Birdsfoot Delta — Introduction

Intro: Venice to the Gulf of Mexico As you paddle out of Venice bound for the Gulf of Mexico, you will want to have already settled a few important questions in your mind for a successful completion of you expedition. The Rivergator has attempted to be helpful in preparing you accordingly. But now you must have a game plan. Chief amongst these questions is 1) Which route will you follow to the Gulf? Next you will want to settle the question: 2) How will you return back from the Gulf? (Paddle or arrange a ride?) And lastly, you will want to have a meet place for your ride home: 3) Where is the best meet spot back in Venice?

One final consideration for some expeditions who are flying back home from New Orleans and have no room for their gear, 4) what will you do now with your vessel and expedition equipment? In this section, the Rivergator will try to provide enough information so that you, dear paddler, can make good decisions concerning these and other matters. River Levels using the Venice Gage The best time to paddle to the Gulf is during low or medium water levels (0-2 on the Venice Gage), which usually occurs in the late summer and fall.

This is excellent timing for long-distance paddlers, most of whom begin in Minnesota or Montana in May or June, and 3-5 months later are approaching the Gulf of Mexico. Annually the water levels at Venice typically peak during the spring flood season (April-July) and trough in the fall/winter (Sept-February), with intermediate changes in between. The lowest recorded water level was -.77 on Christmas 1989, and the record high peaked at 9.11 when Camille hit, on August 17th, 1969. (Note: the gages were all blown out when Katrina hit, so there is no record of how high it got in 2005!).

To see water levels and estimate river flow below Venice in the Birdsfoot Delta, use the Rivergages.com station readings for Venice: Water levels according to the Venice Gage (VG): Low Water = 0 to 1 VG Medium Water = 1 to 2 VG High Water = 2 to 4 VG Bank Full = 1 VG Flood Stage = 4 VG and above (VG = Venice Gage) Flood Stage Warning: If the Venice Gage is 4VG (at slack tide) or above the river is in advanced flood stage, and paddlers are advised to stay off the water. Above 4VG paddlers will encounter fast and turbulent water conditions, especially around docks, pilings, and when attempting any bankside approaches or landings.

Very limited access. Most landings and approach roads will be underwater. Most islands will be gone. No dry camping will be found. All sandbars and ocean spits will be underwater. All islands will be covered by flooded forests full of snags, strainers, sawyers and all other dangerous conditions associated with floodwater moving through trees. Docks, wharves, dikes and any other man-made objects will create strong whirlpools, violent boils, and fast eddies. Towboats and workboats will create larger waves than usual.

Freighters will have to push harder to get upstream which results in even bigger waves. The Rivergator will not describe the river and its islands at any levels above flood stage 4VG. Weather and Tides In the week before reaching Venice for your final push to the Gulf paddlers would be well advised to monitor the weather and tides. Obviously you want to avoid paddling to the Gulf in oncoming severe weather, or hurricanes. Ideally you will want to make your final paddle in good weather and reasonable winds.

You will also want to time your Gulf arrival as closely as possible for the benefit of the tides. Try and ride a low tide out, which will add to the descending speed of the river. And try to catch the high tide coming in, which will aid your paddle back upstream. Wind Direction and Speed For the weather.gov at Venice, go to: Pay particular attention to the wind speed and direction. As with other sections of the Mississippi, a good rule of thumb is stay on shore if the wind is blowing above 15 mph in your face, and 20 mph in any other directions.

Wind direction might effect which Pass you take getting to the Gulf. In strong south winds you might want to avoid South Pass. Then again, you could battle south winds down South Pass and later enjoy a tail wind as you paddle back up to Venice. Ideally you would drop down into South Pass with a 10mph North wind, spend the night on the South Pass Island Beach, and then wake up the next morning the wind having shifted to the south, and paddle back with a 15mph South wind! If only paddlers were so lucky.

Most likely you will have headwinds regardless of what you do. That’s the way it always seems to work out. Like bicyclists, we are sensitive to the air, and so any any slight motion seems to be a headwind.

