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The Pacific Northwest Duckiest Dive Reviews!!!
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Disclaimer: The comments on this page are the opinion solely of Duck-Duck. To
avoid Duck feathers getting stuck in the keyboad Duck-Duck was assisted in certain typing and editorial tasks, but use any
of this information at your own risk - it is after all written by a small yellow duck!; plan your dive and dive your plan!!
About the author: Duck-Duck first
got interested in Scuba after participating in a Discover Scuba Dive in the pool at the 2009 Northwest Dive and Travel Expo
in Tacoma, WA. Instantly smitten with a love of diving.... and a certain Seattle Scuba Instructor..... Duck-Duck has
been actively diving since April 2009, during which time she has completed the Open Water, Advanced, Nitrox, Rescue and Peak
Performance Buoyancy classes. Duck-Duck is currently considering the Divemaster class......
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Dive Site Reviews: Alki Junkpile/Junkyard Alki Pipeline Redondo (Des Moines) Salt Water State
Park Dash Point State Park Edmonds Underwater Park Sunrise Les Davis Titlow Fox
Island East Wall Fox Island West Wall Mukilteo Three Tree Harper's Ferry
Sund Rock Octopus Hole Jorstead Creek Cove 3: Redondo
Sunrise County Park Salt Creek County Park Lime Kiln State Park Rueban Tarte
State Park Boeing Creek Reef
Shilshole Barges China Wall
Fox Island
East Wall Orchard Rocks Edmonds Underwater Park Shangri La Liekers West
Seattle Reef & Microsoft Reef Octopus Hole Sund Rock Jorstead Creek Blake Island
Speedway (Also known as Blake Island Reef) Four Mile Barges Keystone Jetty Owens Beach KVI
Tower Alki Pipeline Maury Island Barges
Salt Water State Park Titlow The Boss
Les Davis Pier Harpers Ferry
Three Tree
Fox Island West Wall Agate Pass
Mukilteo Da Boss Shilshole Barges Wreck
of the Omar Wreck of the Murph/Wingina
Seattle Scuba Pool: (Right next to Seattle Scuba at 2000 Westlake Ave N, Seattle) This is where I did my pool training.
It is a nice place to do your confined water dives, refresh your skills or try new gear. What I didn't like: The chlorine
and there were some big rubber sharkies... they were scary for a little ducky like me. Tricky stuff: Evading the vicious swim team children. Stuff to
see: If you stare at the pool drain long enough it can be quite fascinating.
Cove 1: (West Seattle - Just past 1936 Harbor Avenue. S.W, Seattle WA) This is where I did my 4 open water
dives with momma duck. I like that this is a nice, easy site that is great for beginners. There are a bunch of pilings at
this site, I really like sitting and watching all the critters on them. There is also a big field of bottles between some
of the piling, it is nice a shallow and there are a lot of cool little critters to find here, one dive here momma duck and
I found an octopus in one of the bottles... other times we have found Octopus under the end of the raggedy pipe, or over towards
Cove 2 in ~ 35' of water. One day I even saw a bird swim by underwater, that was very cool!. You can also spend lots of
time on the left side of the raggedy pipes, there is lots of what momma duck tells me is 'feather boa' kelp, baby
fishies like to hide in there. If you go a bit deeper, to ~ 40' right past the white can buoy there is a big metal plate.
Sometimes there is a REALLY REALLY BIG octopus in there. It was really cool, but it was scary too, it has suckers bigger than
I am :-(. Tricky Stuff: Not much!! Good
for open water duck-ducks through really cool experienced duckies. Just be aware that the bottom slopes off kinda fast so
watch your depth. Stuff to see: You are
likely to see lots of flatfish here, shiner surfperch, pile perch, ratfish at times. Momma duck said she found a skate here
once. I also really love the schools of tube snouts that live here. For inverteberates (That is a hard word to spell for a
duck!!) you will see the big California sea cucumbers out in the sand, and also the pretty orange ones that look like flowers
in amongst the pipes. There are also lots of seastars here as well as the pretty sea pens. Occasionally an octopus.
