Here are some things to consider before taking your boat from the bay to the ocean. This is a hazardous transition. If the motor stops, the craft can turn sideways into a swell or breaker and easily be swamped or capsized in just a few seconds. Radio equipment is helpful here, too, to call for help or get the official word on bar conditions. Boaters entering ocean waters must carry some specialized equipment, such as flairs, to assist in a search or rescue.
Small boats are less stable and more easily swamped or capsized.
Open bow boats and boats with low sterns are more easily swamped. Bar conditions can change from calm to dangerous quickly with incoming weather systems or tidal shifts. Coming back into a bay exposes the stern of a boat to incoming swells, more easily swamping the vessel. Large tide swings create a more dangerous bar, too, as outgoing currents and incoming tides are magnified. Avoid crossing or approaching the bar on an ebb-tide.