Langley Tire Reef closing?

[nwscubamom]

I read in one of Bellingham's dive shop newsletters that Langley Tire Reef is closing the first of the year. Does anyone know if that is a seasonal or a permanent closure?

- Janna

[oldsalt]

I emailed Edwin Field, the operations mamanger for the Port of South Whidbey. This is his response.

Pending final permitting, the Port expects to start the bidding for the first construction phase of Harbor expansion in January of 2013. Depending on contractor schedules, there may be some opportunity for diving the reef this spring, but it is very likely that it will no longer be safe for diving in the expanded harbor area by summer of 2013. Except for special events, diving the current reef location will no longer be possible after summer 2013.

-Curt

[CaptnJack]

I remember talk of this going back nearly a decade now. Guess they finally got their magnum opus port. Its going to sit on top of and all around the current tire reef.

[Jeremy]

Bummer

[Mortuus]

I have never dove this site so now I have to ask...is it worth diving for one final hurrah before it closes?

[Grateful Diver]

I think it's been a staple for newer divers, in particular. I've had many good to great dives there ... although it's been a long time since I last dived the site.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Jeff Pack]

fun dive to do once. Other places I'd rtehr dive if I drove that far.

[CaptnJack]

I have never dove this site so now I have to ask...is it worth diving for one final hurrah before it closes?

worth seeing, esp in winter IMHO
Its a pretty easy site if you avoid fisherfolk and their lines.

[Nwbrewer]

That sucks. Mortuus it's worth doing once. Maybe we should try and organize an MMM Langly before they close it?

[Desert Diver]

I've only been there once but the Dungeness crab were stacked on top of each other.....and we had no license.

[Alexitt]

It's worth diving when the vis is good and it's always a good backup dive when Keystone gets too crazy... I go over there every couple of months and there's always something to see... I even found what I thought was a Cremation bag that turned out to be 25# of soft weights... WTF??? Waaay too heavy to be a person... Nice score though...

[Jan K]

Update on the Langley Tire Reef. I went by yesterday, January 5,2013, diving is still going
at full speed, I saw probably dozen divers going in and out. Talked to the harbormaster, he said that
it is still open to divers, they are still in the process of getting permits, then there is the issue of the
floating concrete dock now attached to the outer side of the seawall, waiting for bids to clean it and
it might have to go to a drydock, he said. Which means, many more months, he thinks that it might
be July before the diver access will be closed. He said to call the office of Langley Harbormaster
for updates. I will try to keep up, once I get back into diving, meanwhile, come and enjoy the
Langley Tire Reef while it is still ours

[Novice]

My understanding was they were going to put in some sort of new reef to replace the tire reef as part of the harbor plan is that true?

[Tubesnout23]

Update on the Langley Tire Reef. I went by yesterday, January 5,2013, diving is still going
at full speed, I saw probably dozen divers going in and out. Talked to the harbormaster, he said that
it is still open to divers, they are still in the process of getting permits, then there is the issue of the
floating concrete dock now attached to the outer side of the seawall, waiting for bids to clean it and
it might have to go to a drydock, he said. Which means, many more months, he thinks that it might
be July before the diver access will be closed. He said to call the office of Langley Harbormaster
for updates. I will try to keep up, once I get back into diving, meanwhile, come and enjoy the
Langley Tire Reef while it is still ours

So there is no attempt from the local diving community to put some pressure on the Port of South Whidbey to have access to the dive site after the expansion is completed? It is going to be a terrible loss! I have never seen such large schools of different perch anywhere else! Right now baby pipefish are cruising the bottom next to the reef. I have encountered the largest ling cod I have never seen in Puget Sound and BC! At night sailfin sculpins shows up from all over the place and a dog fish nearly bumped into my belly once. Recently I saw my first red Irish lord guarding eggs!

Dive shops from Oak Harbor to Bellingham take their students there. I did my open water classes at Langley Marina. It is a site that you can dive anytime of the year day and night. Once is gone it is going to be a pain to do a night dive on Whidbey island! It's a freaken darn shame that the Port does not have more imagination and cares all about wealthy boaters who are supposed to spend a lot of dosh in the local restaurants and stores while divers well I guess have the reputation to be cheap and are worthless from an economic point of view...

[CaptnJack]

they are still in the process of getting permits, then there is the issue of the
floating concrete dock now attached to the outer side of the seawall, waiting for bids to clean it and
it might have to go to a drydock, he said. Which means, many more months, he thinks that it might
be July before the diver access will be closed. He said to call the office of Langley Harbormaster
for updates. I will try to keep up, once I get back into diving, meanwhile, come and enjoy the
Langley Tire Reef while it is still ours

Ahhh this is more like it. The Port has ALWAYS had eyes bigger than their permits!

