Been crossing South Passage for the best part of 30 years - for 20 years of that time in a 4.5 metre tinnie with a 40 on it. In that time I've had crossings ranging from "bar - what bar" right through to "F*ck me, never doing that again". We copped two walls of water one night relying on GPS marks, I've gone out across the bar while driving towards Moreton Island (that won't work any more) and I've come back across it in conditions that big I couldn't see another boat one wave behind me. It's a coastal bar - the techniques for crossing them are the same no matter which one your on. If your not entirely confident with your technique then Bill's course is definitely worth doing. If in doubt, make the call to bail early. Deciding halfway through to attempt to turn and bug out is pretty much asking for a swim. Sit and watch for a bit - making sure to pay attention to what is going on out the back as well as plenty of the gutters have an outer bank that can catch you out. IMO, the only mark to have in your GPS is the wreck of the Rufus King so you can give it a wide berth. The rest changes regularly - use your eyeballs.

I tend to use the Amity gutter most of the time to go out - it's the shortest swim if you do get it wrong and typically the shortest crossing. Some days it's a cake walk - last Sunday being a perfect example. You couldn't tell where the gutter was as there was insufficient swell to create a break - even on the outgoing tide. Some days she's a monster and best left alone. The other gutters are typically a bit deeper than the Amity one and are a better proposition in bigger swell. Coming back in depends on whether I have fished north or south but a lot of the time I don't even bother with a gutter if I know there is enough tide and simply ride one in. The bigger the swell the better for this.