Cove 2: (West Seattle - Just before 1660 Harbor Ave SW, Seattle WA)This is a great site, lots of people say it is their favorite. I don't know that
it is my favorite, but I like it a lot. If you go night diving here a lot of times you see octopus out walking around, and
ratfish, and seals! The seals like to eat little tasty looking things that divers shine their lights on, so please don't
shine your light on me here :-(. If you go out towards the can buoy and head to the right you will find the big boat wreck
called the Honey Bear. A lot of times there are octopus under it, but not always. My favorite part of this site is all the
pilings with anemones on them, and all the rocks in the shallows that have lots of invertebrates on them. Lots of time you
can see warbonnets on the pilings, they are really pretty!
Tricky
Stuff: Be careful not to go over the boundary rope, dive duckies need to stay away from
the water taxi zone. It can be easy to get deep here, so we have to be careful of
that. Also, there is all that cool stuff to see, but be careful that you don't run into stuff or get hung up on the pilings.
Your gear should always be tucked in nice and snug, but even more so here. Stuff
to See: Octopus, plumose anemones, rockfishes, big lingcod (really scary to this little
ducky!) lots of nudibranchies (Sea slugs), spiny pink stars, sunflower stars (The ones with all the arms), ochre stars.....
plus lots more. There are almost always lots of divers here too.
This dive is just past Cove 2. It has less stuff to see in my Ducky opinion than Cove 1 and Cove 2, but it
is nice to go there sometimes. The shallow area has rocks, and out deeper it is more of a sandy/silty area with some debris
in it. Tricky Stuffy: Stay out of the no dive zone! Stuff to See: Pilings with many of the usual suspects on them - seastars, anemones, crabs. Seals are not uncommon
at this site. Alki Junkyard/Junkpile:
There are two parts to this site; one is a very nice shallow dive in the eelgrass and around
the old dock piliings, the other one is down along the rope that people put down with piles of debris along it. The eelgrass/pilings
are in 5-15' of water, so it is a great site for all levels. Eelgrass serves as habitat for all kinds of creatures including
baby fish, pacific spiny lumpsuckies, nudibranchs (sea sluggies) and more. Down deeper, in the 50' - 70' range is
the line of debris, there are some bath tubs, a toilet, some mooring blocks, and a line that parallels the beach. If you get
past 70', you are past the line on any tide! Along the line in 2010/2011/2012
there have been baby wolf eels, be REALLY nice to them if you see them - no pokies! I like to get in and out of the water
right at the end of the beach, just before the condos and private beach start, but you can use stairs down the way.
Tricky Stuff: Be careful to check the tides, there
can be current here. Also be careful of boats. If you pay attention to the tides you can swim into a gentle current during
the beginning of the dive, then drift back towards the exit. Stuff to See: In the eelgrass you will find gorgeous anemones, crabs, nudibranchs....
over by the pilings I have found Red Irish Lords, a Lobefin Snailfish, lots of Gunnels and pretty Kelp Greenlings. I have
also seen Squid, Octopus, Stubby Squid, Pacific Spiny Lumpsuckers, Wolf Eel..... and most anything else that is cool
to see and lives in Puget Sound. Alki Pipeline: (West Seattle
- Intersection of Beach Dr SW & 63rd Ave SW, Seattle) This site is a really nice one for all levels, as long as you make sure
you check the tides and dive it at the right time. There is an old pipeline that starts above the substrate (bottom) in the
shallows, then dissapears under the sand, then resurfaces at the end. Some people like to try to swim all the way out on the
surface trying to get to the end of the pipe - I think that is a silly way to do it, I like to take a compass heading straight
out from the rocks, then drop down in the shallows and follow the rockpile until it dissapears, then I keep following my compass
until hopefully I find the end of the pipe.... except that sometimes I see so much cool stuff on the way there and am so busy
taking pictures that I don't get all the way to the end. This is definitely a site that is all about the journey. The
vast majority of this dive is in the 10' - 30' range, so it is great if you are a new diver, or it you want to take
pictures. Tricky Stuff: Current - be sure you are diving at slack on a small tidal exchange, because this site is shallow there can be a lot
of current if you don't time it right. Also be aware of potential boat traffic, especially during the summer. Stuff to See: During
the summer the pipeline gets completely covered with some of the most gorgeous species of red seaweeds, my favotire are the
iridescent ones. Lots and lots of little critters life on and in the rocks also, kelp crabs, lots of nudibranchs, and in the
