NOAA ENCŪ

NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

US5CA12M - ENTRANCE TO SAN FRANCISCO BAY


INDEX:

NOTE A
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
AUTHORITIES
CAUTION - USE OF RADIO SIGNALS (LIMITATIONS)
POLLUTION REPORTS
AIDS TO NAVIGATION
CAUTION - TEMPORARY CHANGES
CAUTION - DREDGED AREAS
CAUTION - SUBMARINE PIPELINES AND CABLES
NOAA WEATHER RADIO BROADCASTS
WARNING - PRUDENT MARINER
RACING BUOYS
VESSEL TRAFFIC SERVICE
RADAR REFLECTORS
WATER LEVELS, CURRENTS, AND TIDES
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
ADMINISTRATION AREA
NOTE F
ARTICULATED AIDS
USACE HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEYS
COMMENTS REQUESTED


NOTES:

NOTE A
Navigation regulations are published in Chapter 2, U.S. Coast Pilot 7. Additions or revisions to Chapter 2 are published in the Notice to Mariners. Information concerning the regulations may be obtained at the Office of the Commander, 11th Coast Guard District in Alameda, California or at the Office of the District Engineer, Corps of Engineers in San Francisco, California.
Refer to charted regulation section numbers.


SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Consult U.S. Coast Pilot 7 for important supplemental information.


AUTHORITIES
Hydrography and topography by the National Ocean Service, Coast Survey, with additional data from the Corps of Engineers, Geological Survey, U.S. Coast Guard.


CAUTION - USE OF RADIO SIGNALS (LIMITATIONS)
Limitations on the use of radio signals as aids to marine navigation can be found in the U.S. Coast Guard Light Lists and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Publication 117. Radio direction-finder bearings to commercial broadcasting stations are subject to error and should be used with caution.


POLLUTION REPORTS
Report all spills of oil and hazardous substances to the National Response Center via 1-800-424-8802 (toll free), or to the nearest U.S. Coast Guard facility if telephone communication is impossible (33 CFR 153).


AIDS TO NAVIGATION
Consult U.S. Coast Guard Light List for supplemental information concerning aids to navigation.


CAUTION - TEMPORARY CHANGES
Temporary changes or defects in aids to navigation are not indicated. See Local Notice to Mariners.


CAUTION - DREDGED AREAS
Improved channels are subject to shoaling, particularly at the edges.


CAUTION - SUBMARINE PIPELINES AND CABLES
Additional uncharted submarine pipelines and submarine cables may exist within the area of this chart. Not all submarine pipelines and submarine cables are required to be buried, and those that were originally buried may have become exposed. Mariners should use extreme caution when operating vessels in depths of water comparable to their draft in areas where pipelines and cables may exist, and when anchoring, dragging or trawling. Covered wells may be marked by lighted or unlighted buoys.


NOAA WEATHER RADIO BROADCASTS
The NOAA Weather Radio stations listed below provide continuous weather broadcasts. The reception range is typically 20 to 40 nautical miles from the antenna site, but can be as much as 100 nautical miles for stations at high elevations.

Mt. Pise, CA          KHB-49       162.400 MHz WX2
Mt. Umunhum, CA       KEC-49       162.550 MHz WX1
Mt. Umunhum, CA       WWF-64       162.450 MHz WX5


WARNING - PRUDENT MARINER
The prudent mariner will not rely solely on any single aid to navigation, particularly on floating aids. See U.S. Coast Guard Light List and U.S. Coast Pilot for details.


RACING BUOYS
Racing buoys within the limits of this chart are not shown hereon. Information may be obtained from the U.S. Coast Guard District Offices as racing and other private buoys are not all listed in the U.S. Coast Guard Light List.


VESSEL TRAFFIC SERVICE
The U.S. Coast Guard operates a mandatory Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) system in the San Francisco Bay and surrounding areas. Vessel operating procedures and designated radiotelephone frequencies are published in 33 CFR 161, the U.S. Coast Pilot, and/or the VTS User's Manual. Mariners should consult these sources for applicable rules and reporting requirements. Although mandatory VTS participation is limited to the navigable waters of the United States, certain vessels are encouraged or may be required, as a condition of port entry, to report beyond this area to facilitate advance vessel traffic management within the VTS area.

The U.S. Coast Guard operates a Vessel Traffic Service Offshore Vessel Movement Reporting System covering the seaward approaches to San Francisco Bay. Vessels are requested to monitor VTSSF on Channel 12 at 15 and 45 minutes past each hour for broadcast reports of known shipping traffic in the area.


RADAR REFLECTORS
Radar reflectors have been placed on many floating aids to navigation. Individual radar reflector identification on these aids has been omitted from this chart.


WATER LEVELS, CURRENTS, AND TIDES
Real-time water levels, tide predictions, and tidal current predictions are available on the internet from NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) at https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/water_level_info.html and https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/currents_info.html.


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Additional information can be obtained at www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov.


ADMINISTRATION AREA
The entire extent of this ENC cell falls within the limits of an Administration Area. This area covers land, internal waters, and territorial sea. The territorial sea is a maritime zone over which the United States exercises sovereignty extending to the airspace as well as to its bed and subsoil. For more information, please refer to the Coast Pilot.


NOTE F
Rear range light is a private aid operated for ships using the Ninth Avenue Turning Basin only. Range serves no purpose for any other transiting vessels and should not be used.


ARTICULATED AIDS
An articulated aid to navigation consists of a pipe structure that oscillates around a universal coupling connected to a sinker. The structure is kept upright by the buoyancy of a submerged flotation chamber. It is designed primarily to mark narrow channels in depths of up to 60 feet. All articulated aids are labelled "ART".


USACE HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEYS
USACE conducts hydrographic surveys to monitor navigation conditions. These surveys are not intended to detect underwater features. Uncharted features hazardous to surface navigation are not expected but may exist in federal channels. For more information visit https://navigation.usace.army.mil/Survey/Hydro/ .


COMMENTS REQUESTED
NOAA encourages users to submit inquiries, discrepancies, or comments about this chart via NOAA's ASSIST tool at https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/customer-service/assist/ .


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