Diving Port Townsend

[losterman]

Just got recertified after many years out of the sport and I've got the bug. Am looking for buddies in the Port Townsend area. Any takers?

I was originally certified in Florida and have done the limestone caverns in North Florida and of course the Keys but this cold and murky NW diving is a whole other thing. My cert dives were at Swains, Point Hudson, Fort Worden, and Ed's Fault in Discovery Bay. Am happy to repeat those dives or visit your favorite site.

-Larry

 

[TSandM]

Larry, welcome back to diving! You'll find the PNW will only take a little time to get used to, although it's never going to outrank the Florida caves (says Lynne, who is a totally addicted cave diver).

I think there are a couple of Port Townsend area divers here on the board, and if you don't find anyone answering you, you can always try our little local board, nwdiveclub.com I KNOW there are Pt. Townsend divers there.

And if you feel like making the drive down to the Seattle area, I'd be happy to meet up with you for a dive in the vicinity of the Mukilteo ferry. (I also really want to get up and dive off Port Townsend off our boat, but that will have to wait until later in the summer.)

 

[losterman]

Lynne, thanks for the invite. I expect to be in Seattle within the next couple of weeks, will drop you a PM when I know my schedule.

Never got the training (nor perhaps the fortitude) to do cave diving, just cavern diving - light from the surface always visible. In any case, to me PNW diving is as exciting as any diving I've done. And I haven't yet seen an octopus, wolf eel, lumpsucker, sixgill - I feel like a kid again.

 

[TSandM]

Oh, there is SO much life in our cold, green waters! In Port Townsend, you are a short ferry ride away from the Keystone Jetty, which is one of our most beautiful and fertile shore diving sites. It's shallow and the entry and exit are easy, so it's a perfect dive for a novice (or someone returning to diving). But it's also very current-sensitive, so you have to plan your dives for days of small exchanges, or for slack.

I'd highly recommend you pick up a couple of critter ID books -- Whales to Whelks is a good place to start -- because the more you understand about the life you're seeing, the more interesting your dives will get. The PNW isn't often fish-intensive, but there is a lot of sessile invertebrate life that can be colorful and fascinating.