Alki Fishing Reef

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CaptnJack
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Alki Fishing Reef

Post by CaptnJack »

Dive Site Name: Alki Fishing Reef
Skill Level: Intermediate from boat, Advanced via scooter (easy to get lost/seperated this way)
Current Sensitive: No, slight surface currents possible during exchanges fairly easy to swim against.
Location/Address: Emma Schmitz Viewpoint, 4503 Beach Dr. SW about 1.5 miles south of the lighthouse for shore/scooter/kayak access.
GPS coordinates for north end of reef for boat access:
47deg 33.439
122deg 24.440

Directions: Can launch at Don Armeni. Or drive to shore access site.

Here's a map with scooter heading for the shore access.
Image

You scooter over a long shallow stretch ever so slightly getting deeper. Takes about 12 mins before you pass beyond the eelgrass zone (~25ft). Once you hit 40ft starting looking to your right and you'll see the northeasternmost rockpile.

For boat access go to the coordinates and then start using the depthsounder to find a rock pile to dive (generally to the south).

Free Parking: Yes at viewpoint, no at boat boat ramp.
Staging Area: good
Surface Swim: none
Nearby Facilities: porta-pottie across street from viewpoint. Also a toilet at the Don Armeni launch ramp.

Special Considerations: Not possible to do this dive as a shore dive. Its about 0.35 nautical miles (>2000ft) from the stairs to just the north end of the reef and occasional boat traffic. Fishing/boating activity is highest here during lingcod season (May-June). Should only be scootered/kayaked at high tide and on a calm day, the stairs for access are super slippery and algae covered. And there's no hand railing. At low tide you'll have to slog across some sand/gravel from the stairs to the water.

Maximum Depth: 70ft

Dive Site Description: About 10 piles of boulders and concrete rubble in two rows, one shallow, one deep row. Each pile is about 150-200ft long 60ft wide and 25ft tall. They were dumped here in the 1970s by WDFW. If on a scooter you can get out here, check out a bunch of the piles and return to shore on a 60 min battery no problem. If boat diving and swimming I tend to just find one pile, anchor nearby, and dive it slowly. Then if time permits use a spool or reel to find another pile nearby. The piles are between 50ft and 200ft apart depending on which rock pile you're at and which one you're heading to.

Lots of metridiums, copper rockfish, small lingcod, and perch at the rockpiles. Nudibranchs and seapens in the sand around them.
ohopdiver
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Re: Alki Fishing Reef

Post by ohopdiver »

Alki Fishing Reef Sonar Image

Image
Alki Rock piles by ohopdiver, on Flickr
Last edited by ohopdiver on Tue Dec 31, 2013 10:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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LCF
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Re: Alki Fishing Reef

Post by LCF »

Thanks for the sonar picture! I really enjoy seeing them and getting an idea of the entire layout, especially for sites like this one, where you never get to see the whole thing to get a sense of the extent.
"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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kdupreez
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Re: Alki Fishing Reef

Post by kdupreez »

Here is another screen shot of the same NOAA multi beam data..

As a little bonus so you can play with it and get exact GPS coordinates or make plans to scooter it from shore, etc., I imported it into a Google Earth file for all to enjoy :)

Download KMZ here:
AlkiFishingReef.jpg
"I believe that if life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade... And try to find somebody whose life has given them vodka, and have a party" - Ron White
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Jeff Pack
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Re: Alki Fishing Reef

Post by Jeff Pack »

Pretty cool! Let me know if you all decide to do it.
=============================================

- I got a good squirt in my mouth
- I would imagine that there would be a large amount of involuntary gagging
- I don't know about you but I'm not into swallowing it

CCR discussion on Caustic Cocktails.
ohopdiver
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Re: Alki Fishing Reef

Post by ohopdiver »

Here's a few Sonar screen shots from April 13, 2014

ImageAlki Rocks-4 by ohopdiver, on Flickr

ImageAlki Rocks-3 by ohopdiver, on Flickr

ImageAlki Rocks-2 by ohopdiver, on Flickr

ImageAlki Rocks-1 by ohopdiver, on Flickr
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