ALKI PIPELINE - West Seattle
Details:
The pipeline features a rock reef covering up an old drain pipe.The pipe is no longer used but the fish don't seem to care. A shallow dive even at high tide, but a lot of life. Plan on a max depth of 45 feet and at least an hour of bottom time.
The Alki Pipeline site is located past the southern tip of the public Alki Beach, just past the lighthouse. It's almost straight across the street from the Alki Sewer treatment plant.
DIRECTIONS:
Take I-5 to the W SEATTLE FWY/COLUMBIAN WAY exit, exit number 163
Take the W. SEATTLE FWY. For approximately 2 miles
Take the exit for SW ADMIRAL WAY
Merge onto SW ADMIRAL WAY follow it about 2 miles (IT TURNS INTO ALKI AVENUE SW)
The STOP SIGN at the bottom of the hill is 63 Ave. One more block.
Turn Left onto 64TH AVE SW.
Turn Left onto BEACH DRIVE SW
The street location is about 63rd Ave SW and Beach Drive SW. Park between 63rd and 64th on Beach Drive SW. Look for the small park and the long concrete walkway near the intersection.
ALKI JUNKYARD - Seattle
Divesite
Gear up and enter the water about 50 yards from the west end of the concrete walkway. Swim underwater and descend down the slope. All across the slope, especially back towards the rest of the beach, you'll find numerous man made piles of junk strewn across the bottom. At about 20-30 feet you'll find a guide-rope which leads down the slope. The rope connects to a rope running parallel to shore in about 50 ~ 60 feet. Follow the rope and you'll find the junk piles off each side of the rope.
The Junkyard features EASY ACCESS and a moderate swim. This divesite is suitable for all levels of divers. The Alki park lavatories are open year-round.
Directions
Take I-5 to the W SEATTLE FWY/COLUMBIAN WAY exit, exit number 163 Take the W. SEATTLE FWY. For approximately 2 miles
Take the exit for SW ADMIRAL WAY
Merge onto SW ADMIRAL WAY follow it about 2 miles (IT TURNS INTO ALKI AVENUE SW)
The STOP SIGN at the bottom of the hill is 63 Ave. Turn right and drive to the next stop sign. The Alki market is at 63rd and Harbor Ave.
Turn Left at the stop sign at Harbor Avenue. Park near the end of the public beach.
. . . .
Alternate Directions from Seacrest Boathouse
Follow Harbor avenue past the boat launch until you reach the West end of the Alki Public Beach.
ALKI SEACREST - Seattle
Details:
There are three coves here. Cove 1 is by Salty's restraunt. Cove 2 is used most because it has more stuff to look at and more parking. The parking lot for Seacrest Park is usually sufficient, but additional parking is available on the street. We have dove this site many times and it offers a wide diversity of marine life. Harbor Seals, octopus, skates, sculpins, cabezons, a few lings, and lots of small fish, anemones, and some invertebrates. It is a good site with easy access.
The SEACREST site features EASY ACCESS and a short swim. This divesite is suitable for all levels of divers. I-beams at 100 foot depth for an advanced dive
1)Follow I-5 South or North to exit 163 to the W. Seattle Freeway Exit
2)Take the W. Seattle Freeway West and get off at the Harbor Avenue Exit.
follow Harbor Ave to the fishing pier.
3)Park in the fishing pier (Alki Boathouse) parking lot. You can also park along Harbor Avenue just past the Boathouse.
4)If you drive past the Alki Boat launch or start curving around Alki Point back to the West, you've gone too far.
SEAHURST park - Burien
Description: There is a remnant of a barge.
It is a long swim over the shallow sand just to get some depth. I have spotted an Octopus on a couple of previous dives.
The other critters are Seapens, slugs, rockfish and Hermit crabs.
Swim toward the point or a heading of 305. Drop down to 30 -35 feet turn right.
Directions:
Take Highway 518 until you get to Ambaum Blvd.
Ambaum is about 5 to six blocks past highway 99.
Turn Right on Ambaum blvd.
Turn left a couple of blocks later onto SW 144th.
Turn Right on 13th
Follow that down to the bottom of the hill.
You will pass through the park gates and over
several speed bumps.
NOTE: The park closes at Dusk.
THREE TREE NORTH- Bruien
This is one of my favorite dive sites. The old junkyard holds a lot of life at this site. There are a variety of small critters, there is a resident wolf eel, and occasionally, a transitory octo. There are the usual fishes, and I have heard reports of an couple of infrequent six-gill sightings.
Trying to find a parking space can be a challenge here, so get here early or be prepared for a short hike.
