With its cool, often foggy weather and sometimes rough water, the Pacific Northwest is a place that divers often overlook. But once beneath the surface, the gorgeous colors and amazing textures of many intriguing creatures delight the eyes. Whether you’re down in Oregon, exploring Washington’s Puget Sound, or up north in Vancouver, you’ll find that these tips make planning and executing dives simpler.
Always Check Tide Tables
Tide times vary widely everywhere, and throughout the Pacific Northwest, this is particularly true – especially in enclosed bays and throughout Puget Sound. Strong currents occur as bays, estuaries, and the sound fill and empty themselves, making diving dangerous. Plan your entry for about fifteen minutes prior to slack tide, which occurs between the high and low tides, and be sure that you are out of the water before the tide begins to shift.
Don’t Let the Rain Ruin Your Day
There’s a reason the stunning emerald green forests of the Pacific Northwest are lovingly referred to as rainforests – they exist solely because of the abundance of water that drips, drizzles, and spouts from the sky all throughout the year. Though clear, sunny days do happen, they can be few and far between. When the sky is dark and cloudy, dive anyway; you’ll be amazed by the abundance of life you’ll find since both diurnal and nocturnal animals are often active on dismal days.
Equip Yourself Properly
There are a few things that can make Pacific Northwest scuba diving more comfortable and more fun; these include hard sole dive boots, which will prevent you from hurting your feet as you access interesting dive sites. You will need a 6.5mm to 7mm wetsuit year-round, if not a drysuit. You’ll also need a hood and gloves, along with performance fins that can stand up to challenging currents. Finally, you will need a good dive light and a backup. Though visibility can be quite good at many sites, the lack of light from above can pose a problem.
Watch Out for Boat Traffic
Fishing boats, whale watching cruisers, military vessels, and little pleasure craft are often out in force. Although dive flags are required at many sites, there are some places where they are optional. Use them anyway, and always listen carefully as you are surfacing.
Bring Your Camera
Why brave conditions like the ones found in the Pacific Northwest, just for a little diving? The answer is this: incredibly abundant, amazingly colorful marine life popping out of every nook and cranny. Not only are there loads of brilliant nudibranchs and odd-looking rockfish, there are scores of beautiful jellyfish, incredibly colorful anemones, fields of bright orange sea pens, and even cold-water corals and sponges. There are also interesting wrecks, large fish, whales, and sea lions vying for your attention at many dive sites throughout the region. Get a camera and learn some basic skills, and you’ll soon have plenty of unbelievable photos to share.
There are hundreds of excellent dive sites for every skill level throughout the Pacific Northwest, and though you and a buddy can head out on your own, there are dozens of excellent dive shops that offer guided trips. Whether you hope to encounter spiny little Irish Lords or beautiful pods of orcas, this is the place to do it.