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Big Pass Information as of December 30, 2009. Two marks are off station so it is important to follow the listed course. BP 5 is west of its proper location and BP6 has drifted south and is now on the southeast side of BP4. The remaining marks are on station. Controlling depth along this course appears to be about 4.9'. However there are spots just off this course showing as low as 3.5' at MLLW. Traverse this route slowly on a rising tide, mid-tide or above depending on your draft. The Flat Earth Society Course starts near BP2 and heads towards the SYC sign. Entrance from Big Pass is possible with local knowledge as Sarasota County has placed markers in Big Pass. However these markers may be off station or missing due to the heavy wave action. The listed course as of December 30, 2009 remains unchanged from April 11, 2009. It appears to give 4.9' and attempts to thread the needle between shallow spots. The coordinates were taken with GPS/WAAS, but your readings could be different. Please note that the actual MLLW may be less than the predicted MLLW on any given day. To see how the tide is running you can check St. Petersburg or Port Manatee for an approximation. There is also a "Straight Out" course. It appears to provide a controlling depth of about 5'. It starts at Can BP 7 27°16.670'N 082°34.336'W and runs in a straight line on a course of 228 M .468 nm to an unmarked point in deeper water at 27°16.332'N 082°34.701'W. A picture of the spaghetti For the latest weather conditions you can check http://www.srh.noaa.gov/tbw/html/tbw/ and click on the area of the map in which you are interested.In addition, be aware that when the wind has been blowing strongly with any northern or eastern component within the past day or two, that the water tends to get blown out of the pass thereby lowering the water level. Finally, if there is a swell running remember that the trough will be that much lower. Changes, including shoaling, can and will occur. The following LAT/LON list has been provided by Sarasota County on 6/11/09 indicating the location of the Big Pass navigational aids.
Flat Earth Society Big Pass Course as of November 16, 2009 from the Gulf of Mexico to near SYC sign :
  Source: Sarasota County  Mike Solum & County Coastal Resources staff repositioning marks in Big Pass
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