Is Oregon worth a flight?

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Minor correction- Oregon's entire coastline from low tide to high tide is publicly owned. But yeah- the coast, especially in winter, is pretty challenging. That said, if you can get offshore in the summer or fall, you'll have some amazing diving. Another plus for Oregon is that spearfishing laws are much more lenient than up north, so it's not a bad option if you're diving for groceries. As noted above, Clear Lake is definitely worth a stop. It features 100-ft viz and a 3,000 + yr. old sunken forest.

How do you dive the Clear Lake? Any thoughts suggestions?

 

[Furnari]

Clear Lake has a lodge / campground and a gravel boat ramp. Shore access is fairly easy at any time, but in the summer the people running the resort would rather you didn't use the ramp. No motors are allowed- rowboat traffic isn't much of a hazard, and is non-existent in the winter. The lake sits at a little over 3,000', so it's technically an altitude dive. The lake is on a short paved road off a state highway- in the winter the access road may have snow and ice on it, but it's nothing too bad if you've driven in similar conditions back east. We dove it in January and didn't have any issues. The water is cold; plan on upper 30's year 'round. This dive is one of a kind- do a google image search for some pretty cool pictures. Eugene Skins Divers Supply is probably the closest shop at an hour and a half hour away. They'll take great care of you if you need to rent gear- Nitrox is a good idea because you can get some depth in the lake if you want (the lake exceeds 175'). Hope this helps...

 

[jcxd45]

Look on youtube for videos of the North Pinnacle and Barview Jetty and see for yourself.

Depending on what your looking for, many spearo's that I have met prefer Oregon to anywhere else.

Offshore dives can be amazing and like was said before the state is spear friendly

 

[Peter_C]

Since I plan on driving from California to Puget sound for diving purposes only, would there be a place worth stopping in between? Or should I skip and keep going North?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Sinbad

How about Monterey California? The Carmel side is excellent diving.

I always enjoy diving around Mendocino County too, but there are no dive boats, and shore diving can be miss more than hit.

 

[Furnari]

One other idea would be to hook up with some locals for a crab dive. You can dive the various jetties / estuaries in the winter- viz will be anywhere from 6"-10' depending on local conditions. Catching crabs underwater is a blast, and cooking them at the dive site is absolutely the best way to enjoy our Dungeness crabs. You should prepare for wind and rain, but often we'll get surprised by sunny skies and temps in the upper 50's on the coast during the winter.

 

[jlayman800]

I used to dive Whidby Island for Dungeness crabs many years ago. It's a really great experience to go down and pick up the big ones and steam them right on the beach. I nearly died once doing this ... punch line ... from eating too many crabs in one sitting.
After just moving to the Oregon coast, I'm looking forward to finding spots to dive for crabs. I'd also like to find some spear fishing buddies. All this talk about cold, dark water has me wondering. Are there any men left in the sport? Many of my best dives have been in cold, dark water.

 

[Drewpy]

I second Monterey/Carmel..lots of good stuff! Worth a stop for sure!

 

[TSandM]

Rereading this thread, I have to chime in and recommend Monterey, too. The diving at Pt. Lobos State Park is mind-blowing -- spectacular granite structure and a fantastic density of life. There are also quite a few Monterey divers here on SB, so I don't think it would be too hard to find somebody to play "tour guide" for a day at Lobos.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Rereading this thread, I have to chime in and recommend Monterey, too. The diving at Pt. Lobos State Park is mind-blowing -- spectacular granite structure and a fantastic density of life. There are also quite a few Monterey divers here on SB, so I don't think it would be too hard to find somebody to play "tour guide" for a day at Lobos.

That is one of my bucket list dives trust me. How easy is it to get dive buddies during the week days? i heard weekends are full unless you book and pay weeks in advance. Is that true?

 

[TSandM]

Well, we have always booked weeks in advance, because we knew we were coming, so I don't know how early you have to book, but that would be a good question for the NorCal forum. So would the availability of weekday dive buddies. We've always dived a three-day weekend kind of schedule, because we were connecting with friends with "normal" jobs