livefish
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so who has dived in the puget sound, washington. could anyone tell me what the water is like and what the scenery is like? 
puget sound
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cfenton
Contributor
I do the bulk of my diving in Barclay Sound which is a short distance north of Puget Sound seperated by an imaginary line that the fish don't seem to notice much. Anyhow our water temp is about 48 to 54 degrees, the water is green, and the vis ranges from 10' in the hot summer months to 100+' in the winter. Lots of: rockfish; cod; giant pacific octopus; wolf eels; sea lions; dogfish; six gill sharks, etc.
I have been all over the world diving but there is no place like home.
I have been all over the world diving but there is no place like home.
Diving in the Puget Sound can be very good. Especially in the winter months. I've seen vis in the 50' foot range. In the summers we get plankton blooms that can reduce the vis quite a bit. As far what there is to see, it's different in different places. Edmonds Underwater Park in Edmonds has a lot of critters, a wreck and it's an overall pretty cool place for a first timer in these waters. There are some very good dive sites that are easy to get to. Shore diving is mostly what I do but there are some nice boat dives as well. I really like Bandito Charters in Tacoma for boat diving. Hood Canal is also very good for shore dives. Pick up Northwest Shoredives at a local dive shop, it will give a good idea of what to expect.
Try the NW Orca Bait Forum. They are pretty responsive and can give detailed information. I lived there last year and can give some basic info. Winter water temps are mid 40s and the vis is better than the summer. Shore diving is common and easy if you watch the tide table and weather. There are several boat dive operators but I only tried out one in the Hood canal, www.pacadventure.com. Nice couple with a small outfit. Local dive shops have books and guides on the area. I saw cabezon, octopus, wolf eels, crab, rockfish and a host of other critters. When wetsuit diving you get over the cold after a few minutes but it's still cold. You can talk to underwatersports or a host of other dive shops in the area about getting certified. I used the Lighthouse while I was there. You can visit Don's webpage listed above for some typical pics of underwater sites. I'm sure there are many others that will also have photos.
If you like what you see, find an instructor who has high standards, comes with good recommendations from local divers and explains things well. Your training will be as good as your instructor. You'll never regret a first instructor that has high standards and a good nature. Ask around the Orca forum and your local shops until you find one that you think is going to give you the best training.
If you like what you see, find an instructor who has high standards, comes with good recommendations from local divers and explains things well. Your training will be as good as your instructor. You'll never regret a first instructor that has high standards and a good nature. Ask around the Orca forum and your local shops until you find one that you think is going to give you the best training.
"What is the water like?" -- well, it is wet, salty, cool (50F) and often "littered" with plankton with the resulting visibility less than 10 feet and it goes from not very light to dark -- especially now that the sun won't get very high above the horizon for a while (if it can even be seen through the clouds) -- hmmm -- oh and most of Puget Sound is full of marine life
"What is the scenery like?" -- dark, gray and flat, except where it is not gray and not flat (always dark!). Since you live in Washington, trying to answer that question is like trying to answer the question of "What is the scenery like" above water -- well, it is flat, except where there are hills and mountains and it is dry except where there are lakes and rivers and ocean. Puget Sound is a treasure trove for the diver due to its natural characteristics and due to the various artificial reefs.
I don't have 1/100 the experience of people like Grateful Diver or Uncle Pug for example, but I know they enjoy diving in such "simple" places as Cove 2 which is 15 minutes from downtown Seattle and is always presenting new and exciting marine life.
What is the scenary like? I guess the answer is -- It is different every time you go down.
"What is the scenery like?" -- dark, gray and flat, except where it is not gray and not flat (always dark!). Since you live in Washington, trying to answer that question is like trying to answer the question of "What is the scenery like" above water -- well, it is flat, except where there are hills and mountains and it is dry except where there are lakes and rivers and ocean. Puget Sound is a treasure trove for the diver due to its natural characteristics and due to the various artificial reefs.
I don't have 1/100 the experience of people like Grateful Diver or Uncle Pug for example, but I know they enjoy diving in such "simple" places as Cove 2 which is 15 minutes from downtown Seattle and is always presenting new and exciting marine life.
What is the scenary like? I guess the answer is -- It is different every time you go down.
In Puget Sound itself the water is fairly cold year round, high 30s to low 50s is about the max range I've seen. The water is green with a great deal of particulate suspended in it. Vis can be pretty good, especially at depth if you do a lot of shore diving, but you may have to get below a layer of 'bloom' before it clears up. In my experience the water seems much darker than east coast diving, its tough to have "too much light" for diving in Puget Sound. (I often wish my Helios 9 18 watt HID was twice as bright...)
The tidal changes ensure that a great deal of water moves into and out of the sound each day, keeping things stirred up. On the other hand, this leads to a lot of bio-diversity, and swimming with seals, large jellyfish, giant pacific octopi, and a wide variety of fish and shellfish keeps life interesting. There are no lobsters (darn), but there are scallops and a huge assortment of nudi's and other small life forms available to macro photographers on many dives.
The tides can be dangerous, ignorance can be fatal. Several divers have been killed or injured each year for the last several years by misjudging or paying insufficient attention to the tides.
With good planning and good thermal protection, however, diving in Puget Sound is very enjoyable and it offers a broad range of dives from entry level to highly technical.
Here is a really nice website that offers lots of additional information about diving in both Puget Sound as well as points north:
http://staff.washington.edu/parker/scuba/index.html
The tidal changes ensure that a great deal of water moves into and out of the sound each day, keeping things stirred up. On the other hand, this leads to a lot of bio-diversity, and swimming with seals, large jellyfish, giant pacific octopi, and a wide variety of fish and shellfish keeps life interesting. There are no lobsters (darn), but there are scallops and a huge assortment of nudi's and other small life forms available to macro photographers on many dives.
The tides can be dangerous, ignorance can be fatal. Several divers have been killed or injured each year for the last several years by misjudging or paying insufficient attention to the tides.
With good planning and good thermal protection, however, diving in Puget Sound is very enjoyable and it offers a broad range of dives from entry level to highly technical.
Here is a really nice website that offers lots of additional information about diving in both Puget Sound as well as points north:
http://staff.washington.edu/parker/scuba/index.html
OP
livefish
Guest
wow those photos are really awesome. now i am even more excited to jump into the water. i cant wait till i start my class(nov 12).mjh:
Alki 1,2,3
EOD 6, 7, 8
EUP 11
? 5, 9, 10
EOD 6, 7, 8
EUP 11
? 5, 9, 10
laivindil
Contributor
Alki Cove 2 is the spot to dive. If you have a boat the only real limit is depth, currents, boat traffic overhead and vis. Edmonds is also good. I think there's a place in Bremerton as well but don't quote me on that.
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