Most of the "off the beaten path" sites are either: scooter dependent, boat dives, current sensitive, beyond recreational depths, or all of the above. The Fischnaller shore dives book is a tried and true starting point however.
And you absolutely can't say what day will or won't work for a given site tide/current wise unless you have the actual tide/current tables in hand and the date picked.
Sounder wrote:Under normal circumstances, I would never tell another man how to shave his balls... but this device should not be kept secret.
I've been going down there consistently every few weeks, sending you invites, and you keep working or not coming. :p I'll admit for awhile it was hard to get me to leave the seattle area while I was still in school. Had some class dives down there too.The last 3 months have been fairly routine, cove 2 is interesting again after learning about alternatives with scooters and deco.
I'll ask lauren if there is anything planned this weekend.
The Mukilteo T-dock is diveable on most exchanges. Although it's not a great site for big things, if you are patient and go slowly, you can find a lot of interesting small ones.
"Sometimes, when your world is going sideways, the second best thing to everything working out right, is knowing you are loved..." ljjames
Dylan, have you considered your training goals versus additional equipment. Is it possible that a boat, a kayak, or a scooter would give you more diving fun than T2 or C1?
"Just to be clear, doing the Diamond Knot requires at the minimum double IPAs to be DIR." - MattleyCrue
"Mmmm....... Oreos!
They didn't look too good when I was spitting in my mask for dive #2!" - cardiver
Well I would have to take T1 first in order to take T2, although I am honored you already thought I was tech =P
My two big purchases this year are going to be T1 and C1. No scooter. That is going to be a 2014 purchase. I have scooters I can borrow from people though.
Lynne, I will go insane if I dive T dock even once more. I am not a fish person. I couldnt care less about most of them. So for sites like T dock where there is almost no structure, it is essentially not even worth my time. One could argue that C2 has structure, but it takes all the joy out of diving when I know exactly where every piece of everything is. Walls, wrecks, pinnacles, any sort of rocky formations....those are all perfect. I do like seeing sea life in large quantities however, such as at Skyline Wall or Deception Pass. Those are two of my favorite dives I have ever done, and not just in the NW!
Keystone I have done, but it was a great site, and one I would love to get back up to see. I dont get out to see Keystone, Lobster Shop, DIW, TTN, or Titlow often enough.
Driftwood is another site I would love to do, but I am waiting on that huge exchange day.
Harper's Ferry was also another fantastic dive. It's shallow, but I found that to be a very interesting wreck.
I'm wondering if maybe I asked the question wrong, since as it turns out I am familiar with a number of dive sites around here (from sites like PYD). I just do not have anyone to go do them with. I think I needed site ideas for coercing people out of C2. Getting anyone to leave Seattle on the weekends is insanely hard. So basically if anyone is planning any exciting weekend dives, let me know and you will have a dive partner (school permitting)!
You need to go north. Porteau Cove, north of Vancouver, is a dive park with lots of structure. This is the time of year to go, since there is typically poor vis there in the summer.
Whiteclyffe is a great dive site as well ... but the most interesting place is the dropoff, and can be current-sensitive.
Or get over to Nanaimo or Victoria and do some of the wrecks. Most can be dived on any given day.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Threats and ultimatums are never the best answer. Public humiliation via Photoshop is always better - airsix
Mortuus wrote:Well I would have to take T1 first in order to take T2, although I am honored you already thought I was tech =P
It is kind of like buying your girlfriend an outfit, wise men typically error on the smaller size.
I don't have any kayak diving experience but I suspect that it is probably pretty good bang for ones buck. Like anything else though one needs to consider potential buddies when selecting training and equipment.
"Just to be clear, doing the Diamond Knot requires at the minimum double IPAs to be DIR." - MattleyCrue
"Mmmm....... Oreos!
They didn't look too good when I was spitting in my mask for dive #2!" - cardiver
Last winter a few of us made some dives off the public boat ramp in Gig Harbor. Not the most exciting dives ever from a critter standpoint, but there were tons of different nudibranchs. It was mostly about bottles and the other sort of man-made detritus you'd expect in a muck dive. Might be worth a change of pace from the usual sites in the Sound.
What about exploring Lake Washington more. DCS Films has a pretty good compilation of sites Lake Washington sites beyond the usual wrecks. Have you thought about taking a look at sites like theLake Washington Mill near Leschi.
"Just to be clear, doing the Diamond Knot requires at the minimum double IPAs to be DIR." - MattleyCrue
"Mmmm....... Oreos!
They didn't look too good when I was spitting in my mask for dive #2!" - cardiver
Why do these sites need to be non-current sensitive? Sunrise, for instance, is one of the best dives in the South Sound EVER. Precisely because strong currents (as least part of each day) = lots of food! Its not very hard to find a do-able slack tide either. The Fischnaller book corrections are spot on as it has 2 slacks very close together with a brief rotary current in between.
Sounder wrote:Under normal circumstances, I would never tell another man how to shave his balls... but this device should not be kept secret.
