Washington Pacific Coast Diving?

[JDR]

I've wondered about diving the coast myself, but have not liked the prospect of prepping for a dive weekend, driving all that way and then getting blown out. Is this more a myth or really something to consider?

It's nice to have a back up plan at Neah, but I haven't needed to use it much.
Having a seaworthy boat, and common sense is required. I've taken my boat out to Neah on many trips. In previous years I usually try to get in 6 or 7 trips annually. Best advice? Watch the weather forecast - I've cancelled several trips before we ever leave Seattle. On my trips our goal each day is to get out to Tatoosh. On the decent weather days when the conditions are good we dive Duncan and Duntz. I've been out to 7 Fathom reef on a really nice flat calm day. I've never been down the coast to Father & Son rock, Umatilla reef, etc. We dive around Tatoosh and along the coast between Tatoosh and Waddah quite a bit. On days when the swells and the wind waves are too much to get to Tatoosh we dive along the coast. On days when it's rocking and rolling even more we dive Waddah, or the coastline East of Waddah.
Out of all those trips over the years we've only had a couple of days when it was so rough that we dove Crescent lake or drove up to the overlook to view Tatoosh from above. Have we had several trips where the return to port was very slow? Yes, but we made it safely.
The basics? Get out on the water in the early morning before the wind comes up. Pick weekends when the exchange is minimal. Take more than one boat and try to stay within the same area. Especially if you are diving Duncan/Duntz having extra boats to spot divers is essential. The weather and conditions can change quickly out there. This year I'm not sure if I will get out there at all, I'm working too many hours and there doesn't seem to be a break in sight...

 

[Cold Water Bound]

There are a three points of intrest you can look at besides Neah Bay. If it's sea life and exploring, Salt Creek is a great place to dive. It's about 30-45 min out of Port Angeles. It's a bit of a hike down to the water but there are stairs and hand rails to make it easier. The surge can be strong there, but no real current unless you go out past the kelp. Depth to about 40 ft is about the norm.
The second place to would be Ship Wreck point West of Sekiu. There is a nice area to pull off and park. A small fresh water stream runs into the Striat right there. Not a lot of stuff to see or explore directly out, but go out and West of there nd there are rock formations and a lot fo kelp to play in and around. Seems to be a popular place for spear fishing.
The last place would be Snow Creek, small rv camp ground and boat launch. Last time I was there they had a couple boats that looked to be rentals. There are a lot of large rock out croppings and kelp beds in the area.

If your looking for something a bit more historical, Fort Warden in Port Townsend has a couple dive sites, as well there are a few locations in Port Townsend where the old ships you to anchor up or tie off at long since gone piers. You can always find old pottery, old glassware and such.

Hope this helps

CWB