nearby eelgrass I found lots of moonsnails. Away from the pipeline there are also HUGE Orange Seapens that are a foot + in
height... and I once saw a Big Skate here. Redondo: (Des
Moines - 28201 Redondo Beach Drive S. Des Moines WA) Dive site Map: http://www.seattlescuba.com/redondomap.pdf
This site has lots to see, at lots of depths, so it can be good for all levels of duckies. For
really new duckies, if you get in the water on the beach side there is an eelgrass bed in 10' - 15' of water - this
is a great place to search for the worlds cutest fish, the Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker. It is also a great place to find Moonsails,
seastars and lots of other cool fish. For more experienced duckies, the eelgrass is a great place to do your safety stop at
the end of the dive. Deeper down there are two 'ropes' though the deteriorate and move pretty frequently - basically
one is in the 40' - 70' range and the other goes down past 100'. The shallower one has a couple of boats along
it, some reflector lamp piles, a stove and oven, and the remains of the VW bug near the end of the stuff. This line is on
the beach side of the site, though you can get there by walking down the stairs and entering by the MaST (Marine Science and
Technology center, the have a really cool public aquarium that is open to the public on Saturdays, be sure to check it out)
center. The deep line leads straight off the end of the MaST pier and goes down to 100+ feet. There is a boat right around
60', a huge round concrete structure on its side that sometimes has octos under it, and various other things as you go
deeper. Tricky Stuff: If there are big storms the entry way can have big crashing waves. I have found that unless there are really big tidal
exchanges there is mild/no current, though there are always potential exceptions. Sometimes after big rains the visibility
can be very low due to runoff from the stream outflow. Stuff to See: Starting with the big exotic stuff, there are often octopus at this
site - and at times resident wolf eels. Good places to look for octos are under the VW bug, and under all the boats. Redondo
also often has all the cool/weird fish like Snailfish and Red Irish Lords and Sailfin Sculpins and Snake Pricklebacks and
often lots and lots and lots of gunnels in the pipeboat and in the piles of tubes that are zip tied together. Saltwater State Park:
(South of Seattle - 25205 8th Place Sound, Des Moines) Note: As of 2010, you will need a Washington State Discover Pass to park here, you
can get a day pass or a yearly pass - this is also true at some other parks: http://www.discoverpass.wa.gov/
This is a more experienced ducky dive site. There is a really
cool artificial reef that was put down a couple of years ago, but most of it is in the 50' - 90' range. Also, it is
current sensitive and a LONG swim out, so please don't dive here unless you are ready for all that. If you do come here
you will look out and see white bouys at the surface, where exactly the buoys are changes, but every time I have been there
they have marked at least one of the 3 piles of artificial reef structure. The reef is still building up inhabitants, but
there is already lots of life on it and I think it will be a pretty amazing site at some point. In addition to the new artificial
reef there is also an old tire reef and some eelgrass in the shallows.
Tricky
Stuff: Current, and more current, and the LONG swim. Be sure to dive this at slack on a
small exchange, and take the swim very slowly. Also... don't use google maps to get you to the site :-) - momma duck got
lost 3 times doing that. Stuff to See:
Anemones, crabs, nudibranchs, at least one octopus last trip here + really cool vertical
structure etc.... Three Tree Point: (Burien - The intersection
of SW 170th Pl and 3 Tree Point Ln, Burien) This
site is well known as a good night dive, folks at times see Spiny Dogfish and Sixgill sharks here, though I have not seen
either yet. It is not particularly good for beginners due to steep dropoff, depth and potentially high currents. It is a sandy
slope with some debris as you get out to the 50'+ depth range. Tricky Stuff: Current and parking and boat traffic. Dive at slack.
Be aware that there is only space to park 5 - 6 cars here, so carpool with your dive buddies, and be aware you are surrounded
by private residences so be sure to be quiet and respectful. Stuff to See: A couple of boats, octopus, Wolfeel, Stomphia (the swimming anemone),
leather stars, plumose anemones. Lots of Ratfish are often here and they are always amazing to watch swim. Edmonds Underwater
Park: (Edmonds - Main Street
and Railroad Avenue, Edmonds WA) This is probably
the best known dive site in the area - though that doesn't mean it is the best dive site to go to, especially if you are
a newer diver. If you are up for the swim and potential current endless adventure awaits you in this HUGE underwater playground.
