Things to do / Travel Guide
Northwest Washington and the Cascades is a region full of many options for visitors wishing to go for a scuba dive. There are many state parks across the region that offer opportunities for scuba diving, such as those on Bainbridge Island and Blake Island, which are only accessible by boat. Just outside of both Seattle and Tacoma there is also Saltwater, an artificial reef that is waiting to be explored. No matter where you are in the region, rentals for scuba and diving gear usually start around $70 for a half-day expedition, the price usually including a brief diving course of some sort as well. Note that no certification is needed to go diving in the region.
The San Juan Islands are a popular scuba diving destination, where you can see turtles, salmon, trout, sea lions, otters, dolphins, and sometimes even whales while underwater. Adding prestige to the diving sites in the area, Jacques Cousteau, the famous French underwater explorer, said that the waters of the San Juan Islands were his second-favorite place in the world to go diving.
Other great spots for scuba diving include Underwater Park, a 27-acre offshore underwater park located just north of Seattle used by those wishing to learn how to scuba dive or to refine their skills, and Sunrise Beach Gig Harbor. At Sunrise Beach Gig Harbor divers are able to view local wolf eels, local octopuses, and sea urchins hiding under the waters and in the crevices of the submerged ocean walls.
One of the best places to go scuba diving in the waters around the Olympic Peninsula, particularly in the winter and early spring, is near the town of Sekiu. Sekiu is a small fishing town located on the Olympic Peninsula about 16 miles east of Neah Bay. Among the views while diving near Sekiu are underwater rock formations loaded with marine life, including extensive kelp beds, large fish such as trout and salmon, as well as scallops, Dungeness crab, octopus, sea urchins, and moon snails.
Seattle, Tacoma, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, Washington and The Cascades
Scuba-Diving
Spencer Spit State Park Beach - Lopez Island, Washington
Owen Beach - Tacoma, Washington
|
|
|