Day Island Wall

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gomi_otaku
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Day Island Wall

Post by gomi_otaku »

Dive Site Name Day Island Wall

Current Sensitive: Yes, extremely sensitive, calculate for slack before Ebb and subtract an hour and a half for best entry time, do this in a low exchange day.

Location/Address: Day Island, Tacoma

Directions: From Tacoma, take Highway 16 East toward the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Take the Jackson street exit and turn left, heading south on Jackson. Turn right on 27th, and follow it as it curves and becomes Vista before crossing the Day Island Creek bridge onto Day island. There are only two roads running N/S on Day Island, drive on either one until you reach the E/W road. The beach access is parallel to this road on the West side of the island, park along the street and do not block any residential areas.

Free Parking: Yes, but limited- car pool if possible

Staging Area: None- short downhill trail to beach, no rocks or walls at beach to use for setup.

Surface Swim: short- there is a floating dock, swim a little past that, or until you can no longer see the bottom easily.

Nearby Facilities: Food and restrooms about a mile away on 27th (Pine Cone Cafe?)

Special Considerations: Be prepared for Wolf Eels, as you will be virtually guaranteed sightings- don't feed em, and let them do the touching!

Maximum Depth: Wall starts at about 50', and at the South end the top of the wall can be at 75-80 with a straight down drop to over 110.

Dive Site Description: Swim straight out from the entry, if the floating dock is there go to the North of it. Drop down and continue a straight West course, you should be funnelled down a gully in the center of the wall at about 50'. To the South the wall starts dropping deeper- at first there are two distinct wall segments with a ledge. Look for Wolf Eel dens at the base of the wall. Toward the south end the wall becomes straight up-and-down and Wolf Eels can be found anywhere on the face tucked into holes or even hanging out into the current. Turn at 1000 PSI and return to the start point, don't go over the top of the wall until you are ready to swim in or you may have to contend with current as it picks up.
Last edited by gomi_otaku on Tue Jun 12, 2007 9:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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jackieg
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Post by jackieg »

So, leaping in with my opinion....
I dove Day Island yesterday. Great dive, good viz, and terrific buddies all with cameras. I am still new enough with a camera that I did not quite enjoy a wolf eel trying to swallow mine...thinking it was a hand out from a diver. So I need to echo Coachrenz......I don't think it necessary to bring food to hand out to creatures who have been fending for themselves just fine.

Jackie
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brownick
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Post by brownick »

Great info! I do have a question regarding slack prediction though. In the original post it was stated that the entry should be calculated based on the "slack before ebb". Is it possible to dive the slack before flood as well or should that be avoided. Thanks in advance!
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Diver_C
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Post by Diver_C »

I never worry about diving either before the flood or slack, and have never had a problem with either. You just need to know which you are diving, so you know which way to turn once you arrive at the wall.

DIW is easily my favorite PNW dive!!!! :supz: Mmmm... wolf fish...

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Last edited by Diver_C on Tue Nov 06, 2007 11:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
kjc
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Day Island Timing....

Post by kjc »

brownick wrote:Great info! I do have a question regarding slack prediction though. In the original post it was stated that the entry should be calculated based on the "slack before ebb". Is it possible to dive the slack before flood as well or should that be avoided. Thanks in advance!
Day Island has some very interesting natural terrain that you can benefit from if you plan your dive to do so.

Tacoma Narrows current station is just north, and mid channel from Day Island. The correction for diving at slack at Day Island has been a debated issue for years. Personal preferences abound....

So, since I am in charge of my own keyboard....

These are da facts....

The "wall" at Day Island is at a tangential angle to the topography of the Island itself. There is a sloping grade from the shore to the wall, and we all know there is only one way in and one way out for approved shore access.

An ebb current has a down draft quality to it that makes it challenging and perhaps dangerous as far as gas management is concerned.

A flood current takes you away from the exit point.

Slack is hard to predict and is debateable depending on detail and personal preferences....

There is a near shore reverse eddy ebb current on the flood cycle!

This last detail is what almost everyone blows off because nobody thinks in the squirrely, round about ways like I do! :-I

If you plan your dive to take advantage of the near shore reverse eddy ebb current on the flood cycle, you can enter the water prior to the tail end of a flood cycle and drift south west away from your only exit point and then benefit from the near shore reverse eddy ebb and drift back to where you started from prior to slack.

This logic is more evident on bigger exchange days.... he he he

Anyone can dive Day Island from shore on low exchange days and then you can use any dive planning logic you want and not worry about anything then. Get yer dive calandar out and pick the 2 or 3 days...

