Current Visibility Report

[Sasquatch]

Edmonds was really fun yesterday. A great group of divers on the beach and in the water but we splashed later than planned. While I waited for my buddies I talked with those just drying off and they reported 15-25'. An hour later we were diving in something that SERIOUSLY reminded me of hot 'n sour soup from Yen Ching in Mountlake Terrace.

I'm not complaining. It was really fun in a way. I was hovering once while we regrouped and a clear area opened up below me. There was a dungie, then another and then 50 or 60 in one big, moving herd. Cool!

Nothing like seeing some of the big structures just appear in front of you out of the soup. The current kept the kelp and tofu moving along and the stalks of kelp flagging on their stalks. Saw a large blue fish with a yellow tail. Very curious companion.

Mukilteo had better vis, 30' below 80'. Never made it to Whidbey.

 

[jumbo]

Alki today around 5:00 pm

10-20 feet

 

[TSandM]

Well, I hate to say it, everybody, but it's summer.

It was impossible to see anything much, beginning with a parking space anywhere near Cove 2. Viz underwater ranged from, "If I keep my nose 6" off the bottom, I might see a sea creature or two," to, "I think that dark object on my left is my buddy." Reports from other, more intrepid divers were that viz opened up somewhat below 70', but we didn't get that far.

Brush up on your Braille -- It's that summer algae bloom time of year again!

 

[Nailer99]

I buddied up with a pier pilling at Mukilteo for a while this afternoon during my safety stop. After a couple minutes, I started wondering why he wasn't moving; then I noticed that he was much taller than I remembered.....

 

[gcbryan]

Sund Rock yesterday had viz of 1 ft for most of that dive. The South Wall had 10 ft for most of that dive. We'll see what Lobstershop Wall has in store for today.

 

[airsix]

Sounds discouraging. Seasonally speaking, when does it tend to open back up again? Does it cycle througout the summer, or is summer pretty much solid soup straight through? I'd like to come over for another dive trip in July (Aug. at the latest), but these reports are bumming me out.

-Ben M.

 

[TASea]

Had decent viz (for summer) on the deep wall west of Lobstershop Wall yesterday, around 15' or maybe a little better. That was at 120'-140', shallower wasn't so good.

That wall has some interesting structure, with crevices, folds, and some deep holes almost large enough to swim into. I'm guessing the holes were made by fish, since there doesn't seem to be enough current there to form them naturally. Anyone else dove that site?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Sounds discouraging. Seasonally speaking, when does it tend to open back up again? Does it cycle througout the summer, or is summer pretty much solid soup straight through? I'd like to come over for another dive trip in July (Aug. at the latest), but these reports are bumming me out.

-Ben M.

It cycles, Ben. The plankton blooms, then it dies off. You'll get pea soup for a while, then it'll clear up for a few days, then it's pea soup again.

Unfortunately, the cycles aren't predictable ... not that I've been able to notice, at least.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[dsteding]

Vis in Odell's spring creek was unlimited, on the Madison it was at least five feet, and I swear you can see mountains 100 miles away here in Montana right now.

-Doug (currently chasing trout about 700 miles east of the pea soup Pacific).

 

[TSandM]

But you KNOW you're missing that hiss, bubble bubble bubble . . . hiss, bubble bubble bubble. No amount of bony trout can make up for it.