet can move a long way in that time.

Water level

Gauge far off

No gauge at this inlet. The nearest working one is 9.9 nm away at Wrightsville Beach — that is the state of the tide in the region, not the water on this bar.

Markers · last 12 months

Frequently re-marked8 changes · 5 moved

Latest: Banks Channel Lighted Buoy 7 — relocated 3 months ago. 3 aids moved on one notice, 28 Jul 2026.

Bogue Inlet

Unjettied sand inlet·ICW mile 229

Aging

days since USACE survey

Coastal Inlets - Bogue Inlet Crossing Widner

Surveyed 31 Aug 2026 · 85 on file

Between 45 days and 6 months old. A sand inlet can move a long way in that time.

Water level

Gauge far off

No gauge at this inlet. The nearest working one is 21.9 nm away at Beaufort, Duke Marine Lab — that is the state of the tide in the region, not the water on this bar. A station called "Bogue Inlet" sits 0.3 nm away and shows on a plotter, but it is subordinate prediction only — nothing there is measuring the water.

Markers · last 12 months

Frequently re-marked13 changes · 13 moved

Latest: Bogue Inlet Buoy 17 — relocated 3 months ago. 7 aids moved on one notice, 19 May 2026.

Local knowledge

Runnable but it moves every season. The bar builds on the west side. Local boats run it daily — just don't be the guy who follows a two-year-old chart out there.

ShiftingLocal knowledge

New River Inlet

Unjettied sand inlet·ICW mile 245

Fresh

days since USACE survey

Coastal Inlets - New River Inlet

Surveyed 29 Sep 2026 · 109 on file

Surveyed inside the last 45 days — USACE is actively working this channel.

Water level

Prediction only

No observed water level within 25 nm. Everything here is prediction only. A station called "New River Inlet" sits 0.2 nm away and shows on a plotter, but it is subordinate prediction only — nothing there is measuring the water.

Markers · last 12 months

Frequently re-marked8 changes · 8 moved

Latest: New River Inlet Buoy 4 — relocated 6 months ago. 5 aids moved on one notice, 28 Apr 2026.

Local knowledge

Shifts constantly and the ICW crossing at the inlet is one of the shallowest spots on this whole stretch. Run it near high water and get a current depth report first.

ShoalingHigh water only

Beaufort Inlet

Dredged ship channel·ICW mile 203

Fresh

days since USACE survey

Morehead City Harbor - Range A

Surveyed 30 Sep 2026 · 20 on file

Surveyed inside the last 45 days — USACE is actively working this channel.

Water level

Live gauge4.29 ft MLLW · 10 min ago

Observed water level 1.6 nm away at Beaufort, Duke Marine Lab (8656483). A station called "Beaufort Inlet Channel Range" sits 0.5 nm away and shows on a plotter, but it is subordinate prediction only — nothing there is measuring the water.

Markers · last 12 months

Occasionally re-marked5 changes · 1 moved

Latest: Beaufort Inlet Channel Lighted Buoy 13 — relocated 31 days ago. 4 aids moved on one notice, 25 Aug 2026.

Local knowledge

Deep, well-marked ship channel — the most dependable inlet on this whole coast because Morehead is a commercial port. Still stands up in a wind-against-tide, but you can trust the markers here.

Reliable inletDeepShip traffic