Government Cut is the main entry into the Miami Harbor and separates Fisher Island from Miami Beach.
You can paddle through the cut, but be careful of heavy ship traffic. It can get especially hectic when a cruise ship is leaving harbor or when pleasure craft and jet-skis are whizzing about. You get several bow waves reflected off the sea walls, and it can feel like you are in a washing machine. The tidal currents at government cut aren't particularly strong (about 2 knots, maybe 3 knots at the peak of a king tide)
You should be safe if you stay outside the main channel marked by buoys and keep your wits about you, but pay special attention to the Fisher Island Ferries. The service operates operates 24/7, to and from the terminal at the MacArthur Causeway every fifteen minutes and you'll have to at some point cross the ferry boat path.
There are always two ferries operating, and they tend to leave from each end of the route more or less at the same time. The way to know if it's safe to cross the ferry path is by looking at the docked ferry and seeing which way the vehicles in the ferry are facing.
If you see the back of the vehicles, it means they are still disembarking and should be save to carry on. If you see the front of the vehicles then the ferry may be ready to leave at any moment. In that case, wait until the ferry pulls out of the terminal before proceeding.
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