Sea of Abaco
Coordinates: 26°37′41″N 77°08′34″W / 26.62806°N 77.14278°W
The Sea of Abaco (sometimes Abaco Sound), located in The Bahamas, is an approximately 100 kilometres (62 miles) long saltwater lagoon separating Great Abaco Island (known locally as the ‘mainland’) from a chain of barrier islands known as the Abaco Cays. Depths in the Sea of Abaco are generally a few metres, and shallow reefs and shoals can pose a serious hazard to navigation. Despite these hazards, the sea is popular with boaters and is sometimes referred to as a ‘marine highway’, offering a sheltered passage through the Abaco Islands. The majority of the largest settlements and towns in the Abaco Islands are located along the shores of the sea.
The northernmost limit of the Sea of Abaco is generally depicted on most modern navigational charts, such as Jeppesen’s C-Map Charts, as being south of the Hog Cays, between Crab Cay and Spanish Cay. From Spanish Cay south to Little Harbour (the southernmost limit), the Sea of Abaco forms a lagoon flanked to the east by the Abaco Cays and the Great Abaco Barrier Reef. To the west it is bordered by Great Abaco Island, which forms a nautically impassable barrier for its entire length. Navigable channels between some of the individual Abaco Cays provide access to the Atlantic Ocean.
North of the town of Marsh Harbour the orientation of the sea is generally northwest to southeast. South of Marsh Harbour the orientation is north to south. The widest part of the sea can be found just to the northwest of Marsh Harbour, where the width of the sea separating the barrier cays from Great Abaco Island exceeds 10 kilometres (6 miles).
Notable cays within the sea include the Parrot Cays, Sand Bank Cays, and Fish Cays. The area around the Sand Bank Cays, between Treasure Cay and Whale Cay, is notoriously treacherous to navigation due to breaking shoals and relatively shallow water. Vessels with a draft greater than 1.2 metres (4 feet) are usually warned to avoid this area.
...
Wikipedia