Hood Canal Dive Sites

While diving in Hood Canal Sound can be a bit on the COLD side,  we have been enjoying the incredible diversity of fish and invertebrate life in these nutrient rich waters.  The extremely close encounters are fun, and the interaction with the larger critters are great.  Keep in mind that the visibility is much better in the Winter.

 Hood Canal    Puget Sound Shore Dives    Puget Sound Boat Dives   San Juan Islands    Canada

Hood Canal Dives

Black Point, (4).  This hidden jewel lies just outside of the Pleasant Harbor Marina.  Great muck diving with interesting structure and lots of nudibranchs and other macro subject.

Don's Folly, Deep Pinnacle, (1).   Deep, dark and muddy pinnacle NE of Triton Cove.  It looks like there is a deep wall at about 200' on the North side, but we couldn't find it.

Elephant Wall (3).  A steep vertical wall just South of Flagpole Point.  About 80' at the base and loaded with Octopus and Wolf Eels.

Flagpole Point (15).  A long surface swim, but worth the effort, or an easy, awesome boat dive.  This site boasts lots of Cloud Sponges, wolf eels, sixgills, red brotula and large resident octopus that are almost always sitting out in the open.  My favorite dive site in Hood Canal.

Jorsted Creek (5).  Near Lilliwaup, on Hood Canal.  Several small walls from 60 - 100' plus a shallow reef in 20 - 40'.  This site can get a bit of current during high tidal exchanges.  This site is much easier to do by boat.  GPS coordinates are 47° 31' 57" North  123° 02' 37" West.

Octopus Hole,(6) Hoodsport.  This is an easy Wall dive, full of nooks and crannies, great for beginners.   We've seen a playful seal that hangs out here.  Lots of brightly colored anemones, sponges, etc.   Plus Wolf Eels (at the top of the wall and Octopi (at the base of the wall)! 

Pinnacle, the Seamount in Hood Canal. (12)  One of my favorite dives in Hood Canal.  Swim around the site, pick your depth and explore all the small caves and fissures, which are teaming with life.

Pulali Point (6).  There are three different dive sites at Pulali.  The West wall is my favorite with the South fingers my second favorite.  Nice Rock Structure with many nooks and crannies to explore. Lots of Octopus and sunning harbor seals. 

Rosie's Ravine and Goby Garden (10).  Broken rock shelf loaded with invertebrates, next to a deep ravine.  Great macro photography

Sponge Hill (2).   Awesome dive site just outside of Triton Cove.  Hundreds of cloud sponges everywhere you look. 

Sund Rock (64).  This is a great dive just North of Hoodsport on Hood Canal.  Stop by Hoodsport N Dive, pay $15 and they'll give you the key to access the site so you have NO SURFACE SWIM!  They also rent Sea and Sea Cameras out (and provide Nitrox/Air fills).   We saw several mated pairs of Wolf Eels, an Octopus with egg clusters, Ling Cod with eggs, dozens of Nudibranchs and even Salmon and Seals. 

San Juan Island Dives

Bell Island (1).  Very Nice Dive.  Loads of Nudibranchs, including a rare Dendronotus Diversicolor nudibranch.  Several friendly male Kelp Greenlings and Tiger Rockfish escorted through this colorful dive.  Lots of current.

Lab Wall (1).  Lovely anemone covered wall just north of Friday Harbor.  Wolfies, Nudis, and more color than a child's painting.

Larry's Lair on Turn Island (1).  Puget Sound King Crab, Large Octopus and an odd current that swirls around this large bowl-shaped site off of Turn Island.

Neck Point - Shaw Island (1)  Loaded with all of the colors of the artists palate.  More Nudibranchs than you can shake a stick at.

Sir Walter's Wall (1).  Loads of Puget Sound King Crab and colorful nudibranchs.  Lots of interesting snails up in the kelp shallows. 

Turn Point (1).  Awesome, current swept dive with the usual nudibranchs, king crabs and colorful sponges.  We also saw 4 Decorated Warbonnets and 3 Mosshead Warbonnets on this dive.  My favorite San Juan site.

British Columbia Boat Dives

Clark Rock, B.C. (1)  This submerged rock, north of Snake Island, Nanaimo, is loaded with Wolf Eels.  We counted at lease a dozen within a very small range.

Dodd Narrows, B.C. (1)  An incredibly lush dive.  Ride the magic carpet in this extremely colorful, high-current, drift dive in British Columbia on Vancouver Island.  Every square inch is covered with huge anemones! 

Four Fathom Reef (2)  A shallow reef several miles from shore just North of Nanaimo, B.C.  This site is covered with swimming scallops and tiger rockfish.

HMCS Cape Breton, B.C.  (5)  The latest addition to Snake Island, near Nanaimo.  Sank in 140' of water on October 20, 2001.  We were lucky enough to be one of the first 20 divers to dive the wreck on the morning of the 21st.  The main deck is 95' - 100' depth and there are lots of deck structures to explore.

HMCS Chaudiere, B.C. (2)  The first ship sank as an Artificial Reef in B.C.  Laying on it's side, and shallower than the Nanaimo wrecks make this easier for novices, but disorienting.

HMCS Saskatchewan, B.C.  (10) This 366' Canadian Destroyer was sunk near Nanaimo, British Columbia by the Artificial Reef Society.  It is a great dive, and is actually very safe.  We did our Deep diving class here, and our first wreck penetrations.  One of my favorite dives.

Jesse Island, B.C.  (6).  Near Nanaimo, big rocks with fissures full of Octopus and lots of life.  The Wall at the East end of the island makes a great night dive!

Skookumchuck Rapids, B.C.  (1)  Fast, current dive over amazing underwater topography that is just loaded with life on every square inch of rock!

Snake Island, B.C.  (2) Located near Nanaimo and the Saskatchewan, this is a great place to dive and play with the very friendly seals.  They spent almost an hour playing with us in the shallows.  Often planting a nose right on your mask and blowing bubbles at you, or tugging at your fins. 

Snake Bay Wall, B.C.  (1)  Just outside of Sechelt, this is a great place for a quick and easy Night Dive.

Snake Island Wall, B.C.  (4)  Just West of Snake Island is a beautiful deep wall.  It is loaded with critters among the cracks and fissures.  There are lots of cloud sponges down in the 110' to 130' range.  There is also a large Cavern at about 100' if you swim south along the wall.

Stag Wall, B.C.   (3)  Deep, plunging, stepped wall.  Lots of Cloud sponges below 100'.

Tazoonie Narrows (2).  Fast Drift Dive that ends with HUGE fish sitting and waiting for the current to bring them their dinner.  Fun Dive.

Tuwanek, Sechelt B.C. (1)   Hundreds of Moon jellies and a small wreck made this a pleasant dive.

 

Boydski's Dive Statistics:
Total Number of Dives:	750
Total Bottom time:	607 hours
Deepest dive - Al-Ind-Esk-A-Sea (12/10/06)	230'
Longest dive - Nahoch Nah Chich  (12/04/07)	148 minutes
Staged Decompression Dives	75
Cave Dives	74
Wreck Dives	125