CONTACT US: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife Research Institute 100 Eighth Avenue SE St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 727-896-8626 http://MyFWC.com/ BoatingGuides Boating_Guides@ MyFWC.com Tampa Bay Estuary Program 100 Eighth Avenue SE St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 727-893-2765 http://www.tbep.org saveit@tbep.org Funding for this project was obtained through Tampa Bay Estuary Program specialty license plate funds. Additional funding for this project was obtained through the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Fund.

Pleasure boats share bay waters with modern ships that haul cargo from all over the world.  While quite large in terms of the square miles it covers, the bay is also very shallow, which restricts navigation for larger vessels.  The average ship that calls on Tampa Bay is longer than two football fields.  A ship this size has limited ability to maneuver and stop in the narrow confines of Tampa Bay’s shipping channels. Most require a mile or more to come to a complete stop. The pilots that guide these vessels in and out of Tampa Bay need your cooperation: 1. Stay clear of the main ship channel when large ships are approaching. Views from large ships may be obstructed up to three-fourths of a mile away. 2. Use VHF Channel 13 for bridge-to-bridge communication with commercial ships in case of emergency. Keep transmissions short and simple, and never tie up the frequency. 3. Exercise caution when boating around ships or tugs involved in docking. Their prop-wash can easily capsize small vessels or send them into the path of oncoming traffic. 4. Be sure that your boat is visible at night and in poor weather conditions. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about this Web site, please e-mail us at Boating_Guides@MyFWC.com. Would you like to receive notices of changes to this Web site and the Boating and Angling Guide to Tampa Bay? If so, please e-mail us and include SUBSCRIBE-TAMPA in the subject line.