Cone Islands

[onasphere]

I keep hearing that the Cone Islands are a beautiful dive site. Anyone have any info on them?

[CaptnJack]

Yes, I've been there a couple times. Depths are 20 to about ~80. Deeper than that it turns to gravel IIRC. Currents are surprisingly swirly. If you have one of the Island Canoe published current correction maps (out of print now :( ) those are helpful in picking good days. To me Cone are a "B" grade site. Worth doing but prefer to make these a 2nd dive after an even more current intensive A lister. Bandito runs here often. If you are boat savy and attentive you can pick up ALOT of tips from Kurt & Peggy just going out with them a few times.

[onasphere]

What are some good "A" grade sites I can dive from my sailboat/RIB near Skyline?

[CaptnJack]

What are some good "A" grade sites I can dive from my sailboat/RIB near Skyline?

I would work up to these. Places like Davidson, Deception Pass, Long Is., Patos, Turn Point etc are massively current dependent, require good mid-water buoyancy skills, a live boat, good UW navigation, and alot of in-water awareness & topside spidy sense.

So don't dismiss Cone and its bretheren so fast. Its a good site, worth doing and will build local diving experience. Strawberry Is. is also good, along with the whole south side of Lummi Is. Sares Head is getting more challenging as there is (for all practical purposes) no bottom but at least there's little current. But Sares has nets and generally poor vis. James Island is also a modest difficulty site that won't kill you if you don't get it quite right to start. Both "lobes" of James Is. (which is shaped like a dumbell) are decent dives.

[onasphere]

James Island is my favorite overnight spot. There's a good dock on the West side in a little cove, and some nice hiking. When the dock is put away, there are two buoys on the East side. What part of the island do you dive?

[CaptnJack]

James Island is my favorite overnight spot. There's a good dock on the West side in a little cove, and some nice hiking. When the dock is put away, there are two buoys on the East side. What part of the island do you dive?

The south side and both of the "lobes" on the east side are decent dives. Not esp. deep. and currents are modest. IIRC the rocks peter out around 65ft where it turns to steep gravelly mud

[whatevah]

The Cones can be pretty cool, but yes, they can be swirly. The simplest way to plan is to work around slack in Bellingham Channel. When you've been there a few times and gotten a good feel for it you can start to dive it off-slack, by hiding in backeddies, current shadows etc. I like the east end of the eastern island, the north side of the western cone, and the deeper ridge that runs out to the nearby rock on the west side. Cypress Head is a nearby possibility with similar timing. My favorite part of James Island is the wall at the westerly aspect of the north end. Good suggestions for sites already mentioned. I'd add: Dennis Shoal, south side of Young Island, Deception Pass, Canoe Pass, west side of Northwest Island, southwest side of Bird Rocks, and Belle Rock. The huge kelp bed on Lawson Reef can also be a really pretty shallow water drift on a sunny day with good visibility.

[onasphere]

Thanks for the suggestions! I have 2 hp 130's ordered so I can start doing overnight, multi-day dive trips to the islands.

[ohopdiver]

The sweet spot is NE corner of Big Cone