Synoptic data on near-surface and near-bottom currents for two 1-month periods are analyzed for six stations located 3.5-7 km offshore. Tidal currents are rotary with long ellipse axes approximately parallel to the shoreline and are nearly synchronous.On the basis of amplitude the seven largest constituents of the currents were identified as M2S2N2K1O1J1 and SO1. Maximum tidal current speed decreaes with distance to the south away from the entrance to Chesapeake Bay. Near the bottom, tidal currents at spring strenth decrease from 32.4 cm/s at the entrance to 8.2 cm/s at a point 22 km to the south.Near bottom tidal currents are incompetent by themselves to move fine sand except in the entrance area. Forth-hour low-pass currents are generated by winds and by sea surface slopes. They reach peak speeds near the surface of 48 cm/s in events of up to 6 days' duration. IN summer a strong pycnocline inhibits downward propagation of these high-speed surface currents. In the fall the surface currents penetrate more readily to the bottom. Winds to the south in summer generate stronger currents than winds to the north having the same speed. Seasonal variations in wind regimes and corresponding currents seem to require a strong south slope to the sea surface in summer and a a very gentle slope to the north in the fall. Waves entrain the bed sediment 60-83% of the time in depths of 8-13 m. With a threshold taken at 20 cm/s, only the south-directed low-pass currents supplement the incompetent tidal currents so as to produce sediment transport.Threshold exceedance in 8-13 m occurs 1-2% of the time under south-flowing low-pass currents in summer and 3-5% of the time under southerly low-pass currents in the fall. At 15 m the transport threshold was not reached during the observation period. A coastwise parallel stream of intermittent bedsediment transport is thus defined. The frequency of exceedance decreases to the south away from the entrance area. This decrease is consistent with the seaward bulging configuration of isobaths east of Cape Henry.