| The Marine Exchange Vessel Traffic Center controls all ocean traffic within a 25-mile radius. If you call ahead, you can arrange to tour the lookout on the second floor, which has sweeping views and three-foot-wide radar screens that show the location of vessels. Boats 131 feet and longer are required to identify themselves via radio. Smaller boats, called “passive users,” identify themselves only when they’re in distress. It’s the traffic center that answers the call of “Mayday, Mayday” on Channel 16 and helps the Coast Guard find the boat. One interesting fact: The traffic center identifies the boat on the radar screen by tracing the direction of its radio signal. If the call comes in on a cell phone instead of ship-to-shore radio, there is no way to pinpoint the boat.
The nearby Marine Mammal Care Center is also worth a visit.
Parking/Restrooms
To reach the traffic center from the main gate of Angels Gate Park, take the first right onto Leary Merrian Drive. Follow it to the top of the hill and take the first left. The parking lot has blue spaces. Ring the doorbell if the doors are locked. There’s an elevator to the second floor, and a spacious restroom with grab bars on the first floor.
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