Scenic Beach State Park

[sambolino44]

Anyone have any useful information about diving at Scenic Beach State Park? Unfortunately, with a name like that it's kind of hard to do a search without every beach in the world coming back. I'm considering going there this weekend, tent camping and shore diving. If anybody has dived there, I'd like to hear what you have to say. And what about local dive shops? Thanks

 

[JackConnick]

"NW Shore Dives" guide has a section on it. Mostly sand and not much if any structure.

Jack

 

[dwashbur]

We scouted it last year, but the reports we've heard about what's out there, coupled with a LONG walk to the beach - even longer now as some of the park gates may be closed for winter - convinced us it wasn't a good idea.

 

[brutus_scuba]

I've been to the park but didn't dive there. It's a walk to the beach and I couldn't tell of much right off the entrance. There are steps involved too. It's also about 13 miles off of 16, and a lil' further to get to then I thought it would be.

Austin

 

[sambolino44]

Well, I'm back! I have to say I was a little disappointed, but I think we probably missed the best parts. We never found the ledge, just cruised along a sloping bottom at about 70 ft. We saw some big rocks, but no ledge. We saw lots of interesting things, like a Lewis's Moon Snail and a Red Irish Lord, but no GPOs or wolf eels.

We entered the water about 90 minutes before high slack at the Narrows, like one of the books recommended. There was hardly any current, but it flowed consistently North the whole time, so we had to swim against it to get to the tree, and we drifted with it, but didn't make it past the second house on the way back.

The walk was a little bit further than I'd like, but it wasn't the worst I've seen by far. I took all my gear down there before I put my suit on, but carried it all back up in one trip.

Bottom line: I'd go back.

 

[TSandM]

Thanks for the report! This isn't a place that seems to get dived very often, so it's nice to hear somebody talk about it.

 

[Soakedlontra]

Well, I'm back! I have to say I was a little disappointed, but I think we probably missed the best parts. We never found the ledge, just cruised along a sloping bottom at about 70 ft. We saw some big rocks, but no ledge. We saw lots of interesting things, like a Lewis's Moon Snail and a Red Irish Lord, but no GPOs or wolf eels.

We entered the water about 90 minutes before high slack at the Narrows, like one of the books recommended. There was hardly any current, but it flowed consistently North the whole time, so we had to swim against it to get to the tree, and we drifted with it, but didn't make it past the second house on the way back.

The walk was a little bit further than I'd like, but it wasn't the worst I've seen by far. I took all my gear down there before I put my suit on, but carried it all back up in one trip.

Bottom line: I'd go back.

For clarity's sake your description of the dive refers to Sunrise Beach located north-east of Gig Harbor and not to Scenic Beach State Park. We did not dive there so we don't know what is like.

Regarding Sunrise Beach, it was great even if we did not find the ledge/s. I have never seen so many sculpins for square foot of sea bottom anywhere else so far! The encounter with the Red Irish Lord was unforgettable. I kept looking at a Lewis's Moonsnail in the hope to take a good picture of it completely overlooking and ignoring the Red Irish Lord who was right in front of my nose one foot away between me and the snail. When I realized what was staring at me I could not believe it!

 

[sambolino44]

Uh, yeah, right. Sunrise Beach. Whatever.

 

[TSandM]

The Red Irish Lords are gorgeous fish, and show up in an amazing variety of colors. I've even seen one at Sunrise Wall that was lavender!

 

[sambolino44]

Is it OK to hijack your own thread? So, where is the wall at Sunrise. We didn't see it. Do you have to go deeper than 80 feet? All we saw was a sloping sand bottom with some big rocks.