...A YEAR!

that you are oh so comfortable with and then ask someone for driving directions on how to get there at the last minute.

If you want more out of life....

...MORE!!!

...then the logic of the correction factor that you pick for yourself is the key. Don't bother trying to predict when slack is, that is a waste of time. Slack is just a moment in time anyway....

Pick a correction factor logic!

Start off on low exchange days and just feel out the water. Study the water from shore and watch how the current line moves from way out in the channel north and east on an approaching ebb. Watch how sticks and stuff float north near shore on a flood. Spend some time there and do a Zen thang on shore... Talk to lots-O-peoples!

Dive it on lame days when someone else thinks they are in charge. Keep your mouth shut and develop contempt for their leadership.

Suggest a different correction factor the next time by arguing with them to try something else. They will whine and bleat their views of the world upon you and struggle with the gradual loss of their own grip on the power thang and how you've suddenly changed and how they can't control you anymore...

Keep lots of mental notes and extra money for a taxi ride home.

Build up yer nerve and eventually you can effortlessly dive Day Island Wall in the middle of a 2.5 knott flood current 1 1/2 hours before slack before ebb.

There may be 100 or so additional dive dates a year available to you based on YOUR new logic and they will be better dives for you because you sweated the details carefully and thoughtfully and you beat the conservative reaper down.
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CBFin
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Post by CBFin »

Hey Kevin,

It's good to hear your demented views o life, politics, and why hedge hogs are so more reliable that ground hogs at predicting an early spring or long winter. I've been meaning to ring you up as I have a few cast iron cookin questions.

-Chris
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CBFin
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Post by CBFin »

Anyone ever done a Day Island drift and gotten out at Titlow? Sure seems feasible and a lot of fun. I know I did a Narrows drift dive with Rob in the Stroke and we pulled a couple of divers out of the water which could have done it if they had a clue where they were and were diving something other than AL80's.

I've always thought about it and just wondering if anyone has tried it. (Intentionally.)
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Chevayea
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Post by Chevayea »

CBFin wrote:Anyone ever done a Day Island drift and gotten out at Titlow? Sure seems feasible and a lot of fun. I know I did a Narrows drift dive with Rob in the Stroke and we pulled a couple of divers out of the water which could have done it if they had a clue where they were and were diving something other than AL80's.

I've always thought about it and just wondering if anyone has tried it. (Intentionally.)
I was just talking to Walt Amidon about this last week and he has done it. He prefers doing it with a boat though because he said there is a heck of a swim to get back into Titlow due to the back eddy thatyou face there. I'm going to try it sometim and i'll report back :-)

This is a place to be careful. We missed slack one time and my buddy got ripped off the wall and jettesoned to the surface in a matter of seconds. It was pretty scary. None the less, the wall is a great dive and the wolf eels are loads of fun.
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Chevayea
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Post by Chevayea »

Thanks for your concern. I'm not trying to be persuasive, just answering CBFin's question. Yep, its been done. Yep, i'm going for it. Yep, i'll let you know how it went.

I've been told that there is a second wall between Titlow and Day Island that i want to see.
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Chevayea
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Re: Day Island Wall

Post by Chevayea »

Allrighty,
SwimmerTodd and I did the dive from Day Island wall to Titlow today so as promised, here's the report: It is doable but only for the brave and willing to swim...a lot! The wall at Day Island continues in a pretty much straight line northward toward the Narrows (only arching in slightly toward Titlow). The wall ranges from 40-60' deep and has a lot of cool crevices and stucture in it. There is no distinct land mark to tell you when to turn toward shore and start heading to Titlow but if you are on an ebb tide (you MUST be on an ebb tide), when you turn toward the shore you will hit a back eddy where the water slows down considerably for 100 yards or more then changes direction toward the marina. The bottom is all sand and stays consistant at 40' - 50' deep for several hundred yards. After about 10 minutes of swimming we surfaceed and were still out near the point.