Directions:
Take I-5 North or South (or 405) to Highway 518 West toward Burien.
Take 518 west (4 or 5 miles) to the SW 148th Street exit, follow it about 8 or 9 blocks and
Take a left (south) on Ambaum Boulevard, go about 4 blocks and then
Take a right (west) on SW 152nd Street
Turn Left on 21st, just past the church.
Follow this road around the big right turn and down the hill.
There is a sharp corner where it joins Maplewild Ave.
Turn right on SW 170th Street. Park at the end of SW 170th Place.
BTW: A night dive here means we will be here longer than the law allows. People aren't supposed to park there after dusk.
Saltwater State Park- Tacoma
Description: There are several hundred tires in tens of piles scattered the length of the park between 20 to 60 feet deep. There is a remnant of a barge sitting in 30 to 40 feet of water. The beach has a gentle slope and is relativley shallow for about 40 yards out from the bulkead. It is a medium swim out to the buoys, but entry level for beginners.
Directions:
Take I-5 to the Kent- Des Moines exit.
Go west and take a left onto Marine View drive.
Follow Marine View Drive south a mile or two until 252nd or So.
You should see signs for Saltwater State park.
Turn Right and go half a block to the park entrance.
Redondo Beach
Description: There is one boat, VW bug, long metal tube, barrels and
much more. There are stairs on both sides of Salty's.
Pay Parking Lot and some free spots.
Directions:
Take the I5 exit for 272 street going west toward the water.
Going west following 272st., crossing Pacific Hwy So.
continue going west down hill to water.
At water turn left and drive toward Salty's Restaurant for
parking. Parking can be found in the public boat access and side streets.
We will enter the water on the south, left side of the restaurant down the steps into the water.
Need a map?
Address for Salty's at Redondo:
28201 REDONDO BEACH DR S, DES MOINES, WA 98198
Les Davis -Tacoma
Details:
There are many tons of old concrete road sections piled together to make an artificial reef. The structure attracts many critters both large and small. There have been sightings of small octopus and one wolf-eel here. This site has moderate access, and a good fish population. This is in Commencement Bay on the Tacoma waterfront so currents are minimal.
Concrete road sections make excellent structure, moderate access, slight currents.
This is on the Tacoma waterfront, so arrive early and find a parking space.
Directions
Take I-5 south to Tacoma.
Take the City Center/Tacoma Dome exit (705) and stay with the City Center exit until you see Schuster Pwky and 21st St exit. Move over to the right lane and take the Schuster Pkwy Exit.
If you are in the LEFT lane this lane will force you to take the next exit which will be Schuster Pkwy.
Follow Schuster Pwky by staying in the left lane. This lane will take you to Ruston Way, Tacoma's famous waterfront. You will come over a bridge to a traffic light and now you are on Ruston Way. Follow Ruston Way about a mile and you will see the fire station and the big red fireboat. Turn into the next parking lot to your right and park at the far end.
Turn right on I 705 heading north for 1.8 miles
Bear right on S SCHUSTER PKWY heading northwest for 0.2miles
Continue on N SCHUSTER PKWY heading northwest for 1.0 miles
Continue on SCHUSTER PKWY heading west for 0.3 miles
Bear right on RUSTON WY heading northwest for 1.5 miles to Les Davis
Titlow beach- Tacoma
Details:
Titlow features EASY ACCESS and a moderate swim. This divesite is suitable for all levels of divers if inexperienced divers are paired with experienced divers. Dive this site at slack, and don't try it during a high exchange. There are a couple of pairs of wolf eels, that can be handfed by divers.
1) Follow I-5 South to exit 132 (Highway 16 West to Gig Harbor/Bremerton).
2) Take Highway 16 West and get off at the Jackson Avenue Exit just before the Narrows Bridge.
3) Turn left onto jackson Avenue.
4) Turn right onto 6th Avenue and follow 6th down the hill.
5) Just before crossing the Railroad Tracks turn right into the Parking lot.
If you are unfamiliar with Tacoma, and you're intending to make this dive Wednesday night, keep several things in mind, I-5 South is slow and the traffic back-up to get across the Narrows Bridge can be a killer! I would recommend that you avoid the hassle of sitting on Highway 16 trying to get to the Jackson Avenue exit.
Pull out your Tacoma map and find an alternate route!
1) One of the alternate routes I use is to exit at South 19th street and follow it west to Sunset Drive. Then go North up Sunset Drive to 6th street. Take a left on 6th and continue down the hill to the park.
