Neah Bay Aug 2018
Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2018 11:32 pm
Howdy Folks
ScubaJess, Scubie Doo, Stphn Martin, VJW, JPA and I just came back from an epic long weekend of diving out at Neah Bay. For those unfamiliar with it, Neah Bay is out on the very northwestern corner of Washington. It has some of the best diving in the state, with beauty and challenges not found on a typical Puget Sound Dive. This is coastal diving, with challenges such as surge, currents, fog and the open ocean itself. Visibility can be variable... this time it was between 10 and 20', but it is often much better. Fog and smoke and a bit of waves somewhat limited our diving options.
Along the coast we got to see otters, seals, sealions (both types), puffins, oyster catchers, black turnstones, cormorants, rhino auklets, bald eagles, turkey vultures and more. We also enjoyed a walk to Cape Flattery for a higher view of the cliffs and waves.
Beneath the sea, we got to enjoy dramatically impressive landscapes, and a large variety of fish and invertebrates. At least 10 species of rockfish were seen! Beautiful tiger rockfish, china rockfish, blues, blacks, quillbacks, coppers, yellow tails, yellow eyes (!), Puget sound rockfish, and canary rockfish! What a beautiful place!
We went out on Bill Mitton's Northwest Dive Charter's Slack Tide II boat. Bill did an outstanding job with great service and friendly company. He has trailered a compressor out there, so now you can get good fills including Nitrox right in Neah Bay. We stayed at some local cabins and at the hotel above the pizza place. Accommodations have improved a lot in Neah Bay over the years!
The sites we dove included Waddah Island Fingers, 3rd beach, 3rd beach pinnacle, Tiger Reef, Seal Rock, and Mushroom Rock -- my favorite of the group.
Here were some of the snaps:
Hope you had a great good-tide weekend!
ScubaJess, Scubie Doo, Stphn Martin, VJW, JPA and I just came back from an epic long weekend of diving out at Neah Bay. For those unfamiliar with it, Neah Bay is out on the very northwestern corner of Washington. It has some of the best diving in the state, with beauty and challenges not found on a typical Puget Sound Dive. This is coastal diving, with challenges such as surge, currents, fog and the open ocean itself. Visibility can be variable... this time it was between 10 and 20', but it is often much better. Fog and smoke and a bit of waves somewhat limited our diving options.
Along the coast we got to see otters, seals, sealions (both types), puffins, oyster catchers, black turnstones, cormorants, rhino auklets, bald eagles, turkey vultures and more. We also enjoyed a walk to Cape Flattery for a higher view of the cliffs and waves.
Beneath the sea, we got to enjoy dramatically impressive landscapes, and a large variety of fish and invertebrates. At least 10 species of rockfish were seen! Beautiful tiger rockfish, china rockfish, blues, blacks, quillbacks, coppers, yellow tails, yellow eyes (!), Puget sound rockfish, and canary rockfish! What a beautiful place!
We went out on Bill Mitton's Northwest Dive Charter's Slack Tide II boat. Bill did an outstanding job with great service and friendly company. He has trailered a compressor out there, so now you can get good fills including Nitrox right in Neah Bay. We stayed at some local cabins and at the hotel above the pizza place. Accommodations have improved a lot in Neah Bay over the years!
The sites we dove included Waddah Island Fingers, 3rd beach, 3rd beach pinnacle, Tiger Reef, Seal Rock, and Mushroom Rock -- my favorite of the group.
Here were some of the snaps:
- I saw this beautiful octo at Salt Creek on the way to Neah
- Surf anemones and an ochre star in the surge zone at Mushroom Rock
- Gooseneck barnacles in the surge zone at Mushroom Rock
- We encountered this beautiful egg yolk jelly immediately on descent at Seal Rock
- Sea star and urchins and diver at Mushroom Rock
- The Mushroom Rock dive site (actual rock not shown)
- Some more goosenecks. Some have more pronounced red lips on them.
- The bay at mushroom rock had the biggest moon jellies I've ever dove with
- Another look at one of the moon jellies
- Some surf anemones line a surge channel at Mushroom Rock
- Moon Jelly
- The fabled Tiger Rockfish (and a China too!)
- A fish eating anemone (10-12" across)
- This wolfeel was quite shy, I only got a couple of shots of him
- Reef life at Waddah Island Fingers
- Fish eating anemone at the bottom of a typical slope at Waddah Island fingers
- Some plumose line the ledge at Third Beach Pinnacle
- The shallows at Seal Rock
- Fish eating anemone
- Canary rockfish and wolfie
Also, this trailered compressor with nitrox fills you speak of sounds kinda awesome. Not having to commute from Seiku would make the days a bit easier out there. 
