Z's Reef

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Z's Reef

Z's reef is an amazing, LONG wall located just off the north side of Fox Island. The wall is almost 200 yards long and is loaded with wolf eels, octopus and many other critters.   It's not all that tall, but is just about guaranteed to produce an amazing array of critters to marvel at.  Many will even pose for you underwater photographers.

 Unfortunately, there just isn't any shore access to this site (unless you want to buy one of the expensive houses along the shore).  This makes this a boat-only dive, and the site is very popular with local dive charters.

Most of the wall starts in about 40' of water, with the bottom at about 60'.  It is comprised of a lot of large and small rock ledges that are full of hiding holes.  Drop in about 30 minutes prior to slack water and drift along the base of the wall, peering into all of the wolf eel and octopus dens.  Then drift back along the top of the wall as the current shifts to find entirely new sets of creatures.

We have seen several juvenile wolf eels at this site, as well as 4 or more wolfies jammed into one small hole.  Keep your eyes sharp and look under the ledges at the base of the wall for Octopus.  I do not think I have ever dove this site without spotting both wolf eels and octopus.

The wall is easy to find with a depth finder and the bottom area above the wall offers good anchorage, so set the hook, fly a dive flag and have a nice dive.  This site is a bit current sensitive, so is best done on small tidal exchanges from an anchored boat, or just about any time if you have a live boat to pick you up.

GPS Coordinates:  47° 14.9' N   122° 36.26' W

Boat Launches:

Launch your boat at the Fox Island, Wollochet, Day Island Marina or Point Defiance boat ramps.  Note: the Wollochet and Fox Island ramps work for small boats and four-wheel drive trucks, but if you're hauling a big boat, then the much nicer ramps on the east side of the Narrows will make your life much easier.