Ediz Hook, Port Angeles
Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 11:06 pm
Dive Site Name: Ediz Hook, Port Angeles, Washington
Skill Level: All levels.
Important Note: Ediz Hook is a long sand spit with many possible locations for diving. This post describes only one location, on the inside of the bay, near the end of the spit. Other locations, especially on the straits-side, may have wildly different conditions than described here.
Current Sensitive: Not usually.
Location: Port Angeles, WA
Driving Directions: From points east (Seattle, Olympia, Moab, etc.) take Highway 101 west until you fall into the swamp of Port Angeles traffic. Proceed west through town, resisting the urge to turn. Highway 101 eventually veers off but you should continue straight along Front Street to the marina at the west end of town. A wise person would turn around at this point but no, not you, you're going to go through the paper mill just ahead. Seriously. After passing through the paper mill like an undigested peanut, you are now driving on Ediz Hook Road. Follow the spit road a couple miles, almost to the end. Look for a restroom on the left; then turn around and park on the opposite side (see attached image).
Free Parking: Yes.
Staging Area: A gravel parking lot, very rough. The beach entry is reasonably easy.
Surface Swim: Tidally dependent. More of a trudge into the water.
Nearby Facilities: The status of the facilities is variable... Restrooms are across the street. There is a shack a couple hundred feet east up the road, used by the local salmon farmers: there may be a fresh water hose at the west end of the shack. There is also a picnic area west, down the road near the towers, with fresh water at the shack used by the kayak club -- we've used this too and nobody has complained. Food, drink, and tank fills are all back in Port Angeles. There is one dive shop in town, on Front Street (you drove past it). It's actually a bike/kayak store that has scuba supplies and air fills in the back; the diving section may not be staffed even if the main part of the store is open.
Special Considerations: Once you get out beyond the shallows it goes deep quickly. There are numerous large logs, in various stages of decay, and they may be perched precariously on each other. Use caution around the logs.
Maximum Depth: As deep as you want. Most of the life -- the prettiest stuff -- is shallower than about 60fsw.
Dive Site Description: Life in the shallow areas can be abundant and colorful. As you go deeper you'll find a lot of 'dead heads', logs that have sunk to the bottom. In some places the rotting logs are stacked several layers deep. Look for big ling cod, crabs, nudibranchs, anemones, bacterial mats and golf balls. The best diving seems to be vaguely to the right (facing the water from the parking area), but there is a lot of territory to explore. Deeper down the logs become dominant, the life decreases, and things get kind of creepy. The presence of so much rotting wood has changed the chemistry of the bay, the subject of ongoing scientific studies and cleanup action. Since the bay, at least at this location, is not very current sensitive, this site makes a good default dive when the currents are bad elsewhere. This would also be a great place to conduct classes or practice skills.
Skill Level: All levels.
Important Note: Ediz Hook is a long sand spit with many possible locations for diving. This post describes only one location, on the inside of the bay, near the end of the spit. Other locations, especially on the straits-side, may have wildly different conditions than described here.
Current Sensitive: Not usually.
Location: Port Angeles, WA
Driving Directions: From points east (Seattle, Olympia, Moab, etc.) take Highway 101 west until you fall into the swamp of Port Angeles traffic. Proceed west through town, resisting the urge to turn. Highway 101 eventually veers off but you should continue straight along Front Street to the marina at the west end of town. A wise person would turn around at this point but no, not you, you're going to go through the paper mill just ahead. Seriously. After passing through the paper mill like an undigested peanut, you are now driving on Ediz Hook Road. Follow the spit road a couple miles, almost to the end. Look for a restroom on the left; then turn around and park on the opposite side (see attached image).
Free Parking: Yes.
Staging Area: A gravel parking lot, very rough. The beach entry is reasonably easy.
Surface Swim: Tidally dependent. More of a trudge into the water.
Nearby Facilities: The status of the facilities is variable... Restrooms are across the street. There is a shack a couple hundred feet east up the road, used by the local salmon farmers: there may be a fresh water hose at the west end of the shack. There is also a picnic area west, down the road near the towers, with fresh water at the shack used by the kayak club -- we've used this too and nobody has complained. Food, drink, and tank fills are all back in Port Angeles. There is one dive shop in town, on Front Street (you drove past it). It's actually a bike/kayak store that has scuba supplies and air fills in the back; the diving section may not be staffed even if the main part of the store is open.
Special Considerations: Once you get out beyond the shallows it goes deep quickly. There are numerous large logs, in various stages of decay, and they may be perched precariously on each other. Use caution around the logs.
Maximum Depth: As deep as you want. Most of the life -- the prettiest stuff -- is shallower than about 60fsw.
Dive Site Description: Life in the shallow areas can be abundant and colorful. As you go deeper you'll find a lot of 'dead heads', logs that have sunk to the bottom. In some places the rotting logs are stacked several layers deep. Look for big ling cod, crabs, nudibranchs, anemones, bacterial mats and golf balls. The best diving seems to be vaguely to the right (facing the water from the parking area), but there is a lot of territory to explore. Deeper down the logs become dominant, the life decreases, and things get kind of creepy. The presence of so much rotting wood has changed the chemistry of the bay, the subject of ongoing scientific studies and cleanup action. Since the bay, at least at this location, is not very current sensitive, this site makes a good default dive when the currents are bad elsewhere. This would also be a great place to conduct classes or practice skills.