Fox Islands Passes facts for kids

The Fox Islands Passes are waterways in the Fox Islands area of Alaska, a U.S. state. These passes connect the Bering Sea with the North Pacific Ocean.

When ships travel from the south or east towards the Bering Sea, they can use three main passes. These are known as the Fox Islands Passes: Unimak, Akutan, and Unalga passes. The best and safest one to use, especially when the weather is foggy, is Unimak Pass. It's the widest of the three and doesn't have many hidden dangers or strong, choppy water (called tide rips). This pass is great for sailing ships and steamers heading north.

Akutan and Unalga passes are useful for steamships going to Unalaska Bay. However, they are narrower and can have strong currents and tide rips, so they are not recommended for sailing ships heading north. Other smaller passes between Unimak and Akutan passes are known to have many rocks and reefs.

The mountains in this area would be good landmarks, but they are often covered by fog or low clouds in the summer. So, sailors usually look for lower hills, islands, and objects closer to sea level. If the weather is clear and you're coming from the south or east, heading for Akutan or Unalga passes, it's a good idea to aim for Tigalda Island first. It's tall and easy to spot, and once you see it, you can set your course for any of the three passes.

Exploring the Main Passes

Unimak Pass: The Safest Route

Unimak Pass (54°20′01″N 164°55′14″W / 54.33361°N 164.92056°W / 54.33361; -164.92056) is the widest of the Fox Islands Passes, about 9 or 10 miles wide at its narrowest point. It's clear of hidden dangers and doesn't have dangerous tide rips. The ocean currents here are also slower than in the other passes. Away from the shore, it's also free from sudden, strong blasts of wind called williwaws that rush down from the mountains. This makes it the best pass for sailing ships and for any ship not stopping at Unalaska Bay.

When approaching from the south or east, ships need to be careful to avoid Sannak Reefs and Anderson and Lenard rocks. If the weather is very clear, you might see the mountains of Unimak Island and set your course for Unimak Pass. But usually, the hills behind Cape Khituk or Ugamok Island are the first land you'll spot. If it's foggy, measuring the water depth (soundings) on Davidson Bank can help guide the way to land. Near Cape Khituk, the coast is steep and doesn't have dangers far from shore.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) created special "Areas to Be Avoided" (ATBAs) in the Aleutian Islands. These rules started on January 1, 2016. These ATBAs help reduce the risk of ship accidents and pollution. They apply to ships just passing through the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean and usually extend up to 50 nautical miles from the islands' shorelines. This 50-mile buffer zone gives time for repairs or emergency help if a ship has trouble, preventing it from getting stuck on the bottom and harming the delicate natural environment. Using these ATBAs adds very little extra distance to a ship's journey.

Akutan Pass: Good for Steamers

Akutan Pass is about 3 miles wide at its narrowest point. On the western side, less than 1 mile from Unalga Island, there are four small islands called Gull Rocks. There are also many rocks sticking out of the water in this group, but they don't extend into the main pass. A reef with some sharp rocks also extends from Cape Morgan about 1 mile into the pass. Besides these, there are no other known dangers. The currents and tide rips here are not as strong as in Unalga Pass. Because it's wider and allows a straight course, many sailors prefer Akutan Pass over Unalga Pass.

Akutan Pass is recommended for steamships going to or from Unalaska Bay. It's also good for sailing ships leaving Unalaska Bay if they have a good wind. From the south, it's best to aim for Tigalda Island and Avatanak Island. Then, follow the south side of these islands until you can set a course from Rootok Island to Cape Morgan. From Cape Morgan, a west-by-south course, adjusting for the current, will keep you clear of the rocky ledge off Cape Kalekhta. From Unalaska Bay, once you're past Cape Kalekhta, Akutan Pass is open, and you can steer an east-by-north course through it.

Unalga Pass: The Narrowest

Unalga Pass is the small pass between Unalga and Unalaska islands. It's the narrowest and shortest of the three passes. Many steamships use it when going to and from Unalaska Bay. It's about one mile wide at its narrowest. Except for rocks sticking out a short distance from Unalaska Island's points, the pass is considered safe. In the middle of the pass, the water is about 25 to 35 fathoms deep (a fathom is about 6 feet), with deeper water to the northwest and southeast.

The biggest problems in Unalga Pass are the strong ocean currents and tide rips, which are usually worse here than in the other two passes. Very strong williwaws (sudden wind gusts) are also common. The good thing about using this pass in foggy weather is that Unalga Island's shore is clear of dangers. You can follow it closely enough to keep it in sight as you go through. The Signals, Egg Island, and Old Man are important landmarks for finding Unalga Pass from the southeast.

Navigating the Passes

South of the passes, the water depth changes quickly. The 100-fathom (600-foot) depth line is found 20 to 40 miles offshore. When you are inside this depth, the water changes color from dark blue to light green. This color change is the best sign for sailors in foggy weather that they are getting close to land and that the water is getting shallower. Southwest of Unimak Pass, the 50-fathom (300-foot) depth line is only 3 to 5 miles offshore. In foggy weather, ships must be very careful when approaching inside this depth. Southeast of Unimak Pass, the water quickly gets shallow from 100 fathoms to Davidson Bank, where the shallowest point is 37 fathoms, 33 miles from Ugamok Island.

Tides and Currents: What Sailors Face

Near and within the passes, the ocean currents caused by tides are strong and can be unpredictable. The current flows south when the tide is falling and north when the tide is rising. The rising tide current is usually longer and stronger. Its speed changes, but in Unalga Pass, where it's strongest, it has been measured at 6.5 knots (about 7.5 miles per hour) for the entire tide. The current can switch direction to the opposite flow at the same speed in just twenty minutes. Normally, the tidal current is about three or four knots.

On the Bering Sea side of Unalga and Akutan passes, a strong northerly or northwesterly wind can create heavy tide rips (rough, choppy water). These don't usually go through the passes but stay on the Bering Sea side, from about the middle of Unalga Island almost to Cape Kalekhta. When the tide rips are heavy, the water becomes very broken and choppy from all directions. Unimak Pass is much calmer and usually free from tide rips. In normal weather, high or low tide in Akutan Pass happens one to two hours before high or low tide at Dutch Harbor.

Safe Places to Anchor

Beaver Inlet is a deep bay located between Biorka and Unalaska islands, on the western side of the southern entrance to Unalga Pass. Several smaller bays lead off Beaver Inlet. The best place to anchor is said to be in Food Bay, on the north side of the inlet, near its entrance. Anchoring near the shore off the village of Biorka, on the south side of the inlet, is not ideal because the water is very deep. However, it does offer shelter when the wind comes from the south.

English Bay, southwest of Unalga Island, is a good harbor. The water is deep, and there are no dangers except near the shore on both sides of the entrance. Ships can anchor at the very end of the bay in about 10 fathoms of water. Kalekhta Bay, east of Cape Kalekhta, is clear of dangers except along the shore. Ships should not anchor in water shallower than 10 fathoms. This bay is smaller than Unalaska Bay, but it has a waterfall on its western side, similar to one used as a landmark for Unalaska Bay. There's also a tall, thin rock (pinnacle rock) off Erskine Point, the eastern point at the entrance. It looks a bit like Priest Rock, but it has a smaller rock between it and Erskine Point.

Amazing Natural Landmarks

Towering Volcanoes

• Shishaldin Volcano, almost 9,000 feet high, looks like a perfect cone. Sometimes, faint wisps of smoke and vapor drift from its dark tip. Most of it is covered in snow, except where rocky cliffs stick out.
• Isanotski Peaks is seen close to the east of Shishaldin. It's very rugged and has a broken, castle-like double peak. The top is bare and looks like it's made of huge vertical rock formations.
• Pogrumnoi Volcano, over 5,500 feet high, is a rugged, snow-covered peak with dark, vertical ridges showing through the snow. From a flat-topped dome that seems as high as Pogrumnoi but not connected to it, a long, high, snow-covered flat area extends, sloping gently towards Cape Khituk. Except for the snow-covered parts, the general color is green in July and August because of the grassy slopes. Pogrumnoi is a helpful landmark in clear weather when approaching Unimak Pass.

Important Islands

• Ugamok Island has a rugged shape with steep, rocky cliffs. It's highest at its eastern end, where there's a sharp, cone-shaped peak that is very easy to see. This peak can often be spotted even when the tops of taller islands nearby are hidden by fog. The northern and eastern sides of the island are safe from dangers.
• Tigalda Island is tall and prominent, with distinctly rounded hills that look like knuckles. You can approach the southern shore of the island as close as 1 mile. The northern and northwestern sides of the island are dangerous and should be avoided.
• Avatanak Island is highest at its eastern end, where it ends in a steep cliff. Towards the western end, which is low, there's a pile of very noticeable rocks that look like a ruined castle. The hills are not rounded like Tigalda's but are rugged and broken. The southern shore appears to be safe.
• Rootok Island, located west of Avatanak Island and separated by a clear passage, is high, steep, and abrupt. It's about 3 miles long, generally running east-northeast to west-southwest. The shores of this island are free from dangers far from the coast.
• Akutan Island is 3,332 feet high. Its volcano is a rugged cone, usually with a faint column of smoke coming from its northeast side near the top. The north side of the island has a fairly regular slope that ends in steep cliffs at the coast. The south side is more uneven, and the cliffs at the coast are taller, rockier, and more broken. In summer, the lower parts of the island are covered in grass. Cape Morgan, the southwest point, is high, very steep, and cliff-like. A shelf of dark rock is at the base of the cliffs, and a reef with three sharp rocks sticking out of the water extends about 1 mile off the cape.
• Unalga Island is relatively low, with a steep, jagged shoreline of cliffs surrounded by separate, sharp rocks. The top of the island is covered with grass and stands out well against the darker hills behind it. A reef extends about 200 yards off the northwest end of the island.
• Gull Rocks are located off the northeast side of Unalga Island. This group has four small islands that stand well out of the water, less than 1 mile from Unalga Island. There are many separate rocks in this group, but they don't extend beyond the islands into Akutan Pass.
• Egg Island, a short distance north of Biorka Island, is a landmark for Unalga Pass. It's moderately high, somewhat jagged on top, dark in color, and has a relatively rounded shape. There's a good passage between the island and Cape Biorka, with a depth of 35 fathoms. When the island is seen bearing southwest by south, a small island, separate from the main island, will appear on its southeastern end. A dark, sharp rock that is easy to see lies close to the north end of the island. The shores of the island are free from dangers.
• The Signals are two low, barren rocks, about 3 miles south of Egg Island. The channel between them and Biorka Island is clear, with a depth of 10 fathoms. A submerged rock is just outside the Outer Signal.
• Old Man is a small, square-topped rock, about 60 feet high, lying about 1 mile northwest of Egg Island. There's a low, round-topped rock close to the Old Man. Old Man stands out clearly from Egg Island and, in foggy weather, is an excellent mark to help recognize Egg Island.
• Aleks Rock, where the sea clearly breaks, is about 20 feet across. It is located with Sannak Peak bearing approximately northeast, 19 miles away.