# Does the bay ever calm down?



## Fargo007 (Jun 2, 2020)

Meaning in the daytime. Seems like Hawaii surf just about every weekend. Is this a seasonal thing or is it just like this all the time?


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## First Cast (Oct 8, 2007)

1. When the winds are out of the west in the afternoons it blows the bay up.
2. When you decide to not go out in the boat and do honey-do's, the bay is slick.


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## Boardfeet (Sep 27, 2007)

Usually pretty smooth early in the morning.
Pensacola bay is notoriously rough in the afternoons.
west and southwest winds in the summer blow it up. Also a lot of that chop is boat wakes. 
The turning basin is often the worst, waves and wakes rebound off the sea wall and ships. 
An East wind is a bitch as well.


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## LY-zer (Jan 16, 2019)

The bay is the worst part of our trips. Between the wind and the endless amount of wakes, it is awful. Just wait till you get waked by the ferry boat. Hold on.


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## Fargo007 (Jun 2, 2020)

It truly is the worst part, at least the coming back in part of it. 

I know the ferry boat well. I'm on a jet ski. The ride back in is always a terrible slam fest with hard, spine-jarring impacts. Sometimes I try to tuck in behind another boat which helps a little bit.

I've just never seen a bay this _consistently_ bad.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Currents also play a big part of big close together waves. Especially in the pass.


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## stevenattsu (Apr 24, 2009)

Haha I guess nobody goes out when its blowing a squall out of the north during the winter fronts


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## Play'N Hooky Too (Sep 29, 2007)

sealark said:


> Currents also play a big part of big close together waves. Especially in the pass.


Yep. Lots of water being funneled through that narrow area. Wind from the north and tide coming in...steep chop, wind from the south and tide going out....steep chop, wind from the east and tide moving at all....steep chop. Then you throw in the boat wakes and it's like a washing machine. I remember many times powering through 3-4 ft seas in the Gulf and longing for the calmer conditions that I thought would be waiting once I made it inside the pass, only to get hammered and completely drenched from spray by the 2 ft chop between Fort Pickens and Shoreline Park.


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## H2OMARK (Oct 2, 2007)

LY-zer said:


> The bay is the worst part of our trips. Between the wind and the endless amount of wakes, it is awful. Just wait till you get waked by the ferry boat. Hold on.


Caught the wake from the ferry last weekend on the way to Peg Legs. Remembered the talk about the wall of water it threw and was thankful because that is exactly what it is. A wall of water,  monster wake.


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## Boat-Dude (Sep 24, 2011)

H2OMARK said:


> Caught the wake from the ferry last weekend on the way to Peg Legs. Remembered the talk about the wall of water it threw and was thankful because that is exactly what it is. A wall of water, monster wake.


If you ran a jet ski at 50mph and hit that wake you could jump over pensacola beach and land in the gulf.


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## LY-zer (Jan 16, 2019)

Thanks to that ferry boat, 2 years ago, I gave my egghead a good crack as I face planted into the rail. Huge lump and two nice black eyes to show for it. Just in time for my Mother in Law to come for a visit. It was great. I was actually lucky. My neighbor last year received a concussion and 7 staples in her nugget compliments of the ferry boat wake.


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## Fargo007 (Jun 2, 2020)

Boat-Dude said:


> If you ran a jet ski at 50mph and hit that wake you could jump over pensacola beach and land in the gulf.


The most I'm able to tolerate in the bay on the way back in on the sea doo fish pro is around 20mph. Even then I'm slamming down onto the water from about 3' sometimes. 

It's insane.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

I am not sure but a boat owner especially a licensed captain is responsible for damage caused by a wake. Not sure if another boat would be included in it.


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## Boardfeet (Sep 27, 2007)

The bay was slick today......


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## Fargo007 (Jun 2, 2020)




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