Best place in Washington or nearby for first dive?

[carl1864]

So I live about 20 miles from seattle, washington. I've been wanting to go scuba diving for years, but there is something holding me back, and that is finding a place I actually want to dive. I've been looking at lots of youtube videos of various popular places around here, such as alki beach, redondo beach, kingston, etc. However they all look so green, and murky, and just not really a place I think I'd want to swim. The sea life in the videos of these areas I've found seems to just consist of stuff like dirty crabs, ugly grey fish, pale dirty starfish, etc. Just not really stuff I care to be around. I hope I don't offend anyone by saying that, because I know there are alot of avid divers who appreciate every form of life they come across. And alot of divers who enjoy diving everywhere. However me personally, as much as I really do want to scuba dive, and would like to go soon, I just don't have any temptation to dive in dirty murky water with crabs and dirty looking fish.

Now seeing videos on TV of people diving in tropical waters, with clearer water, colorful fish, sea turtles, bright coral, that seems like much more fun to me. However I simply do not have the money to travel anywhere, $350 for classes is about the most I can afford right now or anytime soon. And also even if I did ever travel somewhere in the future, I probably wouldn't be there long enough to take the scuba classes, nor would I want to spend the whole trip in a classroom. More likely I think I'd be better off taking the classes up here, so that if I ever am in a tropical place, I'll be certified already and can just rent gear. I don't think I'll scuba dive often, unless I get addicted or something it will probably be once every couple years, so I want to make my first dive as enjoyable as possible since it will be a long time before going again.

I'm not expecting to find tropical like waters in the northwest, but is there any place I might like a little better than the murky places I've seen videos of around here? Someplace with at least clearer water, and more pleasant colorful wildlife. I'd potentially consider going as far down as northern oregon (if there was a class that could be done in a weekend, and I could camp out for a night or something so I don't need a hotel).

Or perhaps there are some other ideas of ways to go about this that I don't know of? Thanks.

 

[TSandM]

Most of the fish in the Pacific Northwest (and along much of the Northwest coast) are comparatively duller in color than their tropical counterparts, although we have some beauties -- vermilion rockfish are brilliant scarlet, and Red Irish Lords can show up in anything from crimson to lavender. Many of our rocks are coated in coralline algae that is purple, and anemones come in green, yellow, pink, red and maroon, as well as white and orange.

Remember that video will NEVER give you true color, because the lighting is too diffuse. Although it's true that our water is green, there is more color in the rocks and life than shows up in videos. Still photographs are a much better indicator -- check out THIS thread for some fabulous photography and artwork about our Pacific Northwest diving.

It is true that our standard training sites don't tend to be the most inspiring for sea life, although Cove 2 at Alki, which is one of the most common, has been the site of several of my most memorable finds (my one sixgill shark, my biggest octopus in the open, among others). But there ARE much more inspiring places, like Sunrise Reef, or Day Island Wall, or Waterman's Wall, or the Possession Point ferry. Many are boat dives or current-sensitive, so that you have to have a bit more experience and plan your dive carefully, but those of us who dive regularly here make it to those sites whenever we can.

If you really want clear water and bright color, you have to go as far south as Monterey (where the viz is not guaranteed, but can be spectacular) or as far north as mid Vancouver Island.

 

[Furnari]

If at some point in your life you do get to the tropics, having dives under your belt can only be a plus. My first 20 dives after Open Water certification were at Roatan in the Caribbean- everything since has been in the Northwest. I definitely wish I would have had more experience from up here before I traveled- it would have let me enjoy things a lot more without having to worry so much about basic skills. FWIW, the dives I've had in Hood Canal and Whidbey Island are just as memorable in their own way as the tropics. There's tons of life if that's what floats your boat, and if it's clarity you want, try Clear Lake down here in Oregon- the 150-200 feet of viz will take your breath away (or maybe that's just the cold?).

 

[carl1864]

So furnari mentioned clear lake in oregon. Is there actually a class that teaches there, or a way to make that as your first dive?

And TSandM mentioned a few places, but said they are current sensitive, so does that mean they are not for first dives?

I'm pretty much looking for places with a real good first diving spot, since after my first dive it will probably be a long time before I go again, I want my first dive to be as memorable as possible, since I just don't like the idea of being in murky water with junk floating all over.

 

[Sasquatch]

I guess I'd only call those waters murky if the viz was under ten feet. Usually, not always, PNW dive spots will render up viz in the 20-50' range depending on all the factors that determine viz. IMHO the best thing about diving the PNW is the proximity to diving. When I lived in Edmonds I could be in the water 30 minutes after I left the house at one of four locations and, just to me, it was often more important just to dive rather than worry about slightly low visibility.

The other point I'll quickly make is that just because the water visibility is lower does not mean that the water is "dirty". The people of Washington have gone to great efforts to try to maintain or improve overall water quality for many years now.

Lastly, many divers only dive in warm, clear water on their vacations once a year. Maybe that's your style and that's OK too.

Be safe and have fun!

 

[TSandM]

murky water with junk floating all over

I've only seen this in Indonesia. Our water is green primarily because of the algae content, which is what provides sustenance for the wide variety of filter-feeders we have in the Sound.

Carl, the great thing is that your first dives will be great dives, almost no matter WHERE you do them, because everything you see in them will be new to you. I still love taking new divers out . . . the wild variety in shapes, colors and sizes of starfish alone amazes and delights them.

If you want a beginner-friendly dive site that is utterly beautiful, with an incredible diversity of life, I'd recommend the Keystone Jetty on Whidbey Island. It IS a current-sensitive site, which means you have to dive it on the right day and at the right time, but if you get those things right, the dive itself is shallow, with simple navigation. You will want, if at all possible, to do any of your first dives with a buddy who is familiar with the site, and preferably one who has more experience diving than you do.

But why do you say that your first dive won't be followed by any more? We were talking about this after the club dive last night . . . diving, GOOD diving, is so accessible and so inexpensive here in the Sound that the divers here really are spoiled rotten. It seems sad to go through the expense and effort of a certification class to do one dive.

 

[W8less]

In the south sound, the better dives are boat dives, my votes would go for China Wall at Blakely Rock and my favorite KVI tower off of Vashon. There is a boat the Alluminator with a great skipper (Howie) that runs out of Elliott Bay Marina at Magnolia.

At Edmonds BH UW park you will find ling cod and cabezon that are big enough to ambush you and scare you witless.

At alki you can swim with harbor seals, there is a large and growing GP octopus in cove 1 that lives in a hollowed out log. During your surface interval you can watch great blue herons or bald eagles fish and feed their young in a nest across the street from Salty's.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is everywhere if you are open to it.

 

[Furnari]

Carl- I've heard that there are OW classes at Clear Lake, most likely through dive shops in the Bend area. However, I must warn you that the downside to Clear Lake is the cold. I dove it on Valentine's Day and it was 38 degrees. I was in a wetsuit and survived just fine, but that level of cold might bother some people, especially during drills like mask removal, etc.

Honestly, I would say do something locally for your class- your area has some spectacular dives, so I'll defer to experts up there like TSandM. I don't think you'll be disappointed- it's not as bad as you're making it out to be

 

[Furnari]

+ 1 for Keystone Jetty. I dove it on a bad day (current wise) and it's still one of my favorites.

 

[qwertyhoot]

I found this site while searching for the same answer... I am not certified yet, but wanted a list of "beginner" dives for when I am. I really don't want to accidentally get in over my head. If you click "beginner" on the left, and then hit the search button, it will give you a ton of results.
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