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Point Whitney, Brinnon, WA

Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2015 7:56 pm
by 60south
Dive Site Name: Point Whitney

Skill Level: All Divers

Current Sensitive: A bit. There are currents, sometimes annoying, but I don't think you'll get swept away.

Location: 1000 Point Whitney Road, Brinnon, WA, at the shellfish lab.

Directions: Head south from Quilcene or north from Brinnon on highway 101, turn off at Point Whitney Road. Google map.

Free Parking: A vehicle use permit is required to park there. This is either a Discovery Pass, or included with a combo fishing license, or for a daily fee.

Staging Area: A gravel parking lot.

Surface Swim: Short

Nearby Facilities: There's a bathroom on site. The nearest services are in Brinnon or Quilcene.

Special Considerations: Lots of boaters launch from here during fishing season. Bring a dive flag, if you have one.

Maximum Depth: 15-140 fsw or more.

Known Hazards: Boaters.

Dive Site Description: A life-encrusted intake pipe extends out, running north-south. You'll find the pipe starting at about 15' and running down to 100 feet, more or less depending on the tides. Look for GPOs under the supports. The start of the pipe is located near the center of the parking area. (There's really two pipes, but one is shorter.) Octopus Gardens Dive Shop has a good map and write-up of this site on their web page.

pointWhitneyMap.jpg

Re: Point Whitney, Brinnon, WA

Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2015 9:27 pm
by Jeremy
Cool, will have to check it out. Thanks for the write up!

Re: Point Whitney, Brinnon, WA

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 12:39 am
by AdrianSmith
If you head due north off the end of the pipe you can hit 130-140 pretty easily, so you may want to modify your max depth for the site.

And as an FYI, the vehicle use permit has been required for four years.

-Adrian

Re: Point Whitney, Brinnon, WA

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 12:11 pm
by 60south
Thanks Adrian, the post has been updated.

Re: Point Whitney, Brinnon, WA

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 12:43 pm
by AdrianSmith
No worries. Thanks for the update! It's one my favorite sites. :)

Re: Point Whitney, Brinnon, WA

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 5:32 pm
by FlyinV
vehicle use permit is this the discovery pass or something else to purchase?
I have dove it twice this year and put up the discovery pass but I like to be sure so I don't get a ticket or a tow :)

Re: Point Whitney, Brinnon, WA

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 5:57 pm
by AdrianSmith
The Discover Pass is what you need.

-Adrian

Re: Point Whitney, Brinnon, WA

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 6:05 pm
by 60south
This site grows on you. The first time I dove it I thought, meh. Vis is not always good.

Dove it again yesterday and saw much more. Aside from the pipe, there's other stuff down there that's a magnet for sea life. Loads of fish, crabs, and smaller critters. Yesterday I found myself in a baitball of thousands of candlefish (?), it was magical.

This would also be a great site for snorkeling or training, or when currents are blowing out everything else.

Re: Point Whitney, Brinnon, WA

Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2020 7:36 pm
by 60south
An update-- we found another pipe, one we haven't seen on any of the dive site maps.

Heading north and west from the shore, we picked it up around 35 ft depth. It runs NNW, more or less, to about 80-90 ft of water.

pointWhitneyMap2.jpg

Re: Point Whitney, Brinnon, WA

Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2020 7:37 pm
by enchantmentdivi
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, what kind of life did you see on this pipe???

Re: Point Whitney, Brinnon, WA

Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2020 9:45 pm
by 60south
Tons of anemones. Signs of GPOs near the concrete supports but nobody home. Schools of tubsnouts and candlefish (?) down to about 60ft, thousands of shrimp, big sculpins trying to look like shell hash, and crabs doing battle.

And one badass jellyfish, presumably a lion's mane (although I never saw the bell) that wrapped my lips and cheeks in its loving, nematocyst-filled tentacles.

Re: Point Whitney, Brinnon, WA

Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2020 12:32 pm
by enchantmentdivi
Nice!! (except for the jellyfish sting...)