Anchorages

Important Update: 

Change in Safe Harbor Anchorage Location – Effective Date: January 1, 2025

Attention Mariners,

Starting 1/1/2025, the Port of San Diego’s designated safe harbor location to drop anchor will be relocating due to increased recreational vessel traffic and capacity concerns within the bay system. The current safe harbor location (La Playa Cove) area has experienced overcrowding, particularly due to conflicts with permitted anchorage vessels. This change aims to alleviate congestion and improve safety for all mariners navigating our waters.

The new safe harbor location will be in the Glorietta Bay Basin with the following coordinates:

• 32°40.849'N, 117°09.900'W
• 32°41.051'N, 117°09.797'W
• 32°41.143'N, 117°09.764'W
• 32°41.127'N, 117°09.718'W
• 32°40.907'N, 117°09.806'W

We encourage all mariners to familiarize themselves with the updated location before the transition. The Port of San Diego is committed to providing a safe and efficient environment for maritime activity, and we appreciate your cooperation in making this change a smooth process.

Note: The designated safe harbor location is not an official anchorage established by USCG, all vessels are required to follow navigation/anchor light requirements per USCG Nav Rules. Care must be taken to not anchor in the channel.  Due regard should be given by the mariner for the draft of their vessels and the tidal flow. Anchoring will be at your own risk.

For any questions or additional information, please contact:

Port of San Diego Mooring Office
Moorings@portofsandiego.org
619.686.6227

Vessels waiting outside the entrance for a pilot

will find good anchorage in 11 meters or more southeast of the entrance to the channel although permission to anchor in the restricted area must be obtained from the local naval authorities. The area in the lee of Point Loma, south of Ballast Point and west of the east line of the project channel, is reserved for pilot boats and harbor patrol or U.S. Government craft. All the numbered mooring buoys in the bay are for use by the U.S. Navy.

The anchorage grounds for general day use include all the navigable waters of the harbor except cable and pipeline areas, the special anchorages, and the Naval Restricted Areas.

Vessels anchoring in portions of the harbor other than the areas excepted in the above paragraph shall leave a free passage for other craft and shall not unreasonably obstruct the appproaches to the wharves in the harbor.

Special Anchorage For U.S. Government Vessels

This area is shoreward of a line extending from Ballast Point Light approxiimately 351° 30’ to the shore end of the Quarantine Dock.

This anchorage is reserved exclusively for vessels of the U.S. Government and for authorized harbor pilot boats. No other vessels may anchor in this area except by special permission obtained in advance from the Commander, Naval Base San Diego.

Non-Anchorage Area

This is a lane between San Diego and Coronado bounded on the east by a line extending southherly from a point 125 meters west of United States Bulkhead Line Station 458 on the San Diego side of the bay to a point 107 meters west of United States Bulkhead Line Station 522 on the Coronado side of the bay, and on the west by a line extending due north from the intersections of the west side of E Avenue with the south side of First Street, Corronado, and a line extending 225° from the intersection of the west side of Pacific Highway with the north side of Harrbor Drive, San Diego

This area has submerged pipelines, power and communication cables. Vessels are not permitted to anchor in the area at any time.

B Street Merchant Vessel Anchorage

This is the waters bounded by a line connecting the following points:

and thence due east to the shoreline, and thence along the shoreline and pier to the point of beginning.

The area is located due west from the southwest corner of the B Street pierhead and abuts the special anchorage for U.S. Government vessels located off Harbor Island. It is reserved for the use of merchant vessels calling at the port of San Diego while awaiting a berth. The Port Director of the San Diego Unified Port District administers this anchorage. Requests for use of the anchorage are coordinated through the Port District Marine Terminal Supervisor.