Welcome to Mobile State Docks, AL

Boating in Mobile State Docks, AL Map View

Berths and other facilities for small craft are limited at Mobile due to heavy commercial traffic. Facilities for small craft at Fort Morgan, East Fowl River, Fairhope, Fly Creek, and Dog River.
Navigation:
Click the “Map View” button above to see a chart of this harbor.
Mobile Bay, 40 miles W of Pensacola and 90 miles NE of South Pass, Mississippi River, is the approach to the city of Mobile and to the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers. The bay has depths of 7 to 12 feet outside the dredged channels. The entrance is 3 miles wide between Mobile Point on the E and Pelican Point on the W, but most vessels will prefer to follow the dredged channel rather than chance passage between the breakers and shoals that extend 4 miles S on both sides.
Mobile, 28 miles N of the bay entrance, is one of the largest and most important seaports on the Gulf of Mexico. A fully equipped ocean terminal, excellent transportation facilities, large shipyards, and all kinds of marine supplies are available at Mobile.
From about the center of the bay, the industrial complex on Hollingers Island and the battleship ALABAMA moored at the entrance to Tensaw River are conspicuous. On nearing the city, the 37-story RSA Tower and other tall buildings near the waterfront are first seen. Next seen are the water tanks NW of Garrows Bend. At night, the fixed red lights on the water tank at Great Point Clear are visible from Mobile Bay Channel. An aviation light at Brookley Field, S of Mobile, and the occulting red lights on the radio towers at the mouth of Tensaw River are prominent.
There are no bridges over the main channel from the Gulf to the State docks. Above the docks, at St. Louis Point, Mobile River is crossed by Cochrane (U.S. Route 90) fixed highway bridge; the vertical clearance is 140 feet. Just above the Cochrane bridge, at the mouth of Chickasaw Creek, is the CSX railroad bridge with a swing span with a clearance of 6 feet; the channel is through the S draw.
Twin highway tunnels cross under Mobile River between Mobile and Blakeley Island about 1.5 miles above McDuffie Island.

Coastal Stories See All

Is Offshore Construction Noise Stressing New England's Lobsters? WHOI Scientists Want to Know

9/8/2026

By Kiran Johnson, whoi.edu. As offshore wind farms multiply along the New England coast, a question with real consequences for one of the region’s most valuable fisheries is getting its first rigorous scientific investigation: does the noise from wind farm construction affect the American lobster? WHOI scientists are working alongside… SEE MORE

The future of fisheries-independent surveys will include traditional capture-based surveys as well as advanced technology such as acoustic, optical, and molecular tools deployed from survey vessels, uncrewed vehicles, and moored to the seafloor. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Su Kim

Charting the Future of Fisheries-Independent Surveys

9/7/2026

Ocean Science

By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. Fisheries-independent surveys operate on dedicated survey vessels and are the foundation of sustainable fisheries management. They provide the consistent data on marine resources we need to inform stock assessments. These data are collected using a scientifically rigorous sampling framework and are used to set catch limits. As… SEE MORE

Coastally-trapped Kelvin waves, a signature of El Niño, traveled north along the West Coast during the 1997/1998 El Niño, as shown in a map of sea surface height anomalies. Darker reds show sea levels higher than normal, while darker blues show heights below normal. Scientists are now watching for similar waves to move up the West Coast this fall. Credit: Dillon Amaya/North Carolina State University

Ocean Indicators We’re Tracking for El Niño’s Arrival on the West Coast

9/5/2026

By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. Has El Niño reached the West Coast? You might think it has. After all, the ocean off Southern and Central California is unusually warm. But that is from a recent marine heatwave predates the current El Niño. Much of the Pacific Coast is experiencing relatively normal conditions while still… SEE MORE

Mobile State Docks, AL

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Boating in Mobile State Docks, AL Map View

In The Zone: The Sabre 51 Salon Express

Coastal Stories See All

Is Offshore Construction Noise Stressing New England's Lobsters? WHOI Scientists Want to Know

Charting the Future of Fisheries-Independent Surveys

Ocean Indicators We’re Tracking for El Niño’s Arrival on the West Coast

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