Here's some special cautions to take if you attempt this dive: Current, as always at Day Island is FAST so be prepared. You want to dive during the ebb, if it is still you'll never make it that far. If you surface then you will be in the traffic zone for the marina so use a signal tube. be prepared to either surface swim for several hundred yards or have loads of air to try to make it under water. This would be an awesome scooter dive. :supz:

So, there you go. Again, please do not feel persuaded by me but that is what you can expect if you choose to make this dive. :supz:
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CaptnJack
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Re: Day Island Wall

Post by CaptnJack »

To get to Titlow...
How long did it take you?
How fast (that day's) was the current helping you?
And what was your average depth?
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Chevayea
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Re: Day Island Wall

Post by Chevayea »

  • Average depth was 50' (the wall ranged between 40-60' nearly the entire way, the deepest part was near the entry at Day Island which dropped us to 80' for a few minutees but we followed the base of the wall and it turns up quickly)
  • We popped in the water 1/2 hour after slack heading into an 8' exchange so the current went from a .5 at the beginning to a 1.5 toward the end but it wasn't as difficult as the main wall at Day Island can be under the same current. I would have liked a stronger current to carry us further which would make the swim back easier because the back eddy in Titlow would also be stronger and drag you toward the exit point.
  • We drifted for about 40 minutes and then turned toward shore in Titlow but it is a VERY long swim over a featureless bottom. Eventually we surfaced even with the point but nearly straight out from the restaurant next to the park, and had a +/- 1/4 mile surface swim. That phase of the dive took as long as the drift. We were in the water for nearly 2 hours. It would be significantly shorter with scooters or would have been great with a live boat.
Our next attempt will be on a stonger current so we drift farther past the pilings at titlow, cut back into the back eddy and drift it back to the titlow entry point. BTW-Make sure it is a pretty calm day so that you aren't being beat up with surface chop if you end up swimming in. I guess i should throw in the disclaimer that this is an advanced dive and you'll need way more than an 80cf tank.
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CaptnJack
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Re: Day Island Wall

Post by CaptnJack »

Given the risks of swimming right underneath the entrance to an active marina, and it takes alot of gas even without any issues at depth...
Chevayea wrote:I guess i should throw in the disclaimer that this is an advanced dive and you'll need way more than an 80cf tank.
And its boring :vom:
Chevayea wrote:it is a VERY long swim over a featureless bottom. Eventually we surfaced even with the point but nearly straight out from the restaurant next to the park, and had a +/- 1/4 mile surface swim.
I would think you'd not bother repeating this. But hey knock yourself out :salute:
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Chevayea
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Re: Day Island Wall

Post by Chevayea »

The wall drift dive makes it worth it to me, but it is a LONG way and you'dl really have to want it in order to give it a try. Make sure you really like visiiting with your buddy or it'll feel even longer! \:D/ You're right, there is the boat marina to be ware of and you'll be little more than a spec in a large body of water while you swim back. Like i said, you gotta want it but as the question was posed, Yep, it can be done.
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CaptnJack
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Re: Day Island Wall

Post by CaptnJack »

Upon a bus ride's home reflection...

This is a really dumb "drift" dive. At some point someone will get hurt doing it or need to be rescued and that will be perfect ammunition for the Day Island community to close shore access for "public safety" reasons. In WA its very difficult to close public right-of-way leading to water. But just one incident out there doing something rediculous and way beyond the range of common sense (right in front of their houses) will play right into their longstanding animosity and they may succeed in closing access. Bandito runs charters out there all the time. Use a boat.
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Chevayea
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Re: Day Island Wall

Post by Chevayea »

Duely noted CaptnJack, but now those who wondered about it have their information and can choose to do with it what they (we) will. :occasion5:
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Re: Day Island Wall

Post by Diver_C »

CaptnJack wrote:This is a really dumb "drift" dive. At some point someone will get hurt doing it or need to be rescued and that will be perfect ammunition for the Day Island community to close shore access for "public safety" reasons. In WA its very difficult to close public right-of-way leading to water. But just one incident out there doing something ridiculous and way beyond the range of common sense (right in front of their houses) will play right into their longstanding animosity and they may succeed in closing access.
And Sounders' Angry Old Man doesn't need any ammo to fuel his animosity :violent1: that's for sure...
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Re: Day Island Wall

Post by Sounder »

Diver_C wrote:
CaptnJack wrote:This is a really dumb "drift" dive. At some point someone will get hurt doing it or need to be rescued and that will be perfect ammunition for the Day Island community to close shore access for "public safety" reasons. In WA its very difficult to close public right-of-way leading to water. But just one incident out there doing something ridiculous and way beyond the range of common sense (right in front of their houses) will play right into their longstanding animosity and they may succeed in closing access.
And Sounders' Angry Old Man doesn't need any ammo to fuel his animosity :violent1: that's for sure...
All Mr. Angry needs is for his wife to quit working the over-night shift!! :sign10:
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CaptnJack
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Re: Day Island Wall

Post by CaptnJack »

Have fun playing in traffic :smt065

Mommy out :salute:
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Gvonada
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Re: Day Island Wall

Post by Gvonada »

Thanks for the great dive site review.

