NOAA Charts Online

Here’s a great set of links for the ship’s navigator!

Buying charts can get expensive and figuring out which ones you need can take a lot of time. Use these links to go to NOAA’s online chart viewer for the named region. The viewer page lists each of the charts for the navigational areas and when, selected, displays each.  Use the zoom and pan controls to examine the charts in detail.

Atlantic Coast, Gulf Coast, Pacific Coast, Alaska, Great Lakes

After you’ve selected a chart you can download an electronic version of it for FREE at:

http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/Raster/download.htm

Read the copyright notice and scroll down to the bottom of the page to continue.

A list of FREE “demo” downloadable viewers can be found at:

http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/Raster/resources.htm

Links are also provided for purchasing hard-copy charts. 

Caution: We believe that, as useful as electronic charts are, they are no substitute for paper charts, pencils, calipers, parallel rulers, and protractors. When it comes to serious navigation, keep a log and a plot for safety at sea!