Northwest Dive Club

Cindy asked me to share this letter with as many places as I could to get the word out to the dive community about the changes and enhancements to Sund Rock Dive Site.

If you see a dive forum where this is not posted please fee free to copy and paste it there.

Open Letter to the Dive Community Concerning Sund Rock Dive Beach
I am writing this letter to the dive community in an effort to give some history and insight into the Sund Rock dive beach. As far back as the early 60’s divers have been drawn to the unique underwater structure and habitat of Sund Rock. Named for my family who homesteaded there prior to statehood.
In the early days, divers were more of the hunter gatherer type. Divers would park on highway 101, hike down the steep bank at the state turnout, don their gear and set out for a long surface swim to the rock. Some would trespass and were chased out by my grandfather who had some rather creative ways to deal with a trespassing scuba diver! They often left trash, fires and over harvested the lingcod, wolf eel, rock cod and octopus to near extinction.
Fast forward to my father’s generation who in conjunction with the University of Washington created the underwater preserve. As the years went on a new diver began to visit the site; observing, taking photos, doing fish counts and enjoying the underwater wonders. Divers still did not have access to the beach other than the state turn out on highway 101, same steep bank and long surface swim.
Tab to my generation who entered into an agreement with Hoodsport n Dive back in the 90’s and created an opportunity for divers to drive down to the Sund Rock beach, have a water entry and park off the highway. The relationship with the dive community improved and there seemed to be a mutual respect between the family and dive community. Divers appreciated the access and the family has appreciated the respect and care the divers have shown for the property, above and below the water. It is my hope that this mutual respect continues.
As the Sund Family begins to manage the entry to the beach, there may be a few changes in policy and procedure. We are hoping to build relationships with divers who truly care about the environment, and the creatures that inhabit the site above and below the water. Simply by loving the site so much, our overuse of the area has taken a toll. The family considers the beach to be a partnership of sorts. We will provide limited access, a maintained road, porta potty, gear up benches, monitored entry and continue to add amenities such as a picnic area, a campsite, better lighting and hopefully a fresh water rinse area up top. In exchange we ask that you sign in, pay a fee, take any trash you create with you, drive slowly up the road, take pictures and observe sea life from a distance, be aware the effect of excessive finning has on visibility and organisms, no harvesting of any kind, and close/lock the gate behind you.
In the short term, we plan to open access to the beach on Saturdays and Sundays thru the summer from 9am to 4pm. Registration and payment will be at the gate. We are set up to take credit cards or cash. The entry fee will be $15, which includes tax. Weekday, night dives, off hours and group access can be arranged by emailing Cindy Sund at cindy@sundsonhoodcanal.com. Check out the Glamping camp site on Airbnb, it’s perched above the rock, has power, heat and a hot shower! Ask for a tour next time you come out for a dive.
Our family feels blessed to be the stewards of this special place and we enjoy sharing it with those divers that share our respect and gratitude for the land, water and wildlife that inhabit the site.
Respectfully, Cindy Sund

ty!

Thank you!

Much appreciated.

Very nice, thanks for sharing

Fun Facts about Sund Rock:

The MCA status of Sund Rock was conceived and brought about by two groups, the Olympia Kelp Krawlers and the Hood Canal Aquanuts. The proposal for the Sund Rock MCA (marine conservation area) was presented to the WDFW Commission along with Octopus Hole and Flag Pole Rock(formally Waketickeh Creek or Mikes Beach, the Knuckle) by the officers of the Kelp Krawlers. Originally, Sund Rock was an MPA (marine protected area), a less restrictive designation, but the same groups was also responsible for that status. There were problems with allowing limited fishing in the area so the more restrictive designation of MCA was proposed by the Kelp Krawlers and Aquanuts.
Before the MPA status there were some sort of rules, but they were neither comprehensive or effective.

The leg work of contacting all parties affected, from one end of the Canal to the other, was done by the same people. All hearings and open meetings were attended and testimony given to the Commission by the same folks. These public hearings were held by the WDFW Commission all over Western Washington, none were missed.

Opposition was experienced from several fronts, but it never went unanswered at any hearing.

We were very pleased when the Commission created the requested areas and pleasantly surprised when they actually made them larger then the boundaries we had proposed.

All signage in the MCA areas was paid for and installed by a coalition of the Kelp Krawlers, Aquanuts, PADI, WSA, and DAN. All the buoys and site markers at Sund Rock were provided, installed and maintained by the Kelp Krawlers and Aquanuts. Parking area clean up, parking space striping and site mapping, all volunteer work by the same groups.

Thank you Jerry.

Bringing this back up to the forefront.

I really appreciate all the volunteers who have done so much work there, as Jerry indicated. I wonder if Kelp Krawlers and others have been involved ever since the Sund Family took management back over?

We have gone a couple times over the past several months - it's a bit of a hassle (you have to make an appointment online) and now it's $40 for the two of us to dive there. Not only that, but you get the privilege of being greeted by people who never smile or indicate you are welcome there whatsoever. It's pretty much soured us on going there, but maybe that's just my experience?

I only like to go there last-minute when the weather and tides are too crappy to go elsewhere and that's made much harder, sometimes impossible now with that reservation system.

Thank you to the sund Family ... And allowing Puget sound divers to access this lovely diverse dive site

I've dived at Sund Rock with my wife four times this year and have enjoyed it every time. Yes, it is a little more cumbersome with needing to make a reservation now, but the knowledge that groups will be spaced out and that there will be plenty of room is nice in the time of Covid. And yes, the gentleman checking us in has been a little crusty, but we've actually had some nice conversations with him. He reminds me a lot of some of the old Orcas Island families when we moved up there in the late 90s -- a little reserved with newcomers, but opens up more once you get to know them. We're planning on spending more time this winter over in Hoodsport and the canal and will definitely spend some of that time at Sund Rock.