Top Snorkeling and Scuba Diving in Oregon

Located just south of Barview Jetty and the Lumber Dock at Garabaldi

Extremely clear fresh water altitude dive. Old forest preserved underwater. Good facilities, including camping, cabins, store, boat rentals and cafe. No motorized craft are allowed on the lake. At an elevation of 3100 feet, this is considered an altitude dive. The water is approximately 43 degrees on average year round at the surface. A few feet below the surface the water can get to near freezing temps. The visibility can reach over 100 feet in parts of the lake. Nothing in the way of biology, but a great dive if you have a dry suit. Take highway 126 from Eugene, OR toward Sisters, OR. 18 miles northeast of McKenzie Bridge. From McKenzie Bridge, travel east on Hwy 126 to Coldwater Cove Campground. Plenty of places to park, and easy access to the water. Approx 3 miles south of 20/126 interchange on east side of road.

Barview County Park offers camping, beach combing, sunning, and, of course, diving! You'll be sure to find enough crab and clams for dinner, so come prepared. As you'll be able to tell from the photos, conditions here can change radically very quickly. Check with a local dive shop about the tides, harvesting limits, visibility, etc. If you have not dived in this area before, you might seriously consider a guide on your first couple of sites. From Portland, take Highway 26 West to Highway 6 West into Tillamook on the coast. Drive North 9.9 miles into the Heart of Garibaldi. Drive 1.7 miles farther North and turn left onto Cedar Street.

Whales Head is a very nice destination for a day's diving. Kelp beds on the North side of bay provide the most interesting sights. Start at low tide and kick out about 100 yards. Located about 7 miles North of Brookings, look for the small sign at the entrance on the ocean-side of the road.

Another quintessential Oregon Coast diving site, also known as Lone Ranch. The facilities include picnic tables and restrooms, and, on a sunny day, you can't beat the beachcombing! You'll find the best diving to the North, after a short kick to the deeper water. About 4 miles North of Brookings, you'll see the beach area and the turn off.

Three Graces is a beautiful site that has it all. Beach-combing is at its finest at low tide, and harvesting is excellent at high. Bring your camera for macro-photographic opportunities! From Portland, take Highway 26 West to Highway 6 West into Tillamook on the coast. Drive North 9.9 miles into the Heart of Garibaldi. Drive 1.2 miles farther North to the turnout below.

Located in the commercial fishing area of Garibaldi, the Lumber Dock is a great place for finding crabs. Generally the area is protected from boaters, but a dive flag is recommended. An interesting note: there is no law in Oregon that says a boat must stay away from a dive flag. This is a very dangerous situation. Stop by Doug's Diving (in the background of the second entrance photo below) and sign their petition for a minimum safe boating distance to divers. From Portland, take Highway 26 West to Highway 6 West into Tillamook on the coast. Drive North 9.9 miles into the Heart of Garibaldi, and turn left onto 7th Street as shown below.

Another excellent place for crab. The location is a little remote and out-of-the-way, which provides additional adventure! No more than 40 feet deep, you'll find crab and clams, and the occasional abandoned crab pot lost by boaters. Located in Florence, on the North bank of the Siuslaw River, you'll need to get on Rhododendron Drive, which parallels the river bank heading to the ocean. For a scenic drive, head West on 9th Street and turn right on Rhodie, or go West on 35th street and turn right on Rhodie. Follow the directions below.

Located in Waldport, this site has the best crabbing in the area! It's a little tricky to work with the tides, but ensure you are only diving during low slack. The channel is narrow and deep, and the current can be swift. Found on the coast between Newport and Florence, the site is found on the South side of the inlet channel to Alsea Bay. See below for more directions.

Nellie's Cove is a very quiet area, away from the Northern and Western exposure of the Pacific. This is a good spot for beginner diving, as well as an easy location to check-out equipment before heading to more advanced sites. The Southern-exposure bay of Nellie's Cove is located at Port Orford. From Highway 101, head South on Oregon Street or Washington Street toward the Cove. Make a right on Port Orford Dock Road, and continue to the large public dock area until you see the landmark below.

Hobsonville Point is an out-of-the-way dive site with no facilities, but a lot of scenery! Look for crabs, clams, and treasure. Once on the beach you'll notice that there use to be a large dock on the point, so who knows what you'll find! From Portland, take Highway 26 West to Highway 6 West into Tillamook on the coast. Drive North 9.9 miles into the Heart of Garibaldi. Now do a U-turn and drive 2.4 miles South back to the turn-off below (or just drive 7.5 miles North of Tillamook!)

Fingers is probably the best known dive in the Newport area. The jetty area provides some great hiding places for the smaller marine life, and the fingers outstretching perpendicular from the main jetty can protect you a bit from the current. It is recommended that you dive one of the first three fingers you come to, as the fourth and fifth are subject to stronger current. Since this is the main channel out of Newport Bay, dive only at slack tide, and be careful of the boat traffic. Take the nearest exit from the South side of the Newport Bridge. Head down hill toward the water, and turn left on SW 26th Street, which then takes you to SE Jetty Way and the park.

Another great place to grab a few crab for dinner. It's an easy drive, and parking is just a few feet away from the entry. If you're looking for peace and quiet, this is the place! Take the nearest exit from the South side of the Newport Bridge. Head down the hill until you are by the water on East side of the bridge. You'll be on SE Marine Science Drive. Continue for a short way, and turn right on SE 25th Street, then left on SE Ferry Ship Road. When the road dead ends, you're there!.

The Crab Dock at Winchester Bay is a nice location for just about everything. We wanted to 'pull up roots' and move here once we realized everything this small community could offer. Plan on spending the day there just diving, crabbing, eating and soaking up the ambiance of this coastal town. By the way, if you like raw oysters, the best we've ever tasted are at a small factory/store located right there in the marina area called Umpqua Aquaculture. The oysters are cold, fresh out of the water, and opened in front of you. Yum! Winchester Bay is located just South of Reedsport, on the Southern bank of the mouth of the Umpqua River. From 101 in Winchester