LOXAHATCHEE
RIVER SAND BAR IN JUPITER, FLORIDA Aerial Pictures Of
Sandbar Area From The Old Dixie Highway Bridge
DANGEROUSLY SHALLOW WATER
From water
level, the Loxahatchee River appears deceptively wide and deep.
From a higher vantage point the shallow water dangers are
more easily seen, as they are in these pictures. Shallow water
can be found immediately to each side of the boat channel.
The problem of shallow water here is amplified for
recreational boaters. Most boaters want to be on the Loxahatchee
at low tide when the sand bar is exposed. This means that
they're operating boats at exactly the time when they are most
likely to run aground. The bottom here is mostly sandy,
however there are some large coral rocks in the area.
Remember that not all tides affect water depth the same
way. Sometimes there may only be two feet of
difference in depth
between low and high tide. Sometimes the depth difference in
this
area can be 3-4 feet! This means that one week the low tide
depth
in the channel could be four feet. The next week may bring an
unusually
low tide... and the channel depth may be only two feet in the
center!
Due to the shifting sands in this area, boaters sometimes
run
aground in channel at low tide.
WARNING: Information on this web site is NOT
navigational purposes. Always review a current nautical
chart before attempting to boat in this area. Boats with deep
drafts or
boats larger than 28 feet should NOT attempt to operate on the
Loxahatchee River.
Note:
This page contains several high resolution, large size
photographs. As such this these pictures may take extra
time to
download, especially with a dial-up internet connection.
This picture was taken just before low tide. You
can see the exposed Loxahatchee River sand bar (upper center of
photo). You can also see the still shallow water revealing shoaling
(center left side of photo.) The boats (right side of picture)
indicate
the location of the channel. Click
here to see this location on a nautical chart.
The boat channel is dredged every four to five years.
It's dredged to an average depth of 5.5 feet at low tide.
If it has been a few years since a dredging, the depth decreases
to 2-2.5 at low tide in channel!
Because this is a dredged channel, shallow water can be
found immediately to either side. Keep your boat in the
marked channel at all times. You will run aground as soon as you
drift out of channel.
The best way to determine your position is to look at
the red daymark in front of you. Then find the red day
mark behind you. Draw an imaginary line between to the
two markers. This indicates the boundary on one side of
the channel. Determine the other boundary by drawing an imaginary
line between the green daymarks. Keep your boat in the center
of the channel for greatest water depth. Click here
for more on using daymarks to determine channel location.
This picture taken from atop the
Old Dixie Highway Bridge. This is the closest major roadway to
the
sandbar. Here is where the Loxahatchee River meets the
Intercoastal
Waterway near the Jupiter Inlet.
The railroad bridge shown here is the Florida East Coast
Railway (FEC) Bridge over the Loxahatchee River in Jupiter.
The wooden
fenders seen under the bridge mark the boat channel.
This
bascule bridge is automated. It opens and closes without
an actual
person on duty. Long and sometimes slow moving freight trains use
this
bridge. As such, the bridge can close for long periods of time.
I've seen it close for one train, then remain closed for half
an
hour until a second train could pass.
The railroad bridge clearance is so low that only very small
boats can fit under when the bridge is down. It's a good idea
to
leave an extra 30 minutes when planning your sandbar departure
time.
You never know when the railroad bridge will close.
There was a train accident here in the 1930s. Click here to
read
more about the "Wreck Of Old 427" train accident on the Jupiter FEC
Railroad
Bridge.
This picture was taken just before low tide. It shows the
shallow water on the south side of the Loxahatchee River, just
west
of the Old Dixie Highway Bridge in Jupiter.
Look closely at the "beach" area in front of the white
house. That "beach" is only be seen at low tide. The area
can have
water depths fluctuate several feet between high tide and low tide.
You can see evidence of this tidal fluctuation from the large
amount
exposed shoreline at low tide.
This picture shows the north side of the Loxahatchee River,
looking to the west from the Old Dixie Highway Bridge.
Here you see the narrow boat channel as it runs between shoaling
to the south and shoaling/exposed sand to the north.
This area is a "fast speed zone." However, don't be too
eager to throttle up until you're sure about the channel's location.
If you can easily see the Loxahatchee Sandbar facing west
on the Old Dixie Highway, you can easily see the Jupiter Crossroads
and Intercoastal Waterway as you face east.
This picture is of the Jupiter Crossroads area, taken
from the Old Dixie Highway Bridge looking east.
Boaters wishing to go to the Loxahatchee River Sandbar will
first have to pass through this location. This is where the Loxahatchee
River meets the Intercoastal Waterway and the Jupiter Inlet.
For about a mile the Loxahatchee River, Intercoastal Waterway
and the Jupiter Inlet Channel to become one waterway. It
passes
under the U.S. 1 highway drawbridge (seen in the middle of the photo.)
Watch for weekend crowds, strong currents and plenty of
police in this area. The Jupiter Crossroads are said to be
one of the best patrolled waterways anywhere. Jupiter
Police, Tequesta Police, Jupiter Island Police, the Palm Beach
County Sheriff's Department, the Florida Fish And Wildlife
Conservation Commission and the US Coast Guard all have
jurisdictions in this immediate area. Click here
to see a picture taken from an airplane of Jupiter, the Loxahatchee
River and the Jupiter Crossroads.
Picture of the Intercoastal Waterway as it passes
through Jupiter. This photo was taken from atop the Old
Dixie Highway Bridge facing south.
The Indiantown Road drawbridge can be seen in the center
of the photo. The Burt
Reynolds Park west side boat ramps are located among the trees to
the left of the Indiantown Road Bridge. Click
here to see this location on a nautical chart.
Boaters coming from the south will pass this way as they head
towards the Loxahatchee Sandbar, which is just west of this location.
LOXAHATCHEE RIVER LINKS Loxahatchee
River Map: See A Map Of The Loxahatchee River Pictures
Of The Loxahatchee River: Photos Taken Upriver From The
Jupiter Sandbar
Loxahatchee River Tours:
River Tours And Activities At Jonathan Dickinson Park
Loxahatchee Kayak
Guide: Good Kayaking Information For The Loxahatchee River Canoe & Kayak Tours
& Rentals: Canoe On The Loxahatchee River Kayak
& Canoe Information: Tips & Maps For Kayaking &
Canoeing On The Loxahatchee River Loxahatchee River Historical Society:
"Non-profit organization in Jupiter, Florida, is a unique
cultural and educational institution which operates the DuBois Pioneer
Home, Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, and the Loxahatchee River Historical
Museum."
CONTACT
Please feel free to be in touch. Click here for
contact information.
Thank
you for visiting Palm Beach Boating
Guide's Loxahatchee River Sand Bar pages.
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