# Kachemak Bay

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Bay in the southwestern Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, United States

Kachemak Bay Tika Kaq' (Denaʼina) Kachemak Bay at sunrise, 2009 Kachemak Bay Location Kenai Peninsula, Alaska Coordinates 59°36′33″N 151°20′51″W / 59.60917°N 151.34750°W / 59.60917; -151.34750 Type Bay Primary inflows Fox River, Sheep River, Grewingk River, Wosnesenski River, Seldovia River, Bradley River, Portlock River, Martin River, English Bay River Basin countries United States Max. length 40 mi (64 km) Max. width 6 mi (9.7 km) Average depth 150 ft (46 m)[1] Max. depth 576 ft (176 m) Islands Chugachik Island, Bear Island, Ismailof Island, San Juan Island, Herring Islands, Cohen Island, Yukon Island, Hesketh Island, Grass Island, Powder Island, Gull Island, Mermaid Island Sections/sub-basins Bear Cove, Mallard Bay, Aurora Lagoon, Halibut Cove, Halibut Cove Lagoon, Peterson Bay, China Poot Bay, Neptune Bay, Sadie Cove, Eldred Passage, Tutka Bay, Little Tutka Bay, Jakolof Bay, Kasitsna Bay, Seldovia Bay, Port Graham, English Bay Settlements Homer, Halibut Cove, Seldovia, Nanwalek, Port Graham, Kachemak City, Fox River Voznesenka, Kachemak Selo, Razdolna

**Kachemak Bay** ([Dena'ina](/source/Dena%CA%BCina_language): *Tika Kaq’*) is a 40-mi-long (64 km) arm of [Cook Inlet](/source/Cook_Inlet) in the [U.S. state](/source/U.S._state) of [Alaska](/source/Alaska), located on the southwest side of the [Kenai Peninsula](/source/Kenai_Peninsula). The communities of [Homer](/source/Homer%2C_Alaska), [Halibut Cove](/source/Halibut_Cove%2C_Alaska), [Seldovia](/source/Seldovia%2C_Alaska), [Nanwalek](/source/Nanwalek%2C_Alaska), [Port Graham](/source/Port_Graham%2C_Alaska), and [Kachemak City](/source/Kachemak%2C_Alaska) are on the bay as well as three [Old Believer](/source/Old_Believer) settlements in the [Fox River](/source/Fox_River%2C_Alaska) area, [Voznesenka](/source/Voznesenka%2C_Alaska), [Kachemak Selo](/source/Kachemak_Selo), and [Razdolna](/source/Razdolna).

One interpretation of the word "Kachemak" is "Smokey Bay" which supposedly is from an Alutiiq word describing the smoldering coal seams that used to fill the bay with smoke.[2]

## Features

Fishing boats on Kachemak Bay

Kachemak Bay is home to Alaska's only state [wilderness](/source/Wilderness) park, [Kachemak Bay State Park](/source/Kachemak_Bay_State_Park). Kachemak Bay State park was the first [state park](/source/State_park) in Alaska.[3] There is no road access to most of the park; visitors must arrive by airplane or boat.

A juvenile bald eagle (at top of the photo) is hunting at a Gull Island bird rookery. In the foreground are visitors observing seabirds. May 2011

Kachemak Bay is also home to the [Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve](/source/Kachemak_Bay_National_Estuarine_Research_Reserve), the largest [reserve](/source/National_Estuarine_Research_Reserve) in the [National Estuarine Research Reserve System](/source/National_Estuarine_Research_Reserve_System).[4] It is a very active site of research and education. The bay hosts a remarkably high level of [biological activity](/source/Biological_activity), due in part to water circulation patterns which keep shellfish [larvae](/source/Larva) and [nutrients](/source/Nutrients) in the bay. While surface waters push nutrients out into the bay, ocean currents push them back into the bay, creating a very fertile environment.[5] Both [fish](/source/Fish) and [shellfish](/source/Shellfish) are abundant in the bay, year-round. [Waterfowl](/source/Anseriformes) and [shorebirds](/source/Wader) occupy the bay during all but the winter season, while [water birds](/source/Water_bird) and [marine mammals](/source/Marine_mammal) including [otters](/source/Otter), [seals](/source/Pinniped), [porpoise](/source/Porpoise), and [whales](/source/Whale) remain in the bay all year. The bay provides winter homes for 90% of the [seabird](/source/Seabird) and waterfowl populations of Lower Cook Inlet.[5] [Moose](/source/Moose), [coyote](/source/Coyote), and [bears](/source/Bear) are frequently seen in warmer months.

The [tides](/source/Tides) at Kachemak Bay are extreme, with an average vertical difference (also called mean range) of 15.53 ft (4.73 m), and recorded extremes of 31.72 ft (9.67 m) as measured at the Seldovia Tide Station. The highest tide on record is 25.25 ft (7.70 m) above [MLLW](/source/MLLW) (mean lower low water) and occurred on November 15, 1966. The lowest tide on record is −6.4 ft (−2.0 m) from MLLW and occurred on April 27, 2002.[6]

Fog bank over Kachemak Bay

## See also

- [Kachemak Bay Campus](/source/Kachemak_Bay_Campus)

- [Kachemak Bay State Park](/source/Kachemak_Bay_State_Park)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["The Natural Environment of Kachemak Bay"](http://www.kachemakbaywatertrail.org/life-environment.htm).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Klein, Janet (1981). *A History of Kachemak Bay the Country, the Communities* (Third Printing 1987 ed.). Homer, Alaska: Homer Society of Natural History. p. 39.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-park_3-0)** ["Kachemak Bay State Park and State Wilderness Park"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080718185116/http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/units/kbay/kbay.htm). Alaska Department of Natural Resources. 2008-04-02. Archived from [the original](http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/units/kbay/kbay.htm) on 2008-07-18. Retrieved 2008-08-19.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Kachemak National Estuarine Research Reserve"](https://coast.noaa.gov/nerrs/reserves/kachemak-bay.html). NOAA Office for Coastal Management. 2024-02-21. Retrieved 2024-02-21.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-habitat_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-habitat_5-1) ["Kachemak Bay Critical Habitat Area"](https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=species.main). Alaska Department of Fish & Game. Retrieved 2008-08-19.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Seldovia Tide Station ID: 94555001"](http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/data_menu.shtml?stn=9455500%20Seldovia,%20AK&type=Datums/). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2011-04-10. Retrieved 2011-04-10.

Authority control databases International VIAF National United States Israel Other Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kachemak Bay](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kachemak_Bay) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kachemak_Bay?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.