Perdido Pass, Coastal waterway in Orange Beach, Alabama, US

Perdido Pass is a coastal water passage in Orange Beach, Alabama, that connects Perdido Bay to the Gulf of Mexico, flanked by two rock barriers rising from white sandy shores. The channel runs between these barriers, and tidal currents shape the flow of water through it at all times.

Until the early 20th century the pass lay about 2 miles east of its present site. In early 1906 local residents dug a new inlet through Point Ornocor, and the 1906 Mississippi hurricane widened it. The old inlet silted up, attaching the eastern part of Point Ornocor to Perdido Key and the Florida mainland; the former waterway became Old River. Alabama and Florida fixed the state line at the old pass in 1953.

Perdido Pass lies entirely within Alabama; the state line with Florida runs east of it, settled in 1953 at the site of the old pass. The name comes from the Perdido River, whose mouth the pass forms. Boaters use the marked channel through Bayou St. John to reach the Intracoastal Waterway.

Water depth in the channel shifts with the tides and weather, so boaters should check local conditions and tide times before heading out. Visitors on foot can walk along both shores, but the ground near the rock barriers is uneven, so sturdy footwear is a good idea.

The pass drifts slowly westward because of longshore currents, with sand piling up on the eastern side while the western edge gradually wears away. Over time, this shift changes the navigation routes that boaters rely on and reshapes the banks on both sides.