Difficulty
beginner
Viz (last reported 4633h ago)
Max Depth
Unknown
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Point Whitney
A life-encrusted intake pipe extends out, running north-south. You'll find the pipe starting at about 15' and running down to 100 feet, more or less depending on the tides. Look for GPOs under the supports. The start of the pipe is located near the center of the parking area. (There's really two pipes, but one is shorter.) Octopus Gardens Dive Shop has a good map and write-up of this site on. Point Whitney (near the Washington State Shellfish Laboratory) is a fine site on the Hood Canal north of Hoodsport.
Access
shore
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5
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Edward J. Palumbo
Nov 20, 2004, 12:00 AM
scuba
Pt. Whitney, often overlooked and seldom crowded, is a very good site offering sufficient parking, restrooms, convenient shore access, and a healthy biosystem. Visibility is occasionally (very) limited, 8 to 15 ft, but the marine life in the shallower depths (12-32 fsw) is abundant and diverse. Pt. Whitney is a fine place to conduct certification dives or work with less experienced divers because current is not a problem. There is a boat ramp nearby for boaters and fishermen, and divers are well advised to use a safety float and dive flag. To reach Pt. Whitney from Portland or Centralia, take I-5 north to Exit 104 and drive west on Hwy 101 toward Aberdeen and Port Angeles. Remain on 101, following signs through Hoodsport and continue north through Brinnon. Look to the right for an RV park at Bee Mill Road, turn right off Hwy 101, guide right and follow narrow Point Whiney Road past homes and a scout camp to the Point Whitney State Shellfish Laboratory. As you approach the Hood Canal on this road, the laboratory is on your right. A boat ramp is almost directly ahead. Restrooms are to your left, and you will find adequate parking along the unpaved area to your left, beyond the restrooms. You can park about 20 yards from the water! On days when the visibility is good, you can follow the pipeline directly from the shore into >75 fsw. If you follow the pipeline to approx 30-32 ft and turn 90 degrees to your left, you may find what appears to be an attempt or start of an artificial reef of pipes and cinder blocks, which is where I found a small octopus. The shallower water is a wonderful area to explore for tubesnout, painted greenling, blackeye goby, crescent gunnels and lemon nudibranchs hiding among the eel grass. Lodging is conveniently available at the Glen Ayr Canal Resort (360-877-9522), the Sunrise Motel (360-877-5301) or other motels to the south of Pt. Whitney, but you'll have to drive further to find a dive shop. I believe the closest source for air refills and accessories would be Hood Sport n' Dive (Ph: 360-877-6818) or Mike's Diving Center (Ph: 360-877-9568), so go to Pt. Whitney well prepared.
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