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Southwest Alaska Pilots AssociationSouthwest Alaska PilotsAssociation · Est. 1975
Dispatch
A Southwest Alaska pilot boat running alongside a tanker at dusk, with snow-covered mountains beyond

Homer, Alaska · Established 1975

Safe passage through the waters of Southcentral Alaska.

The Southwest Alaska Pilots Association provides compulsory marine pilotage from the tidal extremes of Cook Inlet to the tanker corridor of Prince William Sound, keeping vessels, crews and the waters they transit safe.

Order a Pilotdispatch@swpilots.net

Questions? Dispatch · (907) 299-7513

Tidebook2026 tide tables and handbook

Who we are

Since 1975: local knowledge on demanding waters.

SWAPA pilots guide vessels through extreme tides, winter ice, narrow channels and the exposed approaches of the Gulf of Alaska. Pilotage is compulsory, regulated by the Alaska Board of Marine Pilots and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Each of our state-licensed pilots is a seasoned mariner first, with the regional expertise that charts and instruments alone cannot provide.

Our offices and pilot dispatch center are located in Homer, Alaska, and we maintain stations at Anchorage, Valdez, Seward and Kodiak, positioning pilots close to the waters they know best.

The path to becoming a pilot →

Authority & oversight

  • Regulated pilotageLicensed and overseen by the Alaska Board of Marine Pilots.
  • Federal coordinationOperating under U.S. Coast Guard navigation requirements.
  • Compulsory serviceRequired for vessels transiting our waters.
  • Environmental dutyCharged with preventing harm to Alaska’s waters and coastline.

Out on the water

Protecting the Sound

Pilot transfers happen offshore in every season, in whatever weather the Gulf brings. Ride along as the Emerald Island works the waters of Prince William Sound.

Service area

Our waters

See the full service area & map →
  • Two pilot boats under way in Prince William Sound
  • Northern lights over the cranes at the Port of Alaska
  • A cruise ship seen from the pilot boat's wake in Prince William Sound
  • A container crane at the Port of Kodiak at sunset
  • Snow-covered mountains ahead of a tanker's deck
  • Northern lights over a ship's bridge wing in Cook Inlet
  • The face of a tidewater glacier in Icy Bay
  • A tug and a container crane at dusk at the Port of Alaska
  • A pilot boat at its Valdez dock at night
  • A bulk carrier's deck at Seward, with a cruise ship beyond
  • A tug in calm water near Kodiak
  • Northern lights over Valdez Arm through a tanker's bridge windows
  • A cruise ship among the ice in the Kenai Fjords
  • A container ship and tug in the ice at the Port of Alaska
  • A helicopter on a ship's helideck at sunset in lower Cook Inlet
  • A bulk carrier at anchor near Kodiak Island
  • Northern lights over Prince William Sound from a tanker's bridge wing
  • A tanker seen from the pilot boat's wake off Homer
  • A bulk carrier lit up at dusk near Kodiak
  • A ship under way off Kodiak, seen from the pilot boat

Mariners are reminded to confirm pilot ladder rigging meets SOLAS V/23.View boarding & ladder guidance: IMPA poster (PDF) IMO circular (PDF)