Boating, Fishing, and Travel Information for Jones Inlet, NY

Navigation:

Jones Inlet, about 12 miles westward along the south coast of Long Island from Fire Island Inlet, is the principal entrance from the Atlantic to the inside passages and towns in Hempstead Bay. The inlet, which is used mostly by pleasure craft and fishermen, should not be attempted without local knowledge because the channel and depths are constantly changing.

The approach to Jones Inlet is marked by a lighted whistle buoy, and a light is at the outer end of the jetty on the east side of the entrance. A small-craft basin is inside the inlet on the north side of Jones Beach; berths, electricity, water and a pump-out station are available. Jones Beach Coast Guard Station is in the small-craft basin.

The area between Fire Island Inlet and Jones Inlet is characterized by low, sandy beaches and numerous islands fringed by vast stretches of marshy ground. Many shallow areas, irregular in outline, are a serious menace to the navigation of light-draft vessels. An extensive network of bays, creeks, coves, channels and inlets covers the entire area.

The channel connecting Great South Bay with Jones Inlet, East Bay, and South Oyster Bay is narrow and treacherous and has numerous short bends. Caution should be exercised when navigating in these areas in small boats.

Sloop Channel, the main channel leading east from Jones Inlet, extends along the north side of Short Beach and Jones Beach State Park. The channel is marked by buoys and daybeacons; shoaling has been reported in several areas.

Currents:

Reynolds Channel extends westward from Jones Inlet to East Rockaway Inlet and is the main thorofare of the route between the inlets. The channel is crossed by several bridges. Strong currents exist in the western portion of Reynolds Channel, and caution must be exercised when approaching the drawbridges, particularly with a fair current; the signal to open the bridge should be given sufficiently in advance so the bridge can be cleared of traffic and the draw opened before the vessel arrives there. The currents of the two inlets meet at the entrance of the channel leading west from Cinder Creek.

Speed Limits:

A 5 mph speed limit is enforced in the channel between Middle Island and Point Lookout.

Clearances:

The Loop Parkway Bridge has the following clearances: 20 feet for the fixed span over Swift Creek between West Crow Island and Meadow Island, 21 feet for the bascule span between Meadow Island and Alder Island, and 20 feet for the 29-foot fixed span over Reynolds Channel between Alder Island and Point Lookout.

The Meadowbrook State Parkway Bridge has the following clearances: 21 feet for the bascule span across Sloop Channel between Jones Beach State Park and Jones Island, 14 feet for the 29-foot fixed span between West Crow Island and Pettit Marsh, and 12 feet for the 29-foot fixed span between Pettit Marsh and Fighting Island.