Birdsfoot Delta Tides While the Bay of Fundy tides vary up to 53 feet and the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel 50 feet, the Birdsfoot Delta tides normally only vary between 1/2 foot and a 1 foot, and might vary 2 feet in the highest tides of the year. (This change in levels is known as amplitude, and is described on charts by the term “tidal coeffecient;” see below for more discussion). But winds and storms can create higher tides, up to 5 feet higher at the ends of the passes, and up to 9 feet higher at Venice (as did Camille in Aug 1969).

Small changes in tides is good news for paddlers in this low flat landscape. You can find dry spots for camping on some beautiful low-lying flat beaches at the Gulf, and a few scattered low hummocks in between. However you also have to be very careful about incoming high tides, and make sure the place you choose is well above the forecast. Before paddling down one of the passes, or settling down in any certain campsite, check tidal reports. Also check weather.gov for any tide warnings. Tide warnings precede high winds or oncoming storms.

High winds out of the east, south or west might add 3 to 4 feet to any tidal forecast, and hurricanes could add considerably more. Warning: a high tide forecast of 3 feet or more would probably put all camp sites below Venice underwater! Tide Reports Online You can find many sources for tide reports. Include a visit to weather.gov for the Venice forecast to make sure there are no tide warnings. A very comprehensive tidal report (with fishing information) for South Pass can be found here: You can find current tidal reports for Head of Passes here: For the tides at other Passes in the Birdsfoot Delta, go to this site, chose your pass, and plug in your days of possible passage to the Gulf: (The choices here include North Pass, Pass a Loutre, Venice, Grand Pass, Pilottown, Southeast Pass, Port Eads, South Pass, Joseph Bayou, Southwest Pass, South Pass Paris Road Bridge, Empire Jetty, Bastian Island, Quatre Bayous Pass, and Barataria Pass.) Tidal Coefficient On the Tide Tables there are tidal coefficients which tell us the amplitude of the tide forecast (difference in height between the consecutive high tides and low tides in any given area).

The highest possible tidal coefficient is 118, corresponding to the greatest high or low tide there can be, excluding meteorological effects. Tidal coefficients are calculated from the following parameters or from the sun and the moon: straight ascension, declination, parallax and the distance between the Earth and the celestial body. Despite tidal coefficients being the same for the whole planet, they affect the amplitude of the tides in a very different manner, depending on where we are. This variation in amplitude is almost null and void in closed seas, apart from where there is local resonance (e.g.

it can be up to 3ft in Venice); it is weak in mid-ocean, but tends to be considerably amplified when extending to the continental coasts. In Space: There are tides of weak intensity (in the areas close to the terrestrial equator, the tides barely reach tens of centimetres). In other places there are tides of high intensity (for example: the French coasts of the Saint-Malo Bay), where they regularly exceed 30 ft. In Time: The coefficient and therefore the amplitude of the tides follow the phases of the moon with slight disparity during waxing and waning moons; and extensive disparity at times of new moon and full moon.

The differences in amplitude between low tides and high tides present great contrasts. In Saint-Malo the difference in level between high tide and low tide is reduced to 10 ft in periods of low tides; and goes as high as 40 ft in periods of high tides. Tides in Rivers The tide reigning before a coast spreads upwards in rivers with identical periodicity, but the dissipation of the energy gradually reduces the amplitude and the tide ends up being imperceptible, with this being the boundary of the maritime part of the river.

On the Mississippi this boundary is normally found around 100 miles upstream, in the New Orleans area (On the Amazon River is over 600 miles!). Tidal bore In normal conditions, the Mississippi does not experience tidal bores, although this phenomena might occur during hurricanes or periods of high southerly winds. What is a tidal bore? In an estuary and even more so in a river with a wide mouth, the high tide is of much shorter duration than the low tide; it may even be that the ascent of the water up-river is almost instantaneous, this is the moment of the tidal bore, breakwaters that enclose the whole bed of the river which in turn also surges quickly upwards.

