Download NOAA Nautical Charts For your Area

NOAA has all their nautical charts online.

NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey has a nautical chart finder section on the website. These charts are for planning trips and not to be used for up to date guidance for depths. When we see the hydrographic survey boats these are one of the tasks, updating these nautical charts.

Navigating the NOAA chart finder is relatively simple. I put up some links below for the charts for our areas to save you some time, but it is neat to look at other areas you have been or plan to visit and explore. Great for planning kayak trips for skinny water areas.

On the Office of Coast Survey website look at the top tool bar and select Chart. Then select “Chart Locater” in the drop down menu. A new tab or browser window will open, for the Interactive Catalogue. Select paper maps for the html versions. Then select the area you want to explore and look at the chart. There is a selector for different map types; Paper, Electronic, Pilot. Select paper for the downloadable PDF file charts. The charts can be screen shot as well, and blown up.

Each small block on the chart finder grid is a vector with many products available for each grid. Some vectors are just single products such as Electronic Navigation Charts (ENC), for a single vector. The larger blocks that are numbered are the charts themselves, Delaware Bay, areas of Delmarva Coast, and everywhere NOAA’s Office OF Coastal Survey covers.
There is a nautical chart for the entire east coast or you can get more “local”. As you blow up the map on the chart finder. You will see the different grids as the smaller areas are more refined.

All of the nautical charts have numbers and names. When you select or highlight a block a window pops up. The available products (charts) are listed. The PDF’s are downloadable files. Charts are also available for purchase from a number of sources listed by NOAA. These charts are for planning and not actual navigation, keep that in mind. They look cool hanging on a wall.

Cape May to Cape Hatteras NOAA Chart 12200

Delaware Bay NOAA Chart 12304

Cape Henlopen To Indian River Inlet, Habor of Safe Refuge, Indian River Bay, Rehoboth Bay, Assawoman Bay NOAA chart 12216

Fenwick Island To Chincoteague Inlet NOAA Chart 12211