Scootering Salt Creek

[BDub]

So about a year ago we decided to monkey dive Salt Creek....epic fail, lesson learned, let's not do that again and all that...we ended up monkey diving Lake Crescent.

So Captn Jack suggested we give it another shot, so he, Melody, Nick (Limeyx), Jamie, Jeanna and I went back a few weeks ago with appropriate gear (backmount single tanks) and scooters (still not sure I'd call scooters "appropriate" for this site) to give it another shot.

I had dived Salt Creek several times before, and it's an absolutely beautiful dive. One of only a handful of sites that we have with kelp forest. However, I've always kicked it, and scootering the kelp sounded like a total blast.

The issue at Salt Creek is the entry/exit. You walk down large rocks to the edge, and essentially need to time the surge and giant stride in, and kick like mad to get away from the barnacle covered rocks before the surge shoves you back into them, risking shredding your drysuit. When the wind kicks up, as it almost always does in the Strait, you've got considerable wind chop as well. Mornings are definitely the ideal time to dive here.

Exiting requires timing the surge, and essentially "beaching" yourself on the rocks, standing up and walking out before the next wave comes in. It's not really that difficult in a single tank. However, adding a scooter to the equation, which now requires constant attention from one hand, can definitely raise the difficulty factor.

So a few of us jumped in, and I stayed on the rocks and tossed in a few scooters to Captn Jack who retrieved them, then I jumped in.

Upon descending Richard's scootered died almost immediately. He and Melody thumbed, and me, Jeanna, Jamie and Nick zoomed off into the kelp. Vis was incredible, and the late morning sun was absolutely stunning as it pierced the kelp canopy. We zoomed in and out of the kelp, and slalomed through the kelp for an hour or so, until our scooter batteries started to get a bit low, and made our way the short distance back to shore.

The exit was a bit "adventurous", for sure, but what an amazing dive! Jeanna got some great footage on the Nex5, which we haven't edited yet.

I had the GoPro nose mounted on the scoot, and got some pretty good footage. The GoPros work pretty good with plenty of ambient light.

As fun as it was, I'm not sure I'd head back there with a scooter again (I say that now, though I could probably be convinced to do it again), but it was definitely worth it!



http://vimeo.com/48397784

[CaptnJack]

We didn't thumb it, we just dawdled back to the entry point for an hour dive silly.

I did replace the fuse holder in the scooter the next day. 'Twas burnt to a crisp.

[selkie]

Which entrance do you guys use? We normally use the entrance by camp site 63 near the kiosk. Down the steps and to the east from the kiosk is a little beach.

[BDub]

Which entrance do you guys use? We normally use the entrance by camp site 63 near the kiosk. Down the steps and to the east from the kiosk is a little beach.

Same place. East Tongue Point. We've used the west side before, but it's been several years ago, and I recall actually preferring that entrance over the eastern entrance, but I think the the eastern entrance has more kelp.

[CaptnJack]

Which entrance do you guys use? We normally use the entrance by camp site 63 near the kiosk. Down the steps and to the east from the kiosk is a little beach.

Same place. East Tongue Point. We've used the west side before, but it's been several years ago, and I recall actually preferring that entrance over the eastern entrance, but I think the the eastern entrance has more kelp.

We did the east-most entrance of Salt creek. By the picnic shelter. There are 2 entrances over by Tongue Point, an east and a west. The west leads to the only sand patch around - between tongue point and the little island which has the least amount of kelp. In retrospect the west tongue point entrance would have been better to scooter kelp.

3 entrances total.

[Penopolypants]

Have you ever tried entering from the beach past the park and scootering around the point? It's a bit of a hike (150 yards or so) but relatively flat and urchin-free. The last time I was there I was wondering if that was a viable option.

[CaptnJack]

I think all the land west of the creek is private. At least the previous time I was there it was signed (that was maybe 6 yrs ago tho, maybe the park bought it?)

[Penopolypants]

I think all the land west of the creek is private. At least the previous time I was there it was signed (that was maybe 6 yrs ago tho, maybe the park bought it?)

The parking lot is for beach access and was open to the public. Just past that is all private.

[BDub]

Have you ever tried entering from the beach past the park and scootering around the point? It's a bit of a hike (150 yards or so) but relatively flat and urchin-free. The last time I was there I was wondering if that was a viable option.

salt_creek.jpg

We had a fair amount of current on this dive, which we would've been fighting after getting around the point. It may be doable if current is timed correctly, but I don't think it would've been possible that day.

[CaseyB449]

[thefeve]

wow - that looks incredible. looks like an alien planet:)

[LCF]

Oh, I wish you hadn't posted that video. I've been mildly intrigued with Salt Creek for years, but I've always let the descriptions of the entry and exit put me off. Listening to Jamie put me even more off But the video is compelling . . .

[Jeff Pack]

I totally love that soundtrack!

[BDub]

Thanks everyone!

Lynne, the western entrance isn't that bad. The eastern entrance can be a bit challenging, but the scooters are really what raised the difficulty when exiting. The wind had kicked up during our dive (it had already started up a bit when we entered, as it was late morning), and we needed 2 hands to climb out, but one hand had to hold the scooter. If you let go of the scooter, it acted like an anchor, or the cord would get hung up on a rock, etc.

The western entrance probably would've been easier, in hindsight.

Bringing the scoots may have made it a "let's not do that again" (not a bad thing), but if we do it again, I'd definitely consider the western entrance, with an earlier splash, for sure.

Really, what really makes it sketchy is when the wind kicks up. Early to mid morning entries and exits are definitely a good idea here.

[Tom Nic]

My phone doesn't do Vimeo, so I hadn't had a chance to watch... finally got in front of a computer, and I must say - way, way cool! Great vid, great music, great dive site, and looked like a ton of fun!

Thanks for sharing!

[fnerg]

Nice video, and the Yoshida Bros. always make for a good soundtrack!

I've done all of two dives at Salt Creek, and the entrance isn't so bad. In doubles, it'd be a PITA though.

The second dive, we swam out way past the kelp beds and into the rocks at 60-80 feet, which was actually the more fun dive I thought. Sorta like the north part of Day Island Wall if you swim away from the wall, and down to around 70 feet. It's the only place I've seen a Puget Sound king crab, and the GPO we saw out there was actually pretty friendly/inquisitive. Instead of just running off and retreating into a hole, it hung out and watched us watching it for awhile.

[limeyx]

Oh, I wish you hadn't posted that video. I've been mildly intrigued with Salt Creek for years, but I've always let the descriptions of the entry and exit put me off. Listening to Jamie put me even more off But the video is compelling . . .

I got my ass 100% handed to me on the exit.
On the other hand this is a testament to exactly how durable the DUI TLS350 is as I was being dragged 6 or so feet up and down a set of barnacle-encrusted rocks at one point. I was sure my suit would be shredded but all I got was a leak in a dry glove caused by my car keys poking through.

Nice dive though.

[Winter]

WE are leaving for salt creek tomorrow evening!!!! I think I might try n snorkel a bit as well. Last year we got kinda lost trying to find the exit but Im alot more confident this year ....as for you scooter dudes...CRAZY!

[Scubie Doo]

Very cool video! A contest winner in my opinion.

[Dive0saur]

Awesome video!

you've added fuel to my already burning obsession with Salt Creek!