In Brazil, the tidal bore of the Amazon River is known as the pororoca. It comes from the Tupi language and means "great destructive noise". It occurs in spring tides, and waves of up to 12 feet in height are formed which are taken advantage of by surfers from around the world who come to the mouth of this river to surf tens of miles up the river with the waves. Water Speed in the Passes In general the water slows the further outwards you go down any one pass towards the Gulf. Just like the river, in high water it’s faster and in low water it’s slower.

Incoming and outgoing tides have their effect, as already described. Paddlers used to enjoying 3-5 mph in the main channel of the Mississippi can expect the water speed to gradually diminish as the river approaches the open waters of the ocean, down to 2-3 mph in the main passes, and maybe 1-2 in the smaller passes, and then maybe 1mph arpound the final island, to final calm completely when you paddle into the deep water of the Gulf. Not only is the water volume decreasing every time the river splinters into another pass, but it also reaches sea level, thereby losing all of the “pulling” effect of gravity.

Which Pass? You are nearing the end of you expedition, and some fore-planning is in order. Where exactly is the end of your long journey: New Orleans? Sure, you could end at New Orleans. Many expeditions do, but New Orleans is about 100 miles upstream of the actual end of the river (depending on route). Venice? Well maybe, but Venice is just the end of the road, not the end of the river. Venice is West Bank at mile 10. Venice is where you should tell your family or loved ones or whoever to meet you and pick you up for your return to civilization.

Most expeditions take out at Venice after paddling to the open waters of the Gulf (and then catching a powerboat ride or paddling back). Mile 0? No, the river splits 3 ways at Mile 0. The muddy water keeps flowing beyond Mile 0 at least a dozen miles depending on your chosen route. Okay then, where? Well, you will have to chose and then follow one of the many passes to reach the open salty water of the Gulf. Most paddlers seem to favor South Pass in recent years, although there are many other untried routes, and most are not reported on.

This paragraph is written to help you think about and then decide which Pass to follow. The Mississippi begins sluffing its muddy waters off into the Gulf at least 44 miles above Mile 0. Mardi Gras Pass is the first unobstructed opening, and is found on the East Bank at mile 44LBD. In the miles that follow more passes open up, and with them more and more opportunities to reach the end of the river. It’s not until Baptiste Collete Bayou (opposite Venice) that the big river reaches its biggest passes, the ones that are seen on maps of Louisiana, and define the recognized terminus of the big river.

This end of the big river valley is known as the “Birdsfoot Mississippi Delta” because it looks kind of like an osprey’s foot with each of its talons reaching outwards as it dive bombs its prey. A fitting metaphor for you, dear paddler, as you follow one of these claws in your final efforts to the end of your quarry: the open Gulf waters! The Birdsfoot Mississippi Delta splits into a myriad of Channels, Canals and Passes, first with Baptiste Collete Bayou, then Tiger Pass, then Cubit’s Gap, but the majority of the volume flow continues southwards, seemingly unchanged by these gaping holes in the bank (Cubit’s Gap is about a mile wide!), and then at long last reaches Mile Zero, the ultimate crossroads.

The river spreads out over a mile wide here, and then divides three ways at Mile 0: South Pass, Southwest Pass, and Pass a Loutre. Like tree branches reaching into the sky from the forks of the tree trunk, each of these passes further divides into smaller and smaller passes and outlets, which further subdivide as they continue outwards, and then maybe again and again, in a classic example of fractal geometry. And the pattern gets further broken up by straight line pipeline canals cut by oil companies.

Gradually in infinitesimally slow degrees the current slows down, and the choices multiply, until you clearly smell brackish waters, then crusty salty waters, and catch glimpses of the open blue beyond the reeds and canes, and the finally take one last turn through one last opening and your vessel rolls into waves not created by freighters or tows, or river winds, but by atmospheric motions and global circulations of the open ocean. And finally, finally, finally, after months of hard paddling you are there!

Which of these passes you follow depends on personal judgement, stamina, and the weather forecast. If your ultimate destination is the first salt water you can find (and you have no romantic attachment to Venice) then you could take the newly carved Mardi Gras Pass (44 LBD). A gentle paddle down Mardi Gras Pass and into the Back Levee Canal and then down Law Bayou will bring you to endless grassy marshes (two miles from the main channel Mississippi). Paddle another two miles into Law Bay to reach the open waters of the ocean.

