Exuma cuts and tides: slack water, swell and when to run a cut

A cut is a gap between cays, the place where a boat passes from one side of the chain to the other. Two things decide whether it is a calm transit or a rough one: the water moving through it and the swell arriving at it. This page covers both and is part of the boating guide.

How do tides work at an Exuma cut?

The tidal range in The Bahamas is about 2.5 to 3 feet, according to The Moorings eGuide⁵. The same guide says the water is shallow enough that close attention to the tide is extremely important underway and when entering or leaving harbours⁵. The Moorings also says Exuma waters require attention to reef locations and tides².

A cut is a constricted channel, and the timing there is not what a tide table suggests. In constricted water, slack water does not occur at high and low water⁶. In some places the ebb may run for up to three hours after the water level has started to rise⁶. In many locations one tidal stream is also stronger than, and lasts longer than, the stream in the opposite direction six hours later⁶. High and low tide times alone will not tell you when the water stops moving.

When is the best time to run a cut?

At slack water. Slack tide is the short period when a tidal stream has no movement either way, just before it reverses⁶. Difficult channels are more safely navigated at slack water, because any flow may set a vessel out of the channel into danger⁶. A favourable flow raises your speed over the bottom for a given speed through the water⁶. Slack water can be estimated from a tidal atlas or the tidal diamonds on a nautical chart⁶.

NOAA’s Coast Pilot gives a general rule for strong currents. Its text covers the Straits of Florida and the Gulf coast, not the Exuma cuts, so read it as a general rule. It says the velocity of the current varies greatly by locality and changes suddenly with wind and barometric pressure, so no fixed hourly rate of drift can be given⁷. High velocities are often carried between certain points and then drop off suddenly between others⁷. The same chapter says not to fix your position by ship speed plus a supposed current rate, and to check the position by bearings whenever possible⁷.

For that reason this page gives no current speed or tide time for any named cut. Use current tide tables and the chart for the day you go, and plan to transit difficult channels at slack water.

What time is low tide today in Exuma?

Look it up for the day and the place. Bahamas Met publishes a Sun Moon Tides Table for 2026⁹. The Moorings names windfinder.com, tide-forecast.com and windy.com for tide and wind checks⁵. Tide times and swell are separate questions, so you need an answer to both.

Can swell make a cut dangerous when the wind is light?

Yes. Bahamas Met issued a special weather statement on a cold front at 6 PM EDT on Saturday 17 October 2026, and its headline warned of large northeast swells and hazardous marine conditions through midweek⁸. Four lines of the statement matter to anyone planning a cut.

Bulletin item	What it says
Breaking swell	Swells will break heavily across reefs, cuts and harbour entrances1
Seas	7 to 11 feet on the Atlantic exposures of the Central and Southeast Bahamas, Monday through Tuesday1
Local winds	Only 10 to 15 knots over the same days1
Small craft	Operators in the Central and Southeast Bahamas should remain in port or stay in sheltered waters, Monday through Tuesday1

The same statement that put local winds at 10 to 15 knots put seas at 7 to 11 feet¹. The wind forecast alone did not describe the sea.

What should I take from that bulletin?

Read the swell line, not only the wind line. A cut can be rough on a day when the local wind forecast looks easy¹.

Treat “reefs, cuts and harbour entrances” as a list of places where swell breaks. The bulletin names them together¹. If swell is breaking heavily at these places, wait for a better day.

Take the small craft advice at face value. Waiting a day is a legitimate plan, and it costs less than a bad crossing.

For how fronts shape a whole trip rather than a single crossing, read the weather windows guide. To decide which side of the chain you want to be on before you reach a cut, read Exuma Bank vs Exuma Sound.

What are the rules once you come through?

Inside Exuma Park, all vessels, including dinghies and jet skis, must operate at idle speed in any mooring field or anchorage³. The north tidal creek on Shroud Cay is a strict idle speed, no wake zone, and motorized vessels are prohibited from entering any of the other tidal creeks in Shroud Cay³. The rest is in the park rules.

Which VHF channels matter near the cuts?

Channel 16 is monitored 24 hours a day for emergencies, and the Bahamas Defence Force can be contacted on VHF 16⁴. Call “Exuma Park” on channel 09 to reach the park office⁴. The office sits on a remote small island, so contacting it can sometimes be challenging⁴. The VHF channels guide lists the channels cruisers use along the chain.

These pages are not a substitute for charts, forecasts and local knowledge.