Puget Sound seasonal visibility

[airsix]

Rather than muddy up the "current visibility" thread I thought I'd ask this off to the side...

What are the best and not-best times to dive Orca Bait territory? What events (seasonal or otherwise) are best avoided? Seems that right now everyone is reporting low vis. I'd love to learn.

-Ben M.
Freshwater diver trying to convert.

 

[Sasquatch]

Hello over on the dry side.

I think this would have been a fine addition to the "CVR" thread but here is my opinion on your questions:

During the spring and summer plankton blooms and runoff seem to lower visibility pretty often in certain places. I've seen viz blown out in one area and not in another. During the fall and winter months viz is USUALLY pretty good unless mass rainfall empties muddy river water into the sea. Then again that can be a spotty proposition. AND there are other variables, too.

I'm looking forward to this next sunny period to provide some increased viz around here. Hopefully be posting Wednesday for planned dives at Cove 2 and EUP.

Sea ya!

 

[Uncle Pug]

Conditions that make for poor visibility here are both seasonal and environmental.

The increase in biomass with longer days/sunshine can markedly decrease visibility but this is cyclic. There will be periods when the biomass is dispersed through out the water column but will over time aggregate at the surface finally ending up with a die off that can produce not only wonderful Summer time visibility by much higher than normal ambient light.

The run off of rivers and streams due to winter rains will of course obscure visibility as will the churning action of storms. Still, some of our best visibility occurs during the Winter in the absence of storms... particulary when we get the cold clear weather associated with a high pressure system stalled over Puget Sound.

Some things that can help:

Pick a dive site that is in the lee, protected from prevailing on shore winds.

Pick a dive site that is away from the mouths of rivers and streams if there has been a recent bout of rain.

Dive on an incoming tide... the closer to slack high the better.

Learn to enjoy diving in low visibility.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

...What are the best and not-best times to dive Orca Bait territory? What events (seasonal or otherwise) are best avoided? Seems that right now everyone is reporting low vis. I'd love to learn.

Ben, actually the winter can be some of the best vis, as the algae-bloom and thermoclines aren't an issue. Uh, but you do have to deal with the run-off. But generally Don Coleman shovels the snow off the swim platform on his boat, so you don't have to deal with the snow. (Joke. Don Coleman is so squared away that he doesn't allow snow to fall on his boat. )

Ask Uncle Pug what visibility he enjoyed in Port Hardy, about three weeks or so ago!

BTW, dunno if you're a member of the Atomic Ducks, but there is a trip scheduled to Don Kinney's place at Hoodsport in February, and another trip to Nainamo in March. You're welcome on either trip, member or not. PM me for details if interested. (I'm in Richland, but right near Leslie and Gage in Kennewick.) We'll get you headed in the right direction.

Regards,

Doc

 

[airsix]

Learn to enjoy diving in low visibility.

Oh, no worries there. To me good visibility is when you can see your hands.

Thanks for the info, Sasquach & UP. I'm a sponge, so keep the info coming if you like.

It's looking like my first marine adventure will be March 30-April 1. That is my little brother's spring break weekend & he is going to come up from Idaho. We will probably drive over to the West side early Friday & come home Saturday evening. We were thinking we could dive low slack on Friday mid-day, a dusk dive at high slack that night, and a low slack on Saturday mid-day.

All recommendations greatfully accepted.

-Ben

(edited to fix day-of-week typos)

 

[Uncle Pug]

Ask Uncle Pug what visibility he enjoyed in Port Hardy, about three weeks or so ago!

It was much better viz that Puget Sound but not as good as last year at the same time. Reason? I think it had something to do with winter storms raging this year.

We had heard from some fellows that had done a charter package up there in September that they had 150' viz... which is about what we had January 2005.

 

[airsix]

PM me for details if interested. (I'm in Richland, but right near Leslie and Gage in Kennewick.) We'll get you headed in the right direction.

Hi Doc! I didn't know you were back from... Virginia was it? Are the ducks still alive? Their websited died and I didn't know if they were still having meetings. Thanks for the reply! I've already got a trip planned with my brother (see above), but I'd love to get wet locally too (for practice more than anything else) if the ducks are doing any river diving. I have to drop off my regs at USA for service this week, and put new seals on my suit (have them - just haven't got around to it yet) and I'm ready to jump in.
-Ben

 

[airsix]

ps - I followed the Port Hardy thread religiously (with damp eyes and Pavlovian salivation)
-Ben

 

[Uncle Pug]

It's looking like my first marine adventure will be March 30-April 1. That is my little brother's spring break weekend & he is going to come up from Idaho.

Well, as these things go when the dive time is determined by schedule rather than the other way around you will be here at the worse possible time.

That is the week of spring tides where the fluctuation is the greatest and it also happens to coincide with slack low being right in the middle of the day.

I would suggest diving a non-current sensitive site in the morning with a falling tide and then dive later in the day with the rising tide.

A dependable site would be Alki Cove 2 for a morning dive followed by a dive at EUW park in the afternoon... however Edmonds will have a wee bit of current setting you South toward the ferry terminal in the afternoon so make your entry on the North side of the jetty.

For the three days you mention the slack low is 11:30am, 12:15am and 12:56am (Elliot Bay ~ Edmonds is only few minutes sooner) I'd stay away from diving mid-day at slack low since you would need a shovel to get deeper that 30' at Edmunds and there is so much stuff to walk over at Alki on a minus tide to get into the water. But that is just me.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Hi Doc! I didn't know you were back from... Virginia was it? Are the ducks still alive? Their websited died and I didn't know if they were still having meetings. ... I'd love to get wet locally too (for practice more than anything else) if the ducks are doing any river diving.

Actually, I'm back...got back last October, but may not be staying long. Having just settled back in on the west coast, it would appear that career requirements once again compel me to spend another year or two in Washington DC. (Its kinda like Adult Attention Deficit Disorder, I get bored easily and continue bouncing back and forth from coast to coast ) So, I may be east-coast-bound again as early as April. But I'll manage to hit Nainamo before heading back, March 23-27 if you're interested!

The Ducks are alive and well, and need to get on the stick and pay their server fee or whatever keeps websites alive They meet once a month at USA, third Tuesday each month, and would love to see you show up around 6:30 or so.

Travel plans preclude my going on the February trip, so I'll be river diving this month. PM me if you want to go along.

UP is right about the tides and large volume of water moving in and out of the Sound. One thing to consider MAY be Hood Canal (Sund Rock at Hood Sport & Dive): http://www.hoodsportndive.com/

Hood Canal seems to be less sensitive to such parameters than the rest of the Sound. Also, you could call Pacific Adventure and have Don and Diane take you and your brother out. They can find decent diving in nearly any conditions. Find'em here --
http://www.pacadventure.com/

Hope you and your brother have fun. Dive safe,

Doc