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Dive Sites |
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Hood Canal Area
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Sund's Rock
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The surface swim to the rock is actually fun to snorkel if the vis is good. The depth is only about 10 fsw or so, and if vis is good you can watch the crabs and sole scatter around on the bottom as you are swimming out to the rock face.
Once you reach the rock face, descend and follow it down and to the north. If within your limits, you can follow it down to about 90 fsw. The rock face is fairly expansive, but only marks the southern end of this fantastic dive site. After exploring the face, make certain to head north where you will find boulder piles, additional walls, ledges, isolated rocks, etc. The boulder piles are typically where we find Giant Pacific Octopus and Wolf-Eels making their homes. On one dive here, I found 8 Wolf-Eels (although none of them were as tame as the Sunrise Wolf-Eels) and 3 Giant Pacific Octopus. Large schools of Copper Rockfish always frequent this location. During nesting season, it seems like Lingcod are everywhere here, boldly protection their nests. In addition, you will also find Quillback and Brown Rockfish, and schools of colorful Striped Seapearch and Pile Perch. Gobies are also in abundance, as are Sea Cucumbers, starfish, anemones, shrimp, sea gherkins, an assortment of nudibranchs, and crabs of different varieties. There is (was?) also a large field of Sea Whips at the base of the wall. Eventually, the rocky structure gives way to a silty substrate to the north.
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Octopus Hole
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The main attraction of this site is a large wall - about 20 feet high and over a couple hundred yards long. Everything here is covered in silt from the nearby rivers, so the bottom stirs up very quickly. As there are no real currents here to clear the water, once the bottom is stirred up, it is going to remain that way for a while until it settles down on it's own accord. On this day, vis was about 15-20 feet, compared to about 30 feet a couple miles to the south at Sund Rock. I attribute the decrease in vis to the fact that there were so many divers at this site stirring up the silt.
The wall is relatively smooth, providing relatively little cover for larger marine creatures. However, every so often there are large fissures in the rocks. It is in the fissures that you will find Quillback Rockfish and Lingcod, and if you are lucky a Wolf-eel or octopus. There are also a couple of small shelves with boulder piles that offer decent structure for fish and invertebrates alike.
Along the base of the wall (and sometimes on the wall itself), expect to find cool Black-eyed and Bay Gobies in huge abundance (which by the way are almost impossible to get a camera framer around), Painted Greenlings, occasional Kelp Greenling, more Quillback Rockfish, and schools of patrolling Pile Perch and Striped Seaperch. Leather Stars and Sunflower Stars dot the seascape, as do Burrowing and Red Sea Cucumbers. Brilliant White Tube, Swimming, and Plumose Anemones are readily visible. I even found a California Berthella (which is a nudibranch of sorts). Also check out the massive number of Dungeness Crabs hiding in the silt or scampering around, especially above the wall. In addition to Dungeness Crabs, expect to find a lot of spider and Hermit Crabs.
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Triton Cove
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Triton Cove is located about half way down the west side of Hood's Canal. I dove this site in January of 2002 and chose to dive this site based upon the review in NW Boat Dives, which complimented the site's marine life and rock structure.
The site is very close to the Triton boat launch, which is located in a nice little park located just off of Highway 101. In fact, the dive site is so close to the boat ramp that on a calm winter day (when there is no boat traffic), and ambitious diver who doesn't mind a very lengthy surface swim could swim out 700 yards or so to the rocks located just north of the boat ramp and dive this site. But I would have to ask why would they do this when there are many vastly superior dives on the Canal. I must say I was very disappointed with this site. We anchored off of the east side of the rocks in about 20 fsw, and were greeted by a gently sloping cobblestone bottom, with occasional patches of leaf kelp. That's all the terrain had to offer us where ever we swam - endless cobblestones and kelp, all the way down to about 60 fsw with no end in site. There might be more kelp here in the summer, which would offer refuge for more marine life, but even with that I would have a hard time diving this site again.
As far as the marine life is concerned, there were a few sea stars, some beautiful large fish-eating anemones (Fish-Eating Urticina), a few juvenile rockfish, the ever-present Hood's Canal gobies, a few perch, and countless shrimp. The highlight of this site for me was chasing around countless Squat Lobsters, which are cool little critters. These shy little shrimp scatter quickly anytime you try to get a macro lens framer near them. I have not noted these critters elsewhere in the Puget Sound. At this site, they were under almost every kelp leaf below 30 fsw. With their red shells and long red arms trailing behind them as they quickly dart off backwards, they almost look like a small Red Octopus. It just goes to show that if you look around enough, you can always find something to entertain you on a dive!
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Sea Mount
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. Sea Mount is located in the middle of Dabob Bay, which is on the north end of Hood's Canal, just south of the Hood's Canal Bridge. This is a boat dive only, as the site is located a good mile away from any land. It is also quite a drive to this site from Seattle (over two hours unless you take a ferry, who reams$$$ you if you bring a boat on board), so you might want to make at least a day of it.
Sea Mount is actually a huge pinnacle that rises up out of 200 feet of water and peaks about 35 feet from the surface (on a low tide). The top of the pinnacle is rugged and expansive, running from 35 to 55 feet deep. I would guess the "top" is maybe 100 feet long and 50 feet wide. The best way to find this site is with a good set of GPS coordinates and a depth finder. With the coordinate listed in NW Boat Dives and a depth finder, we were easily able to find the pinnacle.
For reference, the pinnacle lies about a mile and a half south of Wawa Point. Although there is supposedly a boat ramp at Wawa Point, none of the locals in Quilcene (the nearest town) seemed to know about it. Therefore, we used the ramp to the north at Point Whitney, which is accessible by turning left on Bee Mill Road off of Highway 101 (south). Follow Bee Mill Road to the very end, where you will find a fisheries building, restrooms, a dock, and a small boat ramp. You might need a 4X4 to get a boat off this ramp at low tide when the ramp is wet. Once you launch you boat, head south to the dive site, which is about three and a half miles from the ramp.
