Seattle area shore dives some guidance or suggestions

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JJHACK
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Seattle area shore dives some guidance or suggestions

Post by JJHACK »

Hello folks. I always feel a bit awkward here, no fault of this site or the visitors. Just my personality. I guess because I don't live in the seattle area its not a "home" feeling for me.

I travel in to dive there from the walla walla area..... eastern Wa. My wife is a surgical nurse which they travel to other areas to work now and then. She is frequently going to the seattle market for help with the surgeries there. I always go with her so I can dive while she is working on the weekends. Sounds horrible that I go diving while she works, but it's a long drive so she appreciates my going with.

I have been bringing other divers from to the sound that don't know the area and want a change of venue from the fresh water Columbia river and the lakes. All of a sudden I'm the experienced puget sound diver with these folks! My typical dive locations are Les Davis, Redondo, and Alki Cove 2. On some weekends I use Muliltio and Edmonds. Although they can be a stretch to get back in time to pick her up from the hospital.

So what is this long story about? Am I missing any good spots between Alki and Tacoma? Salt water park I have done a bunch but always with George and Andria on ocean quest not from shore. Sites just a bit north of Seattle would be okay too.

I don't know about three tree? Never been there, but would like to learn it. I'm going to be there the next two weekends while she is pulling her surgery duty magic for folks. Thanks for any suggestions on this. I really enjoy this site with the great information and the vis reports!
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YellowEye
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Re: Seattle area shore dives some guidance or suggestions

Post by YellowEye »

Hi!
Check out the alki junkyard (slack, mild ebb), day island (very tide sensitive).
Make sure you try the south bottlefield side of Redondo if you haven't hit that.

I'm sure others will add more.
Hope you have fun and let us know how it goes!
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BillZ
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Re: Seattle area shore dives some guidance or suggestions

Post by BillZ »

Northwest Shore Dives is the bible for Puget Sound Diving. It's out of print but you can pick up a used copy on Amazon.

Day Island Wall is probably the best shore dive in the Puget Sound but I'd suggest that you go with someone that knows how to dive it until you learn how to bracket slack. It's a real ass-kicker if you get the currents wrong.

Titlow is another really good site. It's current sensitive but much more forgiving than DIW.

Lobster Shop Wall is a bit of a boulder scramble but a fun dive. It's right down the road from Les Davis.

Sunrise is a bit of work but a great shore dive. Again, it's current sensitive so you'll need to know how to find the correct slack
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JJHACK
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Re: Seattle area shore dives some guidance or suggestions

Post by JJHACK »

I would like to dive titlow Saturday if anyone is willing to show me around that site. Would be open to others as well but the titlow site seems easy enough to share with others coming with me later. Not many of the east side divers have good knowledge of Seattle tides. However they all understand powerful drift dives in the Columbia river!

Since I had planned Les Davis anyway titlow is near by. If anyone wants to show me around Saturday I would love the tour.
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Tom Nic
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Re: Seattle area shore dives some guidance or suggestions

Post by Tom Nic »

Saltwater State Park - fabulous, fish rich, and visually stunning.

800 yard surface swim. :eek: :eek: :eek:
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JJHACK
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Re: Seattle area shore dives some guidance or suggestions

Post by JJHACK »

Thanks so much for the thoughts and ideas, I'm leaving this afternoon to drive over. Maybe I'll get a chance to meet some of you at these dive sites over the next two weekends

Jim
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JJHACK
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Re: Seattle area shore dives some guidance or suggestions

Post by JJHACK »

Here are three photos from Les Davis Saturday. I was in a place with hundreds maybe 1000’s of tiny nudibranchs. By tiny I mean 5/16” -3/8” long identical to larger ones but quite tiny. I’m no marine biologist but it looked at first thought to be a giant nudi hatch

Also I thought about a dive just east I think east of Les Davis past the RAM eatery along shore there are 100 or so pilings with a bike stuck on one. No doubt shallow but probably a fun place to explore. Plenty of parking across road and an easy walk to the water
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McGlencoe
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Re: Seattle area shore dives some guidance or suggestions

Post by McGlencoe »

JJHACK wrote: Sun Jun 09, 2019 11:23 pm Also I thought about a dive just east I think east of Les Davis past the RAM eatery along shore there are 100 or so pilings with a bike stuck on one. No doubt shallow but probably a fun place to explore. Plenty of parking across road and an easy walk to the water
That's called the Ruins by many. It's a fun dive site. Definitely shallow at the piers, so do it at high tide.

It's not very current sensitive, so can be done almost any time.

Past the piers it drops down the hill with a few more pilings laying down that are interesting to poke around.

Once you are out in the mud flats, it is all mud well out past 100'. Bottles are laying around and every now and again you'll find a keeper.


Just a little south of that is Jack Hyde Park, it is just after you go over the overpass headed north. There is a big bowl feature out there that drops down and will get you out past 100'. Plenty of bottles to pick through out in the 80' range.

Two years ago we were surprised by a six gill, first one my dive buddy and I had seen.
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BASSMAN
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Re: Seattle area shore dives some guidance or suggestions

Post by BASSMAN »

I'm looking for a reason to get back in the water. Been a few months. I may be available to give you a tour of Three Tree N. One of my, anytime favorite night time dive sights. It even a good dusk dive!
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