|
|
Edmonds Oil Dock
|
|
The Edmonds Oil Dock can offer all the sights of Puget Sound. It's a bit more technical than other dives in the area due to the complications of current, but it's very worthwhile. Go with someone experienced in the area for the first dive.
Directions: Just North of Seattle, take Exit 177 off I-5 and head West toward the Edmonds-Kingston Ferry on 104. Just before you find yourself at the Ferry, take a left on Dayton, and then another left onto Admiral Way. Follow this road into Marina Beach.
|
Diver
Reviews: (Please share your
own experiences by clicking
here!)
11/17/2002 Matt Chester (Avg: 4.18 Review) - I have just recently started snorkeling, and this was the first place I went. It blew my mind! There are tube worms all over the pilings, and in the spring there are huge cabezon sitting all over the pilings. Not to mention the huge schools of perch and all of the ratfish roaming the bottom. This is a great place to snorkel! WOW!
01/02/2002 Jim Morrison (Avg: 3.61 Review) - Well, first of all, I agree, Nydia W. did a great job in her narrative of this site. As for my ratings: We really don't have reefs here in the NW, but the pilings attract fish in a similar way. And we don't do much snorkeling, but this would be a great place to practice that. I said it was good for beginners because although it is a long swim to deeper water, a beginner could play in the shallow water and find lots to look at on the pilings. We don't have much surf, but with a SW wind there could be some uncomfortable chop on the surface here. If you find the U/W park at Edmonds too crowded this is a very close alternative that isn't usually too crowded. Fall and winter produces the best Vis. as does high tide. Air and local conditions information is available close by at the dive shop.
11/08/2001 Curt Johnson (Avg: 3.29 Review) - I agree with Nydia. Divers averse to swimming should avoid this spot. Do not surface past the end of the docks as a lot of boat traffic is out there. It is a marvelous site which I have dived many times.
10/08/2001 Nydia White (Avg: 3.44 Review) - This is a good site with a longer than average surface swim. Plan to dive this site on slack and make the proper corrections (not the same as the UW Park a few miles away). See the book NW Shore Dives for the proper corrections for this site. The pilings of the dock provide a nice habitat for a number of critters. I have seen more ratfish here than any other NW site. Good photo ops can be found here. On the northwest side of the dock the bottom drops off and the slope is fun to explore. Watch your depth. It's easy to find yourself unexpectedly deeper than you planned. Plan your return air so that you can swim on the bottom near the dock pilings on the way back to shore. The surface currents can be annoyingly hard to swim against. Not a good site on a windy day. Look for nudibranches, lots of crab, ratfish, gunnels, all kinds of sculpins, ruby octos, anemones, giant sun stars, and many other local favorites. Crab hunting is allowed on the south side of the dock. Keep your license with you and check the regs for season information.
ShoreDiving Resources:
Additional Resources:
Dive Site Links: (If you have a
relevant link for Edmonds Oil Dock, please write us
here.)
No external links have been submitted.
Site Photos
Maps
(what is GPS?) |
Photo
(click photo for a larger version) |
Comments |
| Parking
Map
Sat
GPS: WA0601
N47°48.2917'
W122°23.6066'
|
|
With a nice grassy park area to the right, parking can be found close to the entry point
|
| Entry
Map
Sat
GPS: WA0602
N47°48.2916'
W122°23.6717'
|
|
It's a bit of a swim out to the end of the dock during high tide, and quite the walk during low! Take your time and descend once you've made it to the end.
|
| Aerial
|
(click photo for details)
|
The shallows fall off quickly as you approach the end of the pier. Note that you are very exposed to current. Plan your dive carefully, either with a guide or a local dive shop.
|
Last Verification: July, 2001
|
5.00
3.50
4.25
2.75
2.50
4.00