Columbia Glacier is a giant among Alaskan tidewater glaciers. The glacier has undergone rapid retreat since the 1980s, creating an immense, dynamic basin filled with towering icebergs and frozen flotsam.
Navigation & Safety
Iceberg Hazards: Columbia Bay is filled with dense fields of icebergs of all sizes. Only a small fraction of an iceberg is visible above the water, and submerged portions (“growlers” and “bergy bits”) pose a severe hazard to hulls and props. Do not navigate through dense ice pack.
Moraine Bar (Heather Island): The shallow terminal moraine at the mouth of the bay near Heather Island acts as a natural dam, trapping large icebergs inside the bay. Entering Columbia Bay requires finding a safe route across the shallow moraine sill, which should be done at slow speeds with a dedicated lookout.
Glacial Waves: The active face of the Columbia Glacier is highly unstable and calves continuously. Never approach within 1 mile of the face due to the extreme danger of underwater calving and colossal wave actions.
Key Region Highlights
Massive Iceberg Fields
Heather Island Moraine
Unstable Calving Face
Spectacular Ice Fields
💨 Weather Telemetry & Multi-Model Forecast
Cross-referenced predictions & active sensor readings
Status: Active Live Query
Cache State: Dynamic / Live Sync
*Values are compiled via API matching and NOAA local models. Predicted wind speed values represent sustained wind estimates in knots. Dynamic variance reflects divergence from global GFS baseline forecasts.
This region transits the Eastern / Northern District Boundary. During active commercial drift-gillnetting and purse-seine openings, hundreds of commercial fishing vessels deploy nets stretching 900 to 1,500 feet across the channel.
District Coverage: Eastern / Northern District Boundary
Standard Summer Openings: Subject to Northern District seine announcements
Navigation Directives inside Net Mazes:
Reduce Speed: Keep vessel at slow transit speeds to avoid drifting gillnets which float just below the surface.
Never Cross Seine Halves: Do not pass between a seining vessel and its active seine skiff. The net block is absolute.
Active Radio Watch: Keep VHF radio tuned to Channel 16 and Channel 10 (standard local commercial coordination).
Identify Net Markers: Look for orange or red poly-balls marking the tail-ends of drift nets. Pass at least 150 feet clear of buoy markers.
Search public Prince William Sound community pages, groups, and fishing logs for active catch reports, target locations, or transit obstacles (shrimping, salmon, halibut).
Quick Scans:
🔒 Search Integrity: Scanning triggers custom search indexing on public Facebook groups and pages for PWS, opening results in a separate browser window. All search logs remain local.