Woods Hole is a naturally occurring, rocky, and treacherous passage, with shallow rocky areas scattered along both sides of the channel. The current is often strong running between Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound, mostly flowing at around 4 knots and occasionally as fast as 7 knots. The eastern (Vineyard Sound) side of the channel also splits into a southern branch, known as Broadway, which flows closer to Nonamesset Island.[2]
Etymology
The origin of the strait's name is unknown. Several similar straits in the area are also referred to as "holes", but this term is not used in the U.S. outside of the Cape and Islands. The source of "Woods" is also hazy but is believed to have been derived from the possessive form of the name of a Wampanoag living in the area during English colonization of Cape Cod in the 17th century. There is a possibility that Woods Hole was named after a colonist, but it is unlikely to have been a reference to woods, in the sense of a forest.[3]