Technically you will have followed the muddy Mississippi to the salty waters of the Gulf of Mexico. You could call your expedition complete and no one could second guess your decision. I was with an Canadian expedition that followed the Olga Pass (16LBD) and was completely satisfied with that ending as a completion of their 104 day expedition. The only possible drawback to these early passes that I can see is that there are no beaches here to enjoy your journey’s end from. The only place to stop and get out of your cramped kayak (or canoe) would be an abandoned oil derrick or one of the grassy hummocks that are half floating in the remaining sediment of the Delta.

With an extra day or two of paddling, and then add on a last day for an overnight camp, and a day for the return paddle, and you could be celebrating your successful odyssey on a sandy beach covered with seashells, and your joy would be magnified by the many crabs, fish and birds there to help celebrate! What are an extra 2-3 days when you have been on the water 3 months already? The Joy of Reaching the Gulf South Pass is the most popular route to complete the river. Imagine: it’s a calm day as you joyfully paddle down the full extent of the South Pass over 14 miles from Mile -0- and past the end of the East Jetty one mile from shore, something you would not be able to attempt in high winds or rough seas.

As you paddle past the last pile of rock you will find yourself deep into the Gulf of Mexico with the full feeling of the ocean around you. Land is now a long line of green behind you, to the North. You are there. Nothing now between you and South America. If you were a songbird making its annual migration, you would feel similar elation. Congratulations paddler! You’ve made it! Flocks of brown pelicans, white pelicans, terns, sheerwaters, and other shore birds seem to share in your joy laughing and screaming and crying over the water and waves.

You might see dolphins leaping along with your bounding heart and participating in the happiness and satisfaction of completing the long journey. Turn around only when you have fully delighted in the pleasure of the finish line, and paddle back the same way you came, or head in at a diagonal to one of the nearby beaches. If it’s a calm night, you can enjoy a night of camping on an ocean beach. The last night of your month’s long odyssey. You might as well drink it up to the fullest extent you can.

This opportunity will not come again easily for the remainder of your life. Camping on the Gulf at the end of the Passes Many Mississippi paddlers plan their last day as a round trip from Venice, usually involving a return trip via powerboat. But why not slow down and spend a night or two at your much-anticipated final destination, the beautiful Gulf of Mexico? It seems a loss to have paddled in and out of several months and several thousands of miles to miss this golden opportunity you have very dearly paid for!

Unless the wind is contrary, or there are incoming severe storms, or a hurricane, the Rivergator recommends adding at least one more camp to your itinerary, and that is a beach camp on salt water. You can find suitable beaches at the end of both South Pass, Pass a Loutre and Southeast Pass. Keep reading and make your preliminary plans for the grand finale of your expedition. The Best Gulf Beaches If you are uncertain about how to do it, and want some advice, here it is: the Rivergator recommends going down one of the big passes and ending on an ocean beach.

To us, the best beaches are the best places to properly celebrate the end of the greatest river in North America! And these best beaches are found at the end of the major passes flowing outwards deep into the Gulf. Ocean beaches only form in places that periodically receive big waves, so they tend to be found in exposed places, with open water views not obstructed nor protected by surrounding islands, peninsulas, or marsh. These places are also most subject to high winds and extreme weather, so you have to be careful about deciding if it’s safe or not.

In general, if the wind is blowing 15mph or higher our of the south you should avoid these places, or prepare to be trapped on them until the wind shifts. The best beaches are found at the end of Bienvenue Pass (via Main Pass), Pass a Loutre (and its splinter Southeast Pass), South Pass, and finally Southwest Pass. See below. Southwest Pass receives the most flow, but is also crowded with freighters and the most dangerous. It is not recommended unless you are craving some harrowing adventures at journey’s end!

South Pass is the quickest and most obvious route, with extensive beaches all around its mouth. Most paddlers seem to favor South Pass in recent years. South Pass also features a newly built lodge where paddlers can find acco