2) One of my other favorite alternate routes is to take Sprague Street (the first exit on HWY16) North to South 19th Street and take South 19th Street West to Sunset Drive, then North up Sunset Drive to 6th street. Take a left on 6th and continue down the hill to the park.
If traffic is really bad, you can always take 705 North to Stadium Way and then take 6th street across Tacoma... it's slow with plenty of stop signs and stoplights, but it will get you there.
EDMONDS U/W PARK
Details:
The Edmonds U/W park has easy access as long as you're ready for a long swim. This divesite is suitable for all levels of divers. Restroom facilities are available at the park. A dive shop is located approximately 4 blocks South of the park. Bruce Higgins has done an incredible job at Edmonds constructing an underwater park for divers. (You can volunteer to help any Saturday by showing up at 9 AM)
The Edmonds Underwater Park is located in the small community town of Edmonds, Washington, roughly 10 miles north of Seattle. The park itself sits on the northern side of the Kingston Ferry terminal.
To get to the Edmonds Underwater Park from Seattle, follow I-5 North.
From I-5, take the Edmonds/Kingston Ferry Exit.
Follow the signs to the Kingston Ferry. Do not get into the ferry lines.
Stay to the left of the ferry lanes and follow them until you are almost at the ferry dock.
Once facing the ferry dock, move over to the far most right lane and cross the train tracks.
Turn right to enter the park.
EDMONDS OIL DOCK
Details:
A long swim but a really nice dive. There is a low exchange, so it should be a good dive. You will occasionally hit a current here on the incoming tide, it at times will want to pull you North to the ferry landing! The terrain is a big bowl shape in-front of the dock. Tire pile to the South.
CAUTION: Broken and hanging pilings may be hazardous.
Alternate site is the jetty just to the north of the oil dock.
Directions:
The Edmonds OIL DOCK is located in the small community town of Edmonds, Washington, roughly 10 miles north of Seattle.
The site is at the Edmond's Marina Beach Park. The park is about 1/2 mile south of the Edmonds Underwater park.
To get to the Edmonds Underwater Park from Seattle, follow I-5 North.
From I-5, take the Edmonds/Kingston Ferry Exit. Follow the signs to the Kingston Ferry. Do not get into the ferry lines.
Stay to the left of the ferry lanes and follow them until you are almost at the ferry dock. Once facing the ferry dock, turn left on Railroad Avenue, jog Right slightly at Dayton onto Admiral Way.
Follow Admiral Way past the Edmonds Marina and follow it until it ends at the Edmond's Marina Beach Park. Park at the south end of the park, the oil dock is directly in front of you.
100 FOOT ROCK - Lynnwood
Dive Rating - Advanced
Details:
The rock is a nice divesite. It's always a great place to find a grunt sculpin or a mossy-headed warbonnet. 100' Rock features MODERATE ACCESS and a short swim. I call it moderate access, it requires a 300 yard hike down the railroad tracks and then descending a short staircase down to the water. No restroom or changing facilities are available near the divesite. This divesite is suitable for intermediate level and above divers. As the name implies, this is a deep dive.
Alternate dive site is just out in front of the pier. Tire piles and other stuff.
This is rated intermediate because the entry requires rock climbing.
TEST YOUR DIVELIGHTS AND BRING THEM! Wearing a Glowstick, or the flashlight equivalent, is highly recommended. (Yes it does get dark at 100ft.)
It's located near the Meadowdale marina in Lynnwood. Just South of Meadowdale Park.
Take Exit 179 on I-5 (220th St SW).
Go west until you cross Highway 99, and take a right at the next light onto 76th Ave SW.
Your goal is 162nd St SW, so follow 76th Ave SW for quite a while until you hit a 4-way stop.
Continue straight through into a more residential looking area for about 1.3 miles.
Take a left onto 162nd St SW. It curves down to the railroad track.
Park on the side of the road overlooking the Meadowdale Marina.
This is one method of getting there - personally I normally take I-5 further North to the 164th street exit and follow 168th down to the water. Don't try the 168th route unless you have a map.
MUKILTEO OIL & T DOCKs
Details:
A moderat swim and walk. Some of us joke about calling it the "Iron-man" dive because you walk with your gear for 150 yards and swim another 50.
This is a great place for harvesting crab.
CAUTION: Broken and hanging pilings may be hazardous.
Directions:
I-5 to highway 526 and on to Mukilteo.
Drive to the bottom of the hill and turn right. (The park & boat launch is just to your left.)
Park by the Silver Cloud Inn or along the fence.
Alternate dive: tire piles 60 yards North of the dock.
The slope is shallow for about 40 yards then drops off steeply until 40 foot depth and becomes gradual again.