Date: August 8, 2017
Contact: B.G. Horvat, 252-728-2250, ext. 3014
HARKERS ISLAND, NC – Cape Lookout National Seashore advises mariners heading to South Core and the Eastern shores of Shackleford Banks, via Back Sound, that the US Coast Guard removed the navigational buoys in Barden Inlet.
Barden Inlet has accumulated sand from the movement of sea currents and the shifting sea floor within the channel over time, which has reached a shallow depth less than 6 feet. As a result, the Coast Guard, following their policy of providing navigational aid to areas greater than 6 feet, has closed the area as a marked route.
Despite the channel markers being removed, the inlet is still traversable to boaters. Much of the park’s daily operations use Barden Inlet and will continue to do so unless the channel becomes unsafe and impassable.
The National Park Service is working with federal, state, and county partners in finding a solution to improve this area for future marine navigation.
