Pacific Northwest Diving

[toddbr]

What are the best locations (water clarity) to dive this time of year in PNW? I just dove Edmonds and if was not good viz at all. I heard it can be very unpredictable in that area anyway. Thanks!

 

[MechDiver]

The whole PNW is unpredictable. I prefer Hood Canal to most locaitons in Puget Sound because you don't have to worry about current or tides. IMO the best diving in the PNW is BC.

MD

 

[toddbr]

What's a good place in B.C.

 

[seavonj]

If you are looking for visibility try Lake Crescent just to the West of Port Angeles, you can encounter up to 100 ft of vis, best place to dive is on the North shore, there is a little dock and a short hike down to it from the parking area, It has been a few years since I have been there last, I would say summer time is best.
A good place where I also encounter a good dibe is Titlow Beach on the southwest of the Tacoma narrows bridge, the pillings covered in anemones are somewhat like a cathedral when there is good vis dive the slack.

 

[toddbr]

Alrightly! I'll give them both a try this weekend. Just trying to log as many dives as I can to gain more experience . Freshwater would be a change..

 

[aquamann]

Just dove this weekend in Hood Canal and the vis was 40 to 45 feet and the sea life was abundant everywhere. Sund Rock is by far one of my favorites, l lost count there were so many Wolf Ells there this weekend but not to many octos. Do a night dive, the bio luminesence is spectacular right now, almost like sparklers going off. If you are interested in B.C., you can't beat Porpoise Bay and Porpoise Bay Charters. Have fun.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

For vis in the local area, Three Tree Point (North) seems to have consistently better vis than most local dive sites. I was just there this morning and vis was 25-30 feet. Not a whole lot to see this time of year but we did see a few octopus (one in a large Vodka bottle) and had a brief encounter with a harbor seal. A couple weeks back we had a less-brief encounter with a large sea lion ... got buzzed several times, in fact.

Vis is really variable around the Sound this time of year, and there's really no predictable way to say where it will be good or bad. I've seen some days recently when it was 50 feet or so, and the next day it'd be half that.

As for BC ... you can't beat Vancouver Island. Nanaimo has some incredible diving and some really nice vis. I was up there in early November and we had 70 to 100 foot visibility. The articial reefs (Cape Breton and Sasketchewan) are great dives, as are several of the walls and reefs.

Someone mentioned Porpoise Bay Charters up in Sechelt ... great outfit. Sechelt Inlet has some fantastic diving, and this time of year you may get 100+ foot vis if you hit it right. Again, a bit of rain and runoff could easily drop that down to half as much. It's the luck of the draw sometimes.

If you're local and looking for someone to show you around drop me a PM ... I've got over 700 dives in Puget Sound and would be happy to show you a dive site or two ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[VanGirl]

Hey there...I'm heading to Vancouver Island for a bit of diving... I'm going on the recommendation that the diving is "amazing" and apparently I will "love it" ..I hear there are lots of great spots to dive anywhere from the southern tip up to Nanaimo where there are some pretty big wrecks to check out.
I'll let ya know how it goes!
Cheers & Happy Diving!

 

[Uncle Pug]

... if you stop at Nanaimo.

Quadra Island just across Discovery Passage from Campbell River is primo diving.

And further North is Port Hardy.

 

[VanGirl]

See!...Cool... I keep hearing about all this AmaZinG VI diving.... Now I must start to go see for my self!
Cheers!