With the gateway to the coast on one side and
California’s wine country on the other, San
Francisco Bay is an extraordinary paddling
destination. Imagine paddling by a silvery moon
as the skylines of San Francisco twinkles around
you. Such an outing is one of the most memorable
paddling adventure you’ll ever experience. Or
you can paddle up the gentle waters of the
Oakland Estuary toward the marshes of San
Leandro Bay, where you are treated to views of
harbor seals, herons and a host of shorebirds.
The bay offers year round kayaking and
fishing opportunities, but the bay is most
popular in the summer. The quiet spring,
fall, and winter seasons offer a slower pace
to satisfy paddlers who yearn for a more
peaceful atmosphere. San Francisco Bay is a
part of the San Francisco Bay estuary
system, which includes San Pablo Bay and
Suisun Bay, the Carquinez Strait, the tidal
marshes surrounding these waters, and river
tributaries.
The San Francisco Bay estuary consists of
480-square miles and 12 islands. There are
two separate areas: the northern, which
passes south and westward from the Delta
through Suisun and San Pablo Bays, and the
southern (also called the South Bay) which
extends southeastward toward San Jose. These
two areas join in the Central Bay near the
Golden Gate Bridge and flow out to the
Pacific Ocean.
Northern, western and southern traffic sea
lanes converge halfway inside the gulf
toward San Francisco on the San Francisco
precautionary area 11-miles offshore. From
this point, the main channel flows shoreward
through four sets of buoys to the Golden
Gate. The channel divides the immense
horseshoe shallows surrounding the gate into
the wide South Bar and the northern Four
Fathom Bank, atop
which rests the Potato patch Shoal.
Navigating in this area requires the utmost
caution, as the seas will often vary with
the weather, tides, and seasons, and may
become impassible for paddlers.