Anchorage· Sucia· Salish Sea — San Juans, Gulf Islands & Desolation Sound

Shallow Bay (Sucia Island)

48° 45.7′ N · 122° 55.0′ W

A sandy bay on Sucia's west side known for its sunsets. It is shallow, sheltered from the east and a favourite with families for the beach and the walk to the other bays.

San Juan Islands & Anacortes Southern Gulf Islands & Sidney Desolation Sound & Discovery Islands

Practical

Coordinate is the OSM bay. The entrance is marked by buoys; Coast Pilot calls it an excellent anchorage with buoys in the north part. Shallow Bay is a voluntary no-anchor zone for eelgrass on the Northwest Straits Commission map: use a buoy or anchor outside the eelgrass in deeper water (Coast Pilot asks for 30 ft, 9 m, or more around Sucia). Check depth for a minus tide before settling. Open to the west: uncomfortable in a strong westerly. Reefs extend about 1.5 miles west of the island toward West Bank, with strong currents; State Parks names Shallow Bay, Fox Cove and Ewing Cove as entrances needing care. Current State Parks alerts: no drinking water October 1 to April 15; from mid-November 2026 a barge and crane will be in Fossil Bay building a pump-out station (moorage stays open). Dock 2 is removed October to April; buoys stay all year. 48 buoys, two linear moorage systems and two docks around the island. Contact 360-376-2073. State Parks moorage (2025 rates, still posted in 2026): buoys $23 a night, docks $1 per foot ($23 minimum), charged from 1 pm to 8 am all year. Self-register and pay on arrival, rafted boats included; phone registration is posted at the buoys. An annual State Parks moorage permit ($7 per foot, $80 minimum) covers docks and buoys.

Shallow Bay (Sucia Island)

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