The San Luis Pass physical oceanography is essentially contributed to the aggressive Gulf Stream and loop current, fluctuating tides in marginal sea, and marine sediment.

Tide levels can vary by almost 2 feet in height, although the tidal effects seem more pronounced along straits than other barrier island zones.

A high amount of drownings occur in the vicinity of the San Luis Pass compared to other areas off of nearby beaches.

As of August 2017, swimming and fishing are now illegal at San Luis Beach due to the high number of drownings.

The pass is also home to bank fishermen who often travel many miles to take advantage of the excellent redfish population from June thru October.

[14] The Station San Luis endured seventy years of coastal service at the west coastline of Galveston Island.

The 1949 Texas hurricane delivered a tropical cyclone with an assailable gale and storm surge fatally damaging the San Luis shoreline station.