Yippee... looking forward to moving to the Seattle area now. So how long does a person have to live there in order to do shore dives? Should I also be sure not to leave valuables in my car?
question about spearfishing seattle area
- Thread starter tiberiu
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There are places to spearfish and do shore dives. There is just no point in spearfishing in the most popular diving areas as one spearfishing trip would wipe out all of the fish.
Post a thread here asking the local spearfishers for advice and I'm sure they'll teach you the rules of the road as well as the local regulations (whatever they are).
Where are you moving to in the PNW? And, welcome by the way.
Post a thread here asking the local spearfishers for advice and I'm sure they'll teach you the rules of the road as well as the local regulations (whatever they are).
Where are you moving to in the PNW? And, welcome by the way.
Looking at the OP's question, that is what is being asked. Most every answer seemed to be negatively biased against spearfishing.
It is a somewhat negative subject. If you are going to be at Bangor on Hood Canal or somewhere with fewer divers and more fish you will have no problem. Again, it's not popular for a reason. Shooting the animals at the Aquarium or the Zoo is not popular either.
seamonster01
Registered
Spearfishing in the Puget sound is usually pretty good.
The fish are pretty stupid from all the toxins in them.
Spearfishing at shore diving sites can be hard on truck tires once folks figure out what you drive.( I suggest les schwab-free flat repairs)
I "hunt" from a boat. Then the trick is not letting other divers find out where your spots are.
Happy hunting.
The fish are pretty stupid from all the toxins in them.
Spearfishing at shore diving sites can be hard on truck tires once folks figure out what you drive.( I suggest les schwab-free flat repairs)
I "hunt" from a boat. Then the trick is not letting other divers find out where your spots are.
Happy hunting.
SkullDeformity
Contributor
Please don't spearfish for pleasure....Take only what you need. If you don't need to spearfish and you're doing it for fun, get a new hobby that doesn't involve killing things. All the fish populations in Washington are extremely impacted since practically everything is tastey, just go play golf....
Ugh, spearfishermen.
Just because something is legal doesn't mean it's right, and it doesn't mean that I have to give you a big thumbs up and congratulate you on your fantastic kill. Wow, you shot a stupid fish in the head with a gun? You must be somethin' else!
gcbryan, Hawaii is filled with TONS of invertebrates and TONS of fish. The fish are in the same sitaution as in Washington though, at popular dive sites which also happen to be popular fishing spots, every single fish will scatter in terror. That is, if you even see anything bigger than a yellow tang. I have no respect for the local culture of treating the ocean as an all you can eat buffet. And the plus side on moving to washington fishboy, people don't yell "effing hauli" at you for existing in their presence. Love the aloha spirit huh?
Ugh, spearfishermen.
Just because something is legal doesn't mean it's right, and it doesn't mean that I have to give you a big thumbs up and congratulate you on your fantastic kill. Wow, you shot a stupid fish in the head with a gun? You must be somethin' else!
gcbryan, Hawaii is filled with TONS of invertebrates and TONS of fish. The fish are in the same sitaution as in Washington though, at popular dive sites which also happen to be popular fishing spots, every single fish will scatter in terror. That is, if you even see anything bigger than a yellow tang. I have no respect for the local culture of treating the ocean as an all you can eat buffet. And the plus side on moving to washington fishboy, people don't yell "effing hauli" at you for existing in their presence. Love the aloha spirit huh?
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Spearfishing is legal at Alki ... but if you're referring to the "Seacrest Park" part of Alki where most of the diving occurs, there's a more practical reason to not spearfish there ... pollution.tiberiu:
Most spearfishing people in our area go after fish that are residential by nature ... lingcod, cabezon, rockfish, etc. Those fish spend years living in the same area. Seacrest Park is near the entrance to Elliott Bay, which receives water from the Duwamish River ... one of the most polluted rivers in Puget Sound. Furthermore, it flows from that river through the Port of Seattle, taking with it toxins from ships and barges that are unloading ... not to mention bilge water that gets pumped from these vessels while they're in port.
We dive in that stuff, but our visits are transitory. The fish live in it. Eating those fish might be OK if you don't mind giving birth to two-headed babies or something.
My advice ... if you want to fish at Alki, go around to the other side of the point ... out past the lighthouse. Better yet, get a boat and head out to the West Seattle rocks (lots of fish out there) or the barges. Most of the charters know how to find them, and many take spearos on their own fishing charters. Contact TLSea (a local dive shop) ... they organize spearfishing trips during the season.
Another popular place to go spearfishing is off of Hat (aka Gedney) Island. In the '70's there was a program to dump a lot of riprap out there to create fish habitat, and it's popular with all of the local fishermen now ... both above and below water types. You'll need a boat with a depth sounder, but there are piles and piles of riprap to be found. Makes both great diving and wonderful fishing ... I've shared those sites with spearos many times, and we all got along.
From shore, another place that's popular is Mukilteo City (formerly State) Park ... but be careful of the current and only dive there during periods of slack, or you may find yourself swimming or hiking farther than you'd like.
And watch the regs ... one of the reasons I decided not to fish in this state at all is because the regs are so damn complicated that you have to be a lawyer to figure out when you're doing it legally.
Have fun. Yes, be respectful and don't fish at popular dive sites ... but there's plenty of Puget Sound for us all to share our respective pursuits.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Does it give anybody else the willies to envision our usual summer viz (ten feet or less), our usual diver density at Alki (high), and somebody loose there with a speargun? I'd be terrified that my catch might turn out to be wearing split fins . . . Or, given that it's Alki, doubles. Although I guess there aren't many ling cod with can lights . . .
SkullDeformity:
Do you think that fishing with a rod and reel is better
Catch and release - there's good sport... nothing like ripping out the guts of a fish, and then throwing it back expecting it to live.
Spearfishing is selective, and a very "friendly" way to take what you want without "collateral damage"
But that's not the topic here... If you want to spew negatively about spearfishing, try understanding it first :shakehead
dsteding
Contributor
fishb0y:
Trust me, diving here is not like sneaking in a few waves at Makaha. I've done both, got great waves at Makaha but only after giving some serious respect to the locals.
None of that attitude is present in the Seattle dive community. You'll find that our dive community is quite welcoming and friendly . . . spearfishing at Cove 2 or other popular dive sites may be the only way to raise the local diving community's hackles.
Because the OP asked about spearfishing at Alki, I focused on that part of his question. More has been added here, and hopefully that gives you a better picture of spearfishing and diving locally.
When you get settled in and need a dive buddy, get in touch. I'm also happy to answer any questions about Seattle in general, I've been here almost six years now and love this town. Great food, great people, awesome outdoor resources, and, of course, great coffee (hint, go local, look for Cafe Vita coffee-locally roasted and used by the better local coffee joints).
-Doug
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