Seattle/San Juan Islands

[scubamacdaddy]

I am going to the Seattle area for the first time in mid July. Can anyone suggest a good dive outfit and/or trip? I am only going to be able to dive 1 or 2 days and probably not consecutively. Also, does anyone know what the average water temperature is at that time of year? I am from Texas, however I dive on and off in water as cold as 40 degrees.
Thanks for any help,

Scubamacdaddy

 

[Camerone]

Howdy and welcome up here (from an ex-Houstonian...)!

You'll find water temperatures up here in the balmy low 50 range, probably 52 - 54 at the highest, depending on when and where you're going to be diving. You can do it in a 7mm farmer john, but you'll be happier diving dry.

Give us a little better idea of where in the Seattle you'll be, as this area's littered with dive shops, good, bad, and otherwise, and we can probably make better recommendations for you. Also, it'd be helpful to tell us what sorts of diving you'd like to do...are you looking to do some shore diving (there are fabulous sites all over Western Washington) or would you prefer a boat charter? Do you need anything in particular (rebreather support - divesorb/100% O2? Mixed gas?) Is there something in particular you want to see?

The Puget Sound is the easiest place to access from Seattle, and there's lots of great parks (including an underwater one in Edmonds...) where diving's frequent. The Hood Canal out to the west is a little less current intensive and a little less rich in life. The San Juans are the crown jewel of Washington diving, but they can get rough if you're not used to high currents and low visibilities. Most of the good San Juan sites are boat-only, but boats are pretty easy to find out of Friday Harbor or Anacortes.

Give us a little more info, and we can make much better recommendations for you.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

For boat charter diving in the south/central Puget Sound area contact Bandito Charters ...

http://www.banditocharters.com/bandito/

For diving in the San Juan Islands ...

http://www.deepseacruise.com/
http://www.divesanjuan.com/
http://www.lujacsquest.com/

For shore diving in south or central Puget Sound, just post the dates you will be here and you'll most likely find a competent buddy right off this board.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Goose75]

I just returned to Texas after extended assignment in Everett, just North of Seattle. I dove with Pacadventure (www.pacadventure.com) in the Hood canal. It can be a good day trip if you are looking for a boat dive. There are charters the others listed going out to the San Juans as well, but I have not tried them. Edmonds was a nice site to get acquainted with the conditions. There are a host of other shore dives with varying difficulty. Personally, I was found of the Whidbey Island sites. You can pick up a book titled "Northwest Shore Dives" that gives a good summary of the shore dives. Make sure to check tides. As a Texas diver, I'm assuming that you mostly lake dive. The currents in the Sound can give you a nasty surprise if you're not ready for them. The water temps I dove in were 44 - 48F, July should be warmer. If you give a list of your experience level, the conditions you are looking for and the marine life you want to see, I'm sure the Orca Bait folks will direct you to the best locations.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

July might not be the best time to dive Hood Canal. They go through hypoxic periods during the warmer months where all the sea life either moves up near the surface, goes elsewhere for the summer, or dies. This is in part due to the buildup of algae and plankton during the warmer months, and partly due to all the unregulated development that has occurred along the shores of Hood Canal during the past few decades, which results in pollutants that add to the nitrogen buildup in the water.

I love diving Hood Canal, but during the summer months I typically go elsewhere.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Goose75]

July might not be the best time to dive Hood Canal. They go through hypoxic periods during the warmer months where all the sea life either moves up near the surface, goes elsewhere for the summer, or dies. This is in part due to the buildup of algae and plankton during the warmer months, and partly due to all the unregulated development that has occurred along the shores of Hood Canal during the past few decades, which results in pollutants that add to the nitrogen buildup in the water.

I love diving Hood Canal, but during the summer months I typically go elsewhere.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Thanks Bob. Work will send me to Seattle once and a while. I'll keep this in mind when diving there. So far I've only dived winter and early spring months in the area.

 

[scubamacdaddy]

My highest level of certification is Assistant Instructor (aka divemaster). I have been diving mostly in lakes in Texas helping with open water instruction. My open ocean diving is limited to mostly Cozumel. I like the drift diving there. I have also made one dive in Key West and a few dives at the Flower Gardens. I think that I would like to dive in or around the San Juan Islands and I would prefer to have a divemaster lead the dive whether off of a boat or the shore. I will be staying in the Bellevue area and my dive buddy is my brother-in-law and he is an ex-Navy SEAL. Any help or advice that you can send is appreciated!

 

[diveborg]

..... I would prefer to have a divemaster lead the dive whether off of a boat or the shore.

With the exception of diving with Don (the owner) from Pacific Adventures, I've not had a dive master in the water with me on any diving in the Pacific Northwest. On the Nautilus Explorer, you could hire one to dive with you if you wanted, or if Rick thought you needed one.

I think your best bet would be to find a buddy, possibly on scubaboard, that can take you to a shore dive that they are familiar with and show you the site.

 

[Camerone]

Well, if Bellevue's where you're staying, the closest shop is definitely Silent World (www.silent-world.com) and they've got pretty good rental gear. Alternatively, if you want other shops, there is also an Underwater Sports location in Bellevue, as well as Bubbles Below out in Woodinville (not far away.)

Any one of the shops may or may not be running a boat (usually through Bandito Charters) while you're up here. Give any one of them a call, if that's your fancy.

Otherwise, there's loads of good shore diving in the city - Alki Beach, in West Seattle is very popular, as is the Edmonds Underwater Park (just north of town), both with lots to see. Down south, there's also Three Tree Point. A quick Google search can turn up directions on any of them.

A good place to head for a last minute local dive buddy is over to www.northwestdiver.com; their forums are popular with most of the very active local guys.

 

[Goose75]

I think that I would like to dive in or around the San Juan Islands and I would prefer to have a divemaster lead the dive whether off of a boat or the shore. I will be staying in the Bellevue area and my dive buddy is my brother-in-law and he is an ex-Navy SEAL. Any help or advice that you can send is appreciated!

I've also had Don from Pacadventure accompany my wife and I on our first Washington dive. I highly reccommend him if you are looking for an introduction to the area. The only problem is that his outfit only runs in the Hood canal and not the San Juans. You can also try the local dive shops. The Lighthouse treated us well while we were there. www.lighthousediving.com You can also try Underwater Sports. They have many stores in the area but I decided against them after they asked for my number to set up a local orientation and did not call me. After my third visit and two months, I gave up. Others have had better experiences with them than I did. I'm sure there are other shops than these two who would set something up for you. Short trips to the San Juans through the shops were fairly common. I didn't take one but I saw them listed often. You may also find someone through the board.