CaptnJack wrote:Why do these sites need to be non-current sensitive? Sunrise, for instance, is one of the best dives in the South Sound EVER. Precisely because strong currents (as least part of each day) = lots of food! Its not very hard to find a do-able slack tide either. The Fischnaller book corrections are spot on as it has 2 slacks very close together with a brief rotary current in between.
The idea is that I am looking for sites that I can just pack my gear and head off to on a weekend, without needing to worry about currents. This has become a bit of an issue now that school has started for me. The best current days wont always fall on weekends, so I am looking for something to kill the time in between the "big dives". I wish I could do current sensitive sites day in and day out, because they are hands down the best.
Ross, I actually dove the King Street Scow and the Mill a few weekends ago. Ive been hitting what recreational sites that I can in the lake. The sad reality is that most people dont like diving it though
Mortuus wrote:I actually dove the King Street Scow and the Mill a few weekends ago. Ive been hitting what recreational sites that I can in the lake. The sad reality is that most people dont like diving it though
You did see the wispy brown stuff coming out of those pipes amirite?
Mortuus wrote:
Ross, I actually dove the King Street Scow and the Mill a few weekends ago. Ive been hitting what recreational sites that I can in the lake. The sad reality is that most people dont like diving it though
Most people dive to see wildlife. Not much of that to see in the lake ... after you've seen a few crayfish and small fresh-water sculpins, you're pretty much seen it all.
Wreck folks are different ... to them the wildlife just messes up their view of the wreck. You need to find a few more buddies who are into wrecks. Unfortunately, most of those prefer wrecks you're not quite ready for yet.
Tides don't look good on any week-end this month ... looks like you might be stuck in the lake for a while yet ...
... Bob (Grateful DIver)
Threats and ultimatums are never the best answer. Public humiliation via Photoshop is always better - airsix
Mortuus wrote:
Ross, I actually dove the King Street Scow and the Mill a few weekends ago. Ive been hitting what recreational sites that I can in the lake. The sad reality is that most people dont like diving it though
Most people dive to see wildlife. Not much of that to see in the lake ... after you've seen a few crayfish and small fresh-water sculpins, you're pretty much seen it all.
Wreck folks are different ... to them the wildlife just messes up their view of the wreck. You need to find a few more buddies who are into wrecks. Unfortunately, most of those prefer wrecks you're not quite ready for yet.
Tides don't look good on any week-end this month ... looks like you might be stuck in the lake for a while yet ...
... Bob (Grateful DIver)
Yeah, I have figured out that my diving priorities dont exactly line up with most people's.
Im not strictly a wreck person. I consider myself a structure person. Walls, caves, pinnacles, wonky topography, and of course, wrecks. There are definitely a few animals I love seeing, but most of them bore me
I'm with Dylan, I could careless if I saw a brown spotted thing'a'ma'bob.
Wrecks, structure, topography, etc are cool. If I wanna see fish, I go to the store.
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- I got a good squirt in my mouth
- I would imagine that there would be a large amount of involuntary gagging
- I don't know about you but I'm not into swallowing it
[sarcasm]Divers that don't love critters?!?! What the heck...? Why else would you want to dive?!?[/sarcasm]
More Pics Than You Have Time To Look AT "Anyone who thinks this place is over moderated is bat-crazy anarchist." -Ben, Airsix "Warning: No dive masters are going to be there, Just a bunch of old fat guys taking pictures of fish." -Bassman
Tom Nic wrote:[sarcasm]Divers that don't love critters?!?! What the heck...? Why else would you want to dive?!?[/sarcasm]
To blow bubbles.
D
I can do that in my bath tub!
More Pics Than You Have Time To Look AT "Anyone who thinks this place is over moderated is bat-crazy anarchist." -Ben, Airsix "Warning: No dive masters are going to be there, Just a bunch of old fat guys taking pictures of fish." -Bassman
Tom Nic wrote:[sarcasm]Divers that don't love critters?!?! What the heck...? Why else would you want to dive?!?[/sarcasm]
To blow bubbles.
D
Play with expensive toys
Show off their mad skillz
And I can do this above water even easier!
And I am pretty sure that this is the reason many folks quit diving after they become "bored with it". I wonder if there are divers that do this their entire lives that at some level don't become interested in the amazing life below the waves. Caves? Wrecks? Bottle Hunting? I suppose those could keep you going for a lifetime... maybe.
Critters are so high on my list, (and photographing / counting them) that it is hard to imagine those for whom they hold no attraction.
But, "different strokes for different folks" and all that...
More Pics Than You Have Time To Look AT "Anyone who thinks this place is over moderated is bat-crazy anarchist." -Ben, Airsix "Warning: No dive masters are going to be there, Just a bunch of old fat guys taking pictures of fish." -Bassman
I am struggling to think of places with structure but no current. Lobster Shack is about the only place I can think of although a sand slope is "structure" its just not what most people want.
Sounder wrote:Under normal circumstances, I would never tell another man how to shave his balls... but this device should not be kept secret.
