Blakely Harbor orientation map

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CaptnJack
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Blakely Harbor orientation map

Post by CaptnJack »

I made a map to help orient people to the Blakely Harbor area. There are 6 different sites within a ~1mile square area; sometimes using various names and hence discussions can be confusing. The sites are labelled 1 through 6 in red. I'm just using what seem to be the conventional names. Depths are my best guesses based on various dives.

Image

1) Norrander's Reef 15 to 55ft
2+3) Fingers 45 to 105ft (two distinct rock ribs parallel to Norrander's)
4) China Wall 65 to 95ft
5) Shangrila 15 to 60ft
6) Wreck of the Boss 50ft (approx location)

Norrander's has shore access. The Fingers have shore access with a scooter or long swim. The latter three are exclusively boat dives. Shangrila has strong currents on exchanges while the other 5 can be done 'off slack'.

Richard
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Pinkpadigal
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Post by Pinkpadigal »

Richard,

I am curious about Norrander Reef and the fingers. How do you get there? What is the shore access like?
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CaptnJack
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Post by CaptnJack »

Sorry I have never dove it from shore. Janna has a writeup about the park/access etc which should be helpful though
http://www.pnwscuba.com/directions.htm#norranders
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LCF
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Post by LCF »

Shore access for Norrander's is reasonable. You park in a small area right on the road, and walk across grass, and then clamber down a rock retaining wall. The beach is large, rounded stones that provide a little bit of a challenge to stay upright. I wouldn't do this dive with doubles.

I've done the rock fingers off Richard's boat, and I loved the dive. It's one of the ones I've wanted to try as a shore dive, with the scooters to avoid the long surface swim.
"Sometimes, when your world is going sideways, the second best thing to everything working out right, is knowing you are loved..." ljjames
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CaptnJack
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Post by CaptnJack »

If you owned a boat you'd have more options :bootyshake: I think I've done Norrander's 3 or 4 times since I took you there. Typically as a 2nd dive of the day.

The other 2 "Fingers" sites are deeper as you go south and with their squarer profiles they aren't so great. I have always used the bouys there (which come and go) so I'm not sure what they'd be like profile-wise diving from shore.

The orange bouy in this pic of Scott's looks to be on the "Fingers" site
Image

Norrander's is slightly to the right (north) and inshore a bit.
kjc
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Kayak Diving I Tells ya.....

Post by kjc »

CaptnJack wrote:If you owned a boat you'd have more options
Ha!

You don't have to be Jones'n with CaptnJack'er for his rubber lover boat or his scooter or anything else to do these dives.

You can get, or rent a kayak for 1/50th of the cost and do them all anytime you want.

Access is easy...from the beach in the park at the end of Blakely Harbor at the old shipbuilding yard less then a mile away! Remnant turn of the century buildings of the shipbuilding heritage of Blakely Harbor are still available to be seen and spalunk around in.

The reason they call it Norriander's Reef is because you had to cut through the back yard of the Norriander's property to get there. They were great people and fun to talk with! They since have moved away, but the City of Bainbridge Island bought the access and made it into a small city park with water front access a few years ago. Their house was for sale this past summer.

There are several great great book stores, window shopping and pubs in Winslow for more after the dive spalunking to fuel your thirst to know and explore.
ohopdiver
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Re: Blakely Harbor orientation map

Post by ohopdiver »

Image
Blakely Harbor by ohopdiver, on Flickr
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