So there is no attempt from the local diving community to put some pressure on the Port of South Whidbey to have access to the dive site after the expansion is completed? It is going to be a terrible loss!

If you look at the plans, you'll see that the tire reef will be pretty much right in the middle of the marina after the expansion. Won't be a good place for diving at all with all those propellors overhead and stray electrical currents from mis-wired shore power connections.

a freaken darn shame that the Port does not have more imagination and cares all about wealthy boaters who are supposed to spend a lot of dosh in the local restaurants and stores while divers well I guess have the reputation to be cheap and are worthless from an economic point of view...

We are a cheap bunch. Look at all the charters who have gone belly up since the advent of scootering from shore...

[Jan K]

I have to agree with Richard on all counts.
We are a cheap bunch, not only with not utilizing the charter fleet, but also buying our gear on line instead in our local dive shop. I understand the economy difficulties we all face in our daily lives and I am not blaming anybody. But the reality is that they cannot survive on filling our tanks only.
Also I would like to point out that the Langley harbor master is extremely friendly towards divers and he was hoping that somebody would come with some plan and money to create a new replacement spot nearby to accommodate divers. But the problem in Langley is that there just isn't place for parking close to the water to gear up. The removal of tires doesn't bother me so much since they ,in all these years didn't provide much of a habitat for marine life to grow on. Rocks would be so much better. Just my opinion.
As Richard pointed out, tire reef marina with associated boat traffic on top would not be a good place to teach new divers. As somebody who was run over by a boat and hurt by its propeller, I know.
We can only hope that the status quo will continue for long time to the delight of divers and the misfortune of boaters and local merchants who definitely get more dollars from the pockets of yachtsmen that divers.
Meanwhile, KEEP ON DIVING

[oldsalt]

I relate the history of the tire reef as I remember it. The date was about 1972, I pulled my boat into the Langley city dock and it was surrounded by several bands of tires lined up like lifesaver candies all held afloat by logs down the middle. They intended the tires to form a floating breakwater, absorbing wave energy. I don't remember it working well. My small boat got a workout at the dock. The floating breakwater functioned even more poorly when it ceased floating, and was replaced by the wooden pile breakwater which is now there. Several attempts at low cost breakwaters provide current dive sites, the Hat Island barges being another. The evolution of dive sites as the result of destruction of man made objects is greatly accelerated in shallow waters. Observe the Triumph at EUP.
-Curt

[CaptnJack]

I relate the history of the tire reef as I remember it. The date was about 1972, I pulled my boat into the Langley city dock and it was surrounded by several bands of tires lined up like lifesaver candies all held afloat by logs down the middle. They intended the tires to form a floating breakwater, absorbing wave energy. I don't remember it working well. My small boat got a workout at the dock. The floating breakwater functioned even more poorly when it ceased floating, and was replaced by the wooden pile breakwater which is now there. Several attempts at low cost breakwaters provide current dive sites, the Hat Island barges being another. The evolution of dive sites as the result of destruction of man made objects is greatly accelerated in shallow waters. Observe the Triumph at EUP.
-Curt

Yeah if Langley builds the new marina anything like they've built stuff in the past its only a matter of time before it'll be an awesome dive site!

[Jan K]

I relate the history of the tire reef as I remember it. The date was about 1972, I pulled my boat into the Langley city dock and it was surrounded by several bands of tires lined up like lifesaver candies all held afloat by logs down the middle. They intended the tires to form a floating breakwater, absorbing wave energy. I don't remember it working well. My small boat got a workout at the dock. The floating breakwater functioned even more poorly when it ceased floating, and was replaced by the wooden pile breakwater which is now there. Several attempts at low cost breakwaters provide current dive sites, the Hat Island barges being another. The evolution of dive sites as the result of destruction of man made objects is greatly accelerated in shallow waters. Observe the Triumph at EUP.
-Curt

Yeah if Langley builds the new marina anything like they've built stuff in the past its only a matter of time before it'll be an awesome dive site!

[LowDrag]

Yeah if Langley builds the new marina anything like they've built stuff in the past its only a matter of time before it'll be an awesome dive site!

That's funny!!!

[Mateo1147]

Yeah if Langley builds the new marina anything like they've built stuff in the past its only a matter of time before it'll be an awesome dive site!

There is never enough money to do things right the first time but always enough money to do it again......

[Jeff Pack]

you can only do it right once, but wrong many times...

[coulterboy]

you can only do it right once, but wrong many times...

On the other hand, it gives a source of income for the peeps involved. Bad for taxpayers, good for the workers.