Puget Sound: Conditions, reports, expectations?

[jcaplins]

Hello All,

In a couple days I will be spending a few days in the Seattle area and was hoping to get some current diving info.

This is not a diving trip, but a trip that will have some diving, so I'm looking to hit a couple easy spots to get a general idea of the area and just have a little fun. Easy in/out -no boat charters this time.

I figured Seacrest Park and Edmonds underwater park would be good, easy, intro to the NW diving spots.

Can anyone give me an idea of what I can expect this time of year (vis), and perhaps things I need to watch out for [tides, current, Orca , best time of day/night... ]

I'm open to other locations as well.

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[tracydr]

Octopus Hole was my favorite, when we lived there. Easy entry, except for a big hike down a steep hill. Not a long surface swim and not much current or tidal variation.
When I dived there, we always saw a " tame" wolf eel begging for food and plenty of octopus. Would be an awesome night dive.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Expect reasonably good conditions and lots to see ... this is my all-time favorite time to dive here. Depending on when you come, Edmonds might be a good choice ... you don't want to dive it on a low tide or large exchange. Seacrest Park Cove 2 you can dive anytime. If you want an alternative choice, consider Redondo ... in fact, since I live five minutes from there if you'd like a guide I can probably show you around the place.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[RVBldr]

Just dove Redondo this morning at slack high tide (+12 this AM). Water temp is running 44-45F and viz a good 20' or more. Great time to be diving here in the Sound! It was nice to see some seastars still remaining at Redondo although there are plenty of melted remains around, Cove 2 is pretty much devoid of starfish these days.

 

[TSandM]

We dove Saturday -- water temp was 46 at both sites. Viz was splendid!

If you dive Edmonds, make sure you do it when the tide is high and not in the middle of a huge exchange -- currents there can be annoying, and it's important to stay well away from the ferry zone. Also, don't approach the cabezons very closely, or you may get an uncomfortable surprise! They may well be sitting on eggs by now, and they get very aggressive about defending their nests.

 

[jcaplins]

Thanks everyone!

I'll check the tide charts and look into Redondo beach as well. Octopus hole may be a bit farther away than I was planning, but I'll keep it in mind.

NWgreatfulDiver: I really appreciate the offer; I don't have a clue where we'll be and when, so I don't want to inconvenience anyone with an iffy schedule.

RVBldr: Which RV? I'm working on a -7.

 

[jcaplins]

Thanks again everyone. Due to cold and sinus symptoms coming on, I was only able to make one dive. It was a nice dive at Edmond's underwater park. I tried to time the dive so the high slack tide would be in the middle of my dive. Since there seemed to be no current at all, I think I did pretty well.

Here is a poorly shot and edited video of some of the creatures seen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=palOfAw7Z30

I also saw a Ratfish, which was a real treat, but was not able to capture a pic of video.

If any of my fish ID's are incorrect, please let me know.

Water and air temp were 46 degrees F, I would estimate the vis to be at least 20 feet.