I was looking at the current tables for 2010. I am having a difficult time finding a single day that would make for a good day island shore dive. (I had been told that I needed to have a current of less than 1.5 knots).

Assuming that I can only dive at slack prior to an ebb, there appears to be no time where both the flood and the ebb currents are less than 1.5 knots, at least during daylight hours. I eliminated night-diving the wall for my introduction to the site. I work every other week, and I can't believe that there is not a single day that I can try out Day Island!

Please help! What am I missing? Is only the flood current important, since the ebb will take you back towards the entry point? I found several days where diving before a flood would give me a very low exchange. Does anyone have experience diving pre-flood?

Thanks in advance,

Greg
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BASSMAN
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Re: Day Island Wall

Post by BASSMAN »

Diving Day Island Wall before an ebb or before a flood is possible.
But the time before ebb slack, or time befor flood slack, are different.
This is something I have not figured out yet. Maybe its 90 min before the flood and 30 before the ebb.
I hope to figure this out in 2010!
What I can tell you is, I have not successfully dove the South side of the wall yet. The entry is actually just about in the center of the wall so you can go North or South. To the South is deeper.
If you mis-calculate and the current gets ripping there, it is possible to miss the wall completely and you will struggle to get back to the shore.
I would suggest to keep an eye out on the "Dive Planning" section and jump on a dive with someone who has dove it before, for your first time dive. Or just do it as a live boat dive and then the time will not matter. (Check with Bandito dive charter).
I have dove the site maybe six or seven times in my 4 years of diving. Right day of the week, right time of day, day off from work. finding a buddy plus other options will greatly reduce the number of shore dives at Day Island, Sunrise or Fox Island East Wall every year.
And BTW, it is a great night dive too! ( Just beware of Mr. Angry :blackblink:)


I hope some of this helps. I even got to dive some of the strong current sites on Thursday's in 2009! :metal:

One more thing, we don't just look at the currents, we also look for a low exchange between tidal hights.
stick around this board and you will find oppurtunity to dive these sites.
Looking at you profile, it looks like you have been around for awhile, Maybe we'll meet up there some day!
Keith
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spatman
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Re: Day Island Wall

Post by spatman »

BASSMAN wrote:Maybe its 90 min before the flood and 30 before the ebb.
cardiver was saying 60 min before flood has worked well for him. anyone know what a good correction for slack before ebb is? i see 90 minutes and 30 minutes referenced in this thread. big difference between the two.
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Re: Day Island Wall

Post by Geek »

Just do what we all that live here do, check the currents, check the tide's.. look for low exchange days... and use the force :angelblue:








I usualy do a 45 min correction but I have done 15 and 60... it can be wierd sometimes. When I get there I can usually see the current... kinda guestamate from there
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Re: Day Island Wall

Post by LovelySwim »

I know I'm gonna catch a lot of heat for posting in this old of a topic, but I'm thrilled that everyone has provided their experiences with the Day Island Wall. I'm extremely new to the world of diving (never even done it before -- this is my first post even), and I'm currently looking for places to dive. . . hence why I landed on this post first. Anyway, Day Island is a place I'm definitely going to consider in my list of diving choices. Is this a good place for a beginner or not? I'd like to know before I find myself wasting my time. . or am I bound to above ground pools for the rest of my life? ;) What about water-proof camera options?

Anyway, it's wonderful to be here. I hope I can meet all of you soon! Everyone here seems really cool. Take it easy, folks! Peace! =)
Last edited by LovelySwim on Mon May 02, 2011 7:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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dwashbur
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Re: Day Island Wall

Post by dwashbur »

LovelySwim wrote:I know I'm gonna catch a lot of heat for posting in this old of a topic, but I'm thrilled that everyone has provided their experiences with the Day Island Wall. I'm extremely new to the world of diving (never even done it before -- this is my first post even), and I'm currently looking for places to dive. . . hence why I landed on this post first. Anyway, Day Island is a place I'm definitely going to consider in my list of diving choices. Is this a good place for a beginner or not? I'd like to know before I find myself wasting my time. . or am I bound to above ground pools for the rest of my life? ;) What about water-proof camera options?

Anyway, it's wonderful to be here. I hope I can meet all of you soon! Everyone here seems really cool. Take it easy, folks! Peace! =)
Welcome! Day Island Wall isn't a very good beginner dive because of the currents, though if you go with somebody who knows the place well and can show you how to time the current, it's well worth the trip. Hop over to the introduction board and tell us more about yourself.
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