Diving spots in/near Washington State

[kaylee_ann]

If you can make it to my neck of the woods, you can dive for free. Just dm me so we can set up dates.

I could likely swing by on the way back would be fun to meet up too! I’ll shoot you a message

 

[kaylee_ann]

LOL. The last time I dove in a thick two piece wetsuit was my 6th dive (including the 4 from my OW cert), so maybe it was just that I wasn't very good.

Hah! I don’t know how mine is (or how I’d describe it, anyway). Just that I wasn’t ascending/descending uncontrollably like crazy and slamming into the bottom. A win in my book- yay!

 

[rx7diver]

... Any ideas of some really good places I shouldn't miss? Thanks!

@kaylee_ann,

I flew to Seattle to attend a professional conference Memorial Day weekend, ca. 2008. Took my dive gear with me, since I wanted to dive Puget Sound. While there, I looked up dive shops on Bainbridge Island, just across from Seattle, and scheduled a dive. I took the ferry over from Seattle, met up with the dive shop for cylinder and weights, and drove a short distance to do a shallow, walkout dive.

Fun time. My first time diving the West "coast", my first time ever having to be concerned with tide charts.

Two surprises: Although I dove my drysuit, the water wasn't cold compared to Lake Superior May temps. I am sure I would have been comfortable in my MO wetsuit (two piece 0.25" farmer John and shorty) for this shallow dive. And I wasn't prepared for the amount of Pb I needed when diving there with a single Al 80!

If you like looking at animal life, I think you will enjoy such a dive.

Also, if I had driven to Seattle, instead of flying, I think I would have traveled up to dive off Vancouver Island, too.

rx7diver

 

[kaylee_ann]

@kaylee_ann,

I flew to Seattle to attend a professional conference Memorial Day weekend, ca. 2008. Took my dive gear with me, since I wanted to dive Puget Sound. While there, I looked up dive shops on Bainbridge Island, just across from Seattle, and scheduled a dive. I took the ferry over from Seattle, met up with the dive shop for cylinder and weights, and drove a short distance to do a shallow, walkout dive.

Fun time. My first time diving the West "coast", my first time ever having to be concerned with tide charts.

Two surprises: Although I dove my drysuit, the water wasn't cold compared to Lake Superior May temps. I am sure I would have been comfortable in my MO wetsuit (two piece 0.25" farmer John and shorty) for this shallow dive. And I wasn't prepared for the amount of Pb I needed when diving there in a single Al 80!

If you like looking at animal life, I think you will enjoy such a dive.

Also, if I had driven to Seattle, instead of flying, I think I would have traveled up to dive off Vancouver Island, too.

rx7diver

Up in the NE, we dive with steel- is that the same for the west?
And hopefully it’s not too chilly in October, when I plan on going. I might take a dry suit course.
Oh, hey- I’ve heard sometimes people have problems driving after a dive going from a lower to higher elevation in terms of decompression. My route goes from WA-Idaho-MT-SD-Iowa-IL-IN-Ohio-PA. My plan is just to drive straight home after the dive (I’m used to incredibly long drives). Wasn’t sure if this would pose a decompression issue or if the exhaustion is more dangerous.
Thanks!

 

[kaylee_ann]

For reference, Seattle is 174ft above sea level, and my town is 1539ft above it but I’m not sure if that’s actually a big deal.

 

[Cthippo]

wrecks are awesome, I've always wanted to dive one.
as for what I want...a site with a lot to see. like sea life, underwater plants, etc. not incredibly hard to get to, but it doesn't have to be super simple either. semi-long swims are fine by me; if it's super awesome, I'll swim forever LOL

Sounds like Edmonds is your best bet then. It's a huge dive park with easy access, a nice beach launch, lots of wildlife and an assortment if artificial reefs. Because it is a park there is parking and showers, and a dive shop a block away.

Let me know when your plans firm up and if you need a buddy. It would be a privilege to dive with you.

 

[OrcasC205]

For reference, Seattle is 174ft above sea level, and my town is 1539ft above it but I’m not sure if that’s actually a big deal.

Just treat the drives over the mountain passes to the east of Seattle like you were getting on a flight home -- 18-24 hours after your last dive and you should be OK.

 

[kaylee_ann]

Just treat the drives over the mountain passes to the east of Seattle like you were getting on a flight home -- 18-24 hours after your last dive and you should be OK.

Aw, dang. I’m used to my near immediate drives. guess it’ll have to be an extra night. The diving will be worth it though!

 

[kaylee_ann]

Sounds like Edmonds is your best bet then. It's a huge dive park with easy access, a nice beach launch, lots of wildlife and an assortment if artificial reefs. Because it is a park there is parking and showers, and a dive shop a block away.

Oh that sounds awesome! And super convenient too. Ive also always wanted to see reefs.

Let me know when your plans firm up and if you need a buddy. It would be a privilege to dive with you.

I will! And aww, really? Thanks!

 

[nwbrewer]

So are you planning to drive in from Pennsylvania, dive, pack your gear and go straight back east? I know someone who lived on the East side of the state that would drive across the pass after diving in the sound, they just planned their dive in like it was at the max altitude they planned to drive through. Snoqualmie pass is only 3000ft, and your talking 1.5 hours or so from seattle, so more like 3 hrs from when you get out of the water.

For the most part people here dive steel, though there are some al80's floating around. For a new diver planning a single dive in the PNW I would recommend either Edmonds Underwater Park, or Sund Rock on hood canal. (Sund Rock is a private location and there is a small feel and you need a reservation). Be aware that Edmonds can be current be current sensitive, and visibility is bad at low tide. It would be a good idea to reach out to the Edmonds UWS location when you have some dates in mind to figure out the best time to dive it.