Northwest Dive Club

Forgive me if this is not where it belongs, but is there a way to tell when visibility will be optimal? I know diving in the winter helps, and also diving at high tide, but sometimes I would like to dive at low tide in the summer Is this possible???

well the format here in the PNW is many things.. first is rain .. when it rains hard the rivers flow into the puget sound and the vis goes to smuts.. Next is big tide exchanges , like the last few days we have had huge tide exchanges, and thats lots of flow in and out of the sound... the last one is hot sun and our rich nutrient waters.. Then we get floating snot and algae.. But in some summers here we can have great vis Here, and then some years not so good.. The key is to dive in an area that isnt effected by the 3 elements... Outer coastal areas.. san juan islands..etc.etc.. One dive site i have seen that is usually good is 3 tree North..

Where are you looking to dive? Why low tide specifically? And what is "summer"?

As mentioned stay away from major rivers (e.g. Nisqually, Puyallup, Green, Snohomish, Skagit, Fraser) during winter flood flows or spring/summer snowmelt events. Diving on slight exchanges at the start of the flood can help a little. The other thing to remember is that blooms are cyclical and not continuous "all summer long". August-October is still summer to me and typically has really reliable visibility.

In the summer, I like to try after several days of overcast. No or light rain. Sometimes I get lucky. If its crap stay close to your buddy, move slow and enjoy the small critters.

The simple answer? Hop a plane to florida or some tropical site.

Other than that you pays your money and takes your chances. You might go to Redondo tomorrow and have great viz and come back a day or two latter and have total muck out!
Low tide is a bad bet at most shallow sites because the thermocline will be lower thus you won't do well trying to get under it. Redondo Is a classic example. During bad days the muck tends to hang in down to about 30 ft or so. If you go at high tide you can do the north south route and say under the the muck but at low tide you will be zeroed out in the same area (not to mention having a longer trek with heavy gear).

Dive a lot

As RJack says, there is a cycle, usually about a 2 weeks when things bloom, mature, clump and settle out. You'll see 10" vis to a depth of 70' one day and a week later it will be big whale snot boogers or giant snowflakes with 40' vis in between the backscatter. A few days of overcast makes a difference. A long stretch of sun also makes a difference (all nutrients get eaten). Right now we have a few things going on, plankton blooms, critter spooge, etc... Don't get upset about thumbing it for bad vis, but also don't write off diving all spring for fear of it. Late July onwards i've seen stellar summer vis depending on the year

As alluded to, there is no absolute formula and there is no guarantee in the NW. In the summer we have algae cycles; hit it bad it's awful. Hit it good, sometimes just days apart and it can be great. Fall and early spring are 'generally' better. Mid-winter can be subject to run-off depending on the rain.
You can also read reports from different locations on the same day with striking viz differences so you can't even depend on that.
Oddly, the high current locations are generally better, BUT though they seldom get horrible, they also seldom get great. The 'mudholes' can become spectacular on some days, horrible on others.

Easy:

Consider 5 ft good visibility, and 15 feet stellar visibility. Then you will be pleasantly surprised on those 30-50ft visibility days.

D

defied wrote:Easy:

Consider 5 ft good visibility, and 15 feet stellar visibility. Then you will be pleasantly surprised on those 30-50ft visibility days.

D

That's my wife's formula, though she admits the better viz days are just nicer.

defied wrote:Easy:
Consider 5 ft good visibility, and 15 feet stellar visibility. Then you will be pleasantly surprised on those 30-50ft visibility days.

D

+1 on attitude

defied wrote:Easy:

Consider 5 ft good visibility, and 15 feet stellar visibility. Then you will be pleasantly surprised on those 30-50ft visibility days.

D

I know there's a certain amount of deliberate silly here, but really, your definition of "good" is going to make all the difference. If you can consider 5-10 feet "good" then you are likely to be a lot happier diving here than you would be if you don't consider anything below 20 feet "good visiblity." I consider it good if I can keep sight of my buddy and tell where I'm going. I'm a big fan of little creatures like nudibranchs and tubeworms, as well as the smaller fish and other invertebrates, so except when it comes time to navigate, I don't need tropical-quality viz to enjoy my dive. But I'll give one other suggestion: if you haven't done much diving here, brush up on your compass skills. Because they come in very handy when the viz starts turning to mush.

dwashbur wrote:your definition of "good" is going to make all the difference.

applies to pretty much everything in life...

Thank you for all of the replies! I really appreciate it!

I was diving the Edmunds Breakwater and the viz was awful (<5ft.) especially at low tide, but I would like to go at low tide because then I could just snorkel around instead of putting on a tank.

I know it is hard to get good viz when you are only diving in 15 ft., but I love to just free dive and look at all the shallow perch, rockfish, lingcod, and cabezon

Plus my dive gear needs to be serviced, and finding the money to do that is difficult :(

dwashbur wrote: I know there's a certain amount of deliberate silly here, <SNIP>

Actually, I was dead serious. That's how I look at it every time I hit the water.

D

^^^ yup^^^ 5ft is diveable,but not exactly fun.

5-10 acceptable
15ft, good enough for most any diving

Beyond that, its great.

Kola16 wrote:Thank you for all of the replies! I really appreciate it!

I was diving the Edmunds Breakwater and the viz was awful (<5ft.) especially at low tide, but I would like to go at low tide because then I could just snorkel around instead of putting on a tank.

I know it is hard to get good viz when you are only diving in 15 ft., but I love to just free dive and look at all the shallow perch, rockfish, lingcod, and cabezon

Plus my dive gear needs to be serviced, and finding the money to do that is difficult :(

Long ago I used to free dive and snorkel Edmonds Marina jetty frequently. I preferred high tide as there was more of the rocks under water and more fish to see. Below the rocks is sand and 3 outcrops of rocks (SOUTH jetty) down to max about 50 feet. At minus tides the water line is near the bottom of the jetty.