Once you find the pinnacle, anchor on top and make certain to let out a lot of extra anchor line in case your anchor drags. Although the pinnacle is not surrounded by shear walls, a dragging anchor line could easily result in your anchor dangling in mid-water and no boat to return to. It is also very wise to descend on your anchor line and check the anchor's bite when starting your dive. Keep in mind that the winds can really kick up in this area so a good anchor bite on an unattended boat is absolutely critical.
On descent, you will be greeted by spectacular rock formations. Large, rugged protruding rocks and boulders make up the uneven seascape. After we check the anchor's bite, we head off the top of the pinnacle, descend to the desired depth, and circumnavigate the structure. The sides of the pinnacle slope off at about an average 45 degree angle, although there are places where it is steeper for short bursts. We did not have to go below 80 fsw to have a great dive at this site.
Make certain to bring a good light on this dive. There are countless dark holes, cracks, and gaps in and between the rocks to explore - some of them quite large, and all of them serving as potential hide-outs for the plethora of marine creatures that call the pinnacle home. Expect to see some large Lingcod, Copper and Brown Rockfish, Black-eyed Gobies, Squat Lobsters, perch, Painted Greenlings, anemones, sea stars, tons of shrimp, colorful yellow sponges, Red Sea Cucumbers, Burrowing Sea Cucumbers, and an assortment of nudibranchs at this site. In fact, when we dove here in January, I saw more Odner's Dorids than I have seen in all my other dives to date - I must have seen a dozen of them, yellow, pale yellow, and even a few white ones. Anyway, a good light will bring to life all of the vivid color that this reef has to offer.
One great thing about this site is the lack of substantial currents. Like most (but not all) of Hood's Canal, there is not much tidal exchange in Dabob Bay. My experience at this site is that currents were negligible. On the minus side, however, you often get a cold water layer on the surface, as you do at many sites in Hood's Canal. Hood Canal is fed by many rivers from the Olympic Mountains, and the cold water runoff can have a significant effect on the water temp in this area, especially in winter. Although the colder water does not bother me, it does affect some of my friends. If you are lucky enough to be diving dry, you may want to layer up a bit if you are sensitive to the colder water.
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The two extensive south reefs offer interesting diving for beginner, intermediate and advanced divers. Access is from shore, by boat, or by dive kayak. The reefs are stepped, with profuse life around 20 feet, at 40 to 50 feet, and cloud sponge gardens around 100 feet. Rockfish abound, as do lingcod and perch. Plumose anemones cover the rocks, and wolf eels and Giant Pacific Octopus are plentiful.
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Puget Sound |
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Tacoma Narrows
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Directions: Take I-5 North to Tacoma to Exit 132. Take the S. 38 St. West ramp towards Gig Harbor/WA-16/ Bremerton/Tacoma Mall. Keep LEFT at the fork in the ramp. Merge onto WA-16 W. Take the 6th Ave. Exit towards WA-163. Turn LEFT onto 6th Ave. Turn RIGHT onto N Pearl St. Stay straight to go onto N. Pearl St./WA-163. N. Pearl St./WA-163 becomes Point Defiance Tahlequah Ferry. Point Defiance Tahlequah Ferry becomes Vashon Hwy. SW. Stay straight to go onto Wax Orchard Rd. SW. Turn RIGHT onto SW 220th St. Turn LEFT onto Westside Hwy. SW.
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Visibility at least 40' Garage sized concrete blocks just covered with red growth and sea life.Jumping shrimp and two 1-2' rat fish are common. Also a number of larger 3-4' ling cod .
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Sunrise Reef:
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One of the most popular dive sites in the south sound due to the resident wolf eels and octopus. We frequently see 6-gills during certain times of the year at night. Recently named a wildlife protected area, it begins at 30' and slopes to 70'. Tides are unpredictable so best leave it to the experts.
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Tacoma Narrow Drift (East Side):
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Fast currents, rock and gravel bottom with sandstone and clay caves and ridges. From 35' to 90' and swift currents, this dive offers a good advanced drift dive. Divers will occasionally see octopus and lots of sea life throughout the dive. Ling Cod, Wolf Eel, Rock Cod and sections of the old bridge and stanchions can be seen as well.
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Narrow Stanchions (East Side):
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Large concrete pillars covered with animals make a good naturalist dive for advanced divers and classes.
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Galloping Gerty (East Side):
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Parts and pieces of the old narrows bridge lay from 30' to 130' and offer a view of history few people get to see. The famous film of the twisting bridge tearing itself apart is this bridge. Advanced divers with a deep diving specialty advised.
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Alki Rock Reef:
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Just off Alki, this is a reef intentionally built to enhance the area and promote fish life otherwise lost to industrial enhancements in the bay. at 50' to 70' these rock piles loom up to 15' from the bottom. These multiple structures are connect4ed in a star formation with cables. lots of hiding places for the elusive octopus and codfish. Plumose, Starfish, Urchins and many other commonly seen Puget Sound regulars take up residence in abundance here.
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Blakely Harbor:
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Two large rock ridges ascending from depths of 80' to 20' in places with abundant plant and animal life.
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Blakely Rock:
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This dive can accommodate many dive certification levels. it can be a heavy current area, but slack tides are predictable. From 10' to 130' divers will enjoy naturally occurring rock and sand formations.
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Boeing Reef:
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This is a man made reef on a rocky slope. Watch currents on this dive. It starts at about 30' and drops to 100', boasting unlimited plant and animal life.
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