Anchorage

Bird Key (E)

Shelter: NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE
Seabed: sand, mud
Anchoring: Allowed

Anchorage in the Manatee River off Snead Island, near the entrance to Tampa Bay in Florida. Sand and mud bottom, shelter from all directions.

Water
Pontoon

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Reached from the Manatee River channel west of Bradenton. Mud and sand give good holding. The waters within 500 feet of Bird Key shoreline are a manatee sanctuary zone where idle speed applies and anchoring close to the shore is restricted.

Practical

No facilities at the anchorage itself. Fresh water can be taken on at Cut's Edge Harbor Marina, 1.9 miles to the south, and Bradenton Yacht Club lies 2 miles to the south-west.

Ashore

The Emerson Point nature reserve occupies the western tip of Snead Island, with 6.5 miles of trails and boardwalks through mangrove estuary and coastal hammock. Bradenton has provisions and chandlery along the river to the east.

Key facts

Type: Anchorage
Coordinates: 27.55430, -82.59463 (27°33.26'N 82°35.68'W)
Country: United States
Shelter: Sheltered from north-west, north, north-east, west, east, south-west, south, south-east winds
Seabed: sand, mud
Anchoring: Allowed
Services: Water, Pontoon
Updated: July 7, 2026