Non-navigable

Describes a body of water or a waterway that is not suitable or safe for navigation by boats or ships. This can be due to a variety of factors, including shallow depth, strong currents, treacherous rapids, submerged obstructions like rocks or logs, excessive width, or insufficient water level. The term implies a practical impossibility or significant danger in attempting waterborne travel. Consequently, any attempt to travel would be considered ill-advised and, potentially, life-threatening. This implies it is impractical or unsafe to journey by water due to such restrictions on the water's ability to support and facilitate travel. The state of being non-navigable significantly restricts the opportunities for transport and commerce that a navigable waterway facilitates. This lack of navigability can also lead to ecological isolation or a lack of human contact. This limitation may impact human settlement and economic activities.

Non-navigable meaning with examples

• The raging rapids in the mountain river rendered it entirely non-navigable, making any attempt at canoeing or rafting extremely dangerous. Consequently, any travel by river was near impossible and this prevented exploration past the start of the river. Only hiking or walking through the terrain could offer another route.
• Due to the extensive network of submerged sandbars, large sections of the coastal lagoon become non-navigable during low tide, severely limiting access to the inner areas for commercial fishing vessels and other types of transportation. Locals have learnt to live with this limitation.
• The swamp, choked with dense vegetation and fallen trees, was deemed non-navigable. Explorers found the dense marshy water and overgrown plants to be completely impassable by any form of boat, ruling out water travel and forcing them to change plans.
• The river's extremely shallow depth during the dry season made it non-navigable, effectively cutting off several remote villages from the main trade routes for months. Villagers were now dependent on the dry land as access routes.