Northwest Dive Club

I spent a great day diving at Keystone with Valerie. It was cold, windy, and off and on raining ... but there was no current, decent vis, and lots to see. The place was pretty crowded, with some classes going on, but we didn't really see anyone underwater on our dives.

First dive was one of the best I've ever done there ... 70 minutes of pretty much non-stop action. On the way up, Valerie asked me what I wanted to see and I said a Puget Sound King Crab ... we found three. We also found one of the largest ling cod I've ever seen ... easily five feet long and really, really wide. Thing was scary looking. We found a bunch of other cool stuff as well, spending most of our dive out on the point and perhaps a bit beyond, where it's often hard to get to because of current. Great dive.

Second dive was at the pilings. I flooded a glove finning up, and never did get it reseated right. By 30 minutes into the dive, my hand was numb and I was having trouble managing the camera. Of course, that's when Valerie found an octopus tucked into a nest of giant barnacles ... one that was darn difficult getting my camera into a position for a picture. But I perservered and got a decent shot.

Some pics from our dives ..





















... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Great stuff Bob, I am glad Whidbey treated you right
Thanks for sharing, at least I can see what I am missing.

Wonderful photos. I really love the first one, something about two sculpins sharing that space.

Can't believe I still haven't done Keystone...

Puget Sound King Crabs! I'm very envious . . . Keystone never disappoints.

You haven't done keystone?

What's the matta fo you???

Baby King Crabs, Longfin Sculpins, octopus, ginormous Ling Cod, kelp greenling, black/brown/copper/PugetSound/Young of Year rockfish, Painted Greenlings, invert life galore; it was a pretty darn nice way to spend a Sunday

Valerie

here are a few of mine...

Tom Nic wrote:Can't believe I still haven't done Keystone...

Oh Tom, that's a must do, really. I could dive and dive there. I had a beautiful epiphany there with my good buddy Lorne who taught me to spend more time looking at shell hash and cobble to see tiny cool stuff. I saw my first sturgeon poacher there and my first sharpnose. and the Jetty itself has so many fabulous things living on it.

I would love to go there with you. It's a long trip for me, 5 hrs plus, so you gotta let me sleep in your driveway or something afterwards

Bob, great report. Can you tell us what time you were out at the point of the jetty; I would like to note the difference between the predicted slack and the time you were there.

We began our dive at 11:20, so I'd put us at the point between around 11:40 and 12:10 ... ending the dive at 12:30 ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Yes, the shell rubble is worth a close look. One one dive there, my buddy found a grunt sculpin about 1/2" long, and a butterfly crab about the same size, both in the rubble!

Nice pics from both of you! Keystone's a great dive and its been way too long since I last dove it. Another one I need to put back on the list!

Grateful Diver wrote:We began our dive at 11:20, so I'd put us at the point between around 11:40 and 12:10 ... ending the dive at 12:30 ...

About an hour before the predicted slack before flood at Admiralty Inlet (1242). Thanks

Great pics both of you! Valerie, I like the octo pic. I havent dove Keystone either, but will now put it on the must do list.

Bob,

What wonderful pictures! Finding a juvy king crab along with all the other finds - nicely done!!!