Effective June 21, 2010, a 3.0nm Safety Zone will exist around San Clemente Island. Extending from the high tide line out to 3nm, the Safety Zone is divided into eight sections (Figure 1).
Figure 1. San Clemente Island Safety Zones
Unless scheduled for hazardous military training and testing activities, six sections (A, B, C, D, E, F) are available to
the public for recreational and commercial activities (e.g. fishing, diving, sailing). Check the
Schedule/Safety Zones link
for the daily
status of these six safety zone sections. An area not highlighted is not scheduled for hazardous military operations,
so the public may access these offshore waters. If an area is highlighted in red, hazardous military operations are scheduled
for the entire day, so do not enter that area at any time during the day in question. If an area is highlighted in red/green
stripes, the area is scheduled for part of the day for hazardous military operations,
so do not enter these areas during the scheduled period; see the tables to the left of the map on that page.
Figure 2. San Clemente Island Safety Zones Status Display
Warning: The Navy routinely flies UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS (UAS) from and around San Clemente Island. Many of these UAS's are small and near invisible to other pilots. Any SAFETY ZONE SECTION HIGHLIGHTED in red on scisland.org, generally also has hazardous airspace associated with it. Please keep all aerial fish spotters and other aircraft out of hazardous operations areas for your safety and the safety of others.
Wilson Cove Safety Zone is permanently closed to the public for all activities. However, vessels may transit parallel along the shoreline inside the Safety Zone between 2nm to 3nm offshore, and appears as a dark blue area on the Safety Zone graphic. This is a transit only area; fishing (including lobster pots) and diving are prohibited in this area. The public may not enter the Wilson Cove Security Zone (high tide line to 2nm offshore) at any time.
Section G Safety Zone is permanently closed to the public for all activities. However, vessels may contact STARBURST to request authorization to transit (only) through the Section G Safety Zone. You must have authorization from STARBURST to transit through Section G Safety Zone. Procedures for requesting transit:
Section G IS THE ONLY SAFETY ZONE WHERE THIS PROCEDURE APPLIES. If the website depicts Safety Zone sections A-F as “hot,” you may not transit these areas until the website indicates that the offshore areas are accessible.
Inflation-adjusted civil penalties are authorized by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended, and are listed in 33 C.F.R. §27.3. Civil penalties at 33 C.F.R. §27.3 were revised at 74 Federal Register 245 (December 23, 2009). Penalties for Class C and D felonies are listed at 18 U.S.C. §3851.