Bellingham or Olympia

[George Scherman]

My son and I are going to be in the Puget Sound area next week and we'd like to dive if the viz is ok. Is the diving decent near either Oly or Bellingham? Are there dive ops you would reccommend? Thanks for your help.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

One of my favorite spots is Hoodsport, on a map find Olympia then trace upwards on the Olympic penninsula side along Hood canal. Perhaps 50 minutes past Olympia or so, (it's been awhile...)

Find Hood Sport -n- Dive, about 20 minutes above Hoodsport. Good operation. Ask for Ron or Mike. Last phone I had was (360) 877-6818. Address of the shop is:
27001 N. Hwy 101
Hoodsport, WA 98548
http://www.hoodsportndive.com/

A couple great dives close to the shop. (try Sund Rock first) Lodging is nearby, ask if the trailer is still available. Espresso is available in the mornings, and some excellent smoked salmon. A little restaurant called (I think) the Breakers is about 5 minutes up the road on the left.

Bald eagles visible from the deck of the shop and an in-house goldsmith...can't beat the place...its real beautiful. Hope you get a chance to check it out.

Best,

Doc

 

[DavidG]

Hood Canal (Doc's reply) is a very nice area - very picturesque!

The Charter operator I'd recommend would be http://www.pacadventure.com/
You can call or email them for current conditions as they are on the water daily.

One of the things you mentioned was viz.

Hood Canal on Sunday for me was 3' horizontal down to 55' where it opened up to 15' at the first site (Goby Gardens). Second site (Pinnacles) was 3' horizontal down to 35' where it opened to 30'.

Tacoma (Les Davis park) on Saturday for me was ~20 horizontal top to bottom on the first dive and then on the second it was 3' horizontal down to 15' where it was back to 20.

 

[diveborg]

I'll second the recommendation for Pacific Adventure for a dive charter. Don and Diane are great people, they have a decent sized 6 pack boat, and something I look forward to a the end of the dives: a warm water shower on deck.