This has been a marine preserve since the 70' and is therefor home to some really big fish. Fish so big they could devour
duck-duck 7 times over.... quack! There is a big map on the bathroom wall, and though it isn't necessarily up to date,
it would give you an idea of some potential points to hit. I recommend on the first couple of dives here to stick to the near
buoys, don't try to go all the way out to the outer edge of the park, because it is a really long swim. This is a relatively
shallow site, about 40' at the outer edge of the park.
Tricky
Stuff: Current, long swim. Make SURE you pick a small tidal exchange and dive near slack,
otherwise the current can be very strong. Give yourself plenty of extra time to gear up and make the LONG swim out to the
park. Pace yourself slowly on that swim, it is not for the faint of heart. Stuff to See: The big attraction here are the ginormous Ling Cod
and Cabezon. During nesting season they can get kind of cranky, so give them plenty of room :-). There are lots of little
things to see too though, Grunt Sculpin, anemones of many shapes and colors, hooded nudibranchs on the eelgrass at some times
of year, and even seals sometimes. Alki Junkyard/Junkpile: There are two parts
to this site; one is a very nice shallow dive in the eelgrass and around the old dock piliings, the other one is down along
the rope that people put down with piles of debris along it. The eelgrass/pilings are in 5-15' of water, so it is a
great site for all levels. Eelgrass serves as habitat for all kinds of creatures including baby fish, pacific spiny lumpsuckies,
nudibranchs (sea sluggies) and more. Down deeper, in the 50' - 70' range is the line of debris, there are some bath
tubs, a toilet, some mooring blocks, and a line that parallels the beach. If you get past 70', you are past the line
on any tide! I like to get in and out of the water right at the end of the beach,
just before the condos and private beach start, but you can use stairs down the way. Tricky Stuff: Be careful to check the tides, there can be current here. Also be careful
of boats. If you pay attention to the tides you can swim into a gentle current during the beginning of the dive, then drift
back towards the exit. Stuff to See:
In the eelgrass you will find gorgeous anemones, crabs, nudibranchs.... over by the pilings
I have found Red Irish Lords, a Lobefin Snailfish, lots of Gunnels and pretty Kelp Greenlings. I have also seen Squid, Octopus,
Stubby Squid, Pacific Spiny Lumpsuckers, Wolf Eel..... and most anything else that is cool to see and lives in Puget
Sound. Dash Point State Park Les Davis Titlow Fox Island East Wall Fox
Island West Wall Mukilteo Three Tree Harper's Ferry Sund Rock Octopus
Hole Jorstead Creek Cove 3: Redondo
Sunrise County
Park Salt Creek County Park Lime Kiln State Park Rueban Tarte State Park Boeing
Creek Reef
Shilshole Barges China Wall
Fox Island East Wall Orchard
Rocks Shangri La Liekers West Seattle Reef & Microsoft Reef Octopus Hole
Sund Rock Jorstead Creek Blake Island Speedway (Also known as Blake Island Reef) Four
Mile Barges Keystone Jetty Owens Beach KVI Tower Alki
Pipeline Maury Island Barges
Salt Water
State Park Titlow The Boss
Les Davis Pier Harpers Ferry Three Tree
Fox Island West Wall Agate
Pass
Mukilteo Da Boss Shilshole Barges Wreck
of the Omar Wreck of the Murph/Wingina Alki Junkpile/Junkyard Alki Pipeline Redondo (Des Moines) Salt Water
State Park Dash Point State Park Edmonds Underwater Park Les Davis Titlow
Fox Island East Wall Fox Island West Wall Mukilteo Three Tree Harper's
Ferry Sund Rock Octopus Hole Sunrise County Park Salt Creek County Park Lime
Kiln State Park Rueban Tarte State Park Edmonds Underwater Park Liekers Octopus Hole Sund
Rock Jorstead Creek Keystone Jetty Owens Beach Alki
Pipeline Salt Water State Park Titlow
Les Davis Pier Harpers Ferry Three Tree
Fox Island West Wall Mukilteo
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