Blind Pass Inlet

About

Introduction:

While southern St. Pete Beach’s water landscape is dominated by the Pass-a-Grille Inlet, northern St. Pete Beach has its own watery break to and from the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway - Blind Pass. The image above is a view from the west looking east over Blind Pass, Paradise Island and the Causeway Isles. The Corey Causeway and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway route can be seen in the central portion of the image near and around the clustering of large white condominium buildings.

There are several marina locations in North St. Pete Beach, most of them centered around Paradise Island, The Treasure Island Causeway, and the northern terminus of Blund Pass past the fixed 11-foot vertical clearance bridge. If you need a larger variety of places to tie up, Johns Pass is close by to the north and has five or more marinas scattered around the inlet itself.

Navigating the Water:

Blind Pass can only be transited by shoal-draft boats with low overhead clearances. The channel through Blind Pass has reported minimum depths of four feet, and while there are five- and eight-foot deep spots, the lower range is more the norm. Additionally, there is a low fixed bridge (visible to the left in the image above) with a vertical clearance of 11 feet. Johns Pass is located to the north with deeper depths and Pass-a-Grille Channel is located in South St. Pete Beach, also with good depths.

There are several bridges (fixed and opening) that crisscross the Gulf Intracoastal waterway hereabouts, and you will want to arm yourself with a good chart that lists the closed vertical clearances, and check our bridge listings for opening schedules, where available.

Local Notices to Mariners:

Local Notices to Mariners are available online from the U.S. Coast Guard.