Florida / Tolomato River /

Shell Bluff GTMNERR Kayak Access

Shell Bluff GTMNERR Kayak Access is a public kayak and canoe launch on the Tolomato River near Saint Augustine, Florida.

Aerial view of the pale shell and sand shore along the dark river with woods behind, January 2023
Aerial view of the pale shell and sand shore along the dark river with woods behind, January 2023 Photo: USDA Farm Service Agency, NAIP · Public domain · via USGS The National Map

Status not reported No closure has been posted for this launch, but its agency does not publish open or closed status. Check with the managing agency before you tow.

At the launch

Type
Carry-in (canoe and kayak)
Tidal
Yes
Coordinates
30.01530, -81.34570

Directions (Google) Apple Maps

Channel depths in feet from the Army Corps' surveys (Jacksonville District; the one nearest this launch is of August 4, 2021). Not for navigation.

Conditions

Marine advisories

Advisories in effect load here; without them, see the NWS zone forecast below.

National Weather Service marine zone AMZ452, Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM. Zone forecast: winds, seas, warnings.

Tides

Predicted highs and lows at NOAA's Tolomato River (ICWW) station, 1.7 mi from this launch, in local time above MLLW. Predictions, not observations: wind and weather move the real tide. Full predictions at NOAA.

Tide predictions, Mon Nov 2 to Sun Nov 8
Mon Nov 2 High 2:59 am 4.6 ft · Low 8:55 am 0.8 ft · High 3:38 pm 5.2 ft · Low 9:46 pm 0.9 ft
Tue Nov 3 High 4:02 am 4.8 ft · Low 9:58 am 0.8 ft · High 4:36 pm 5.1 ft · Low 10:39 pm 0.8 ft
Wed Nov 4 High 5:03 am 4.9 ft · Low 11:00 am 0.9 ft · High 5:30 pm 5.0 ft · Low 11:30 pm 0.8 ft
Thu Nov 5 High 6:00 am 5.1 ft · Low 12:00 pm 0.9 ft · High 6:19 pm 4.9 ft
Fri Nov 6 Low 12:18 am 0.7 ft · High 6:52 am 5.3 ft · Low 12:56 pm 0.9 ft · High 7:05 pm 4.8 ft
Sat Nov 7 Low 1:04 am 0.6 ft · High 7:40 am 5.4 ft · Low 1:48 pm 0.9 ft · High 7:48 pm 4.6 ft
Sun Nov 8 Low 1:47 am 0.6 ft · High 8:24 am 5.4 ft · Low 2:36 pm 0.9 ft · High 8:31 pm 4.5 ft

Channel survey

The Army Corps surveys the channels it maintains and posts every survey.

  • IWW JAX to MIA (St Johns County) · 0.1 mi from this launch
    Condition survey of August 4, 2021 by the Jacksonville District. Least depth in the channel: 3.7 ft below mean lower low water (MLLW); project depth 12 ft. Survey sheet (PDF)

US Army Corps of Engineers hydrographic surveys, from eHydro. A survey shows the bottom on the day it was made; channels shoal after high water and change with dredging. Not for navigation.

On Tolomato River

The Tolomato River is a tidal river in St. Johns County, Florida. It lies southwest of Vilano Beach and north of St. Augustine, and runs to the St. Augustine inlet. The river carries the Intracoastal Waterway. Along the Guana Peninsula it forms the western edge of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTM Research Reserve) and lies inside that reserve and the Guana River Marsh Aquatic Preserve. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection runs the reserve, which covers more than 73,000 acres. During the British Period (1763–1783) the river was called the North River, and many local residents still use that name. More about Tolomato River.

Boating rules on Tolomato River

  • Seagrass protected in the aquatic preserve: avoid shallows and raise motor over seagrass; damage can bring a fine of up to $1,000 source
  • FWC boating and saltwater fishing regulations apply source
  • Nocatee Paddle Launch is for non-motorized craft only (kayaks, canoes, paddleboards) source

Community

Where people who use Tolomato River talk about it.

Nearby launches

Sources

Why it is listed as public: listed by Florida DEP Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail kayak launches. Something wrong, or is this launch private? Send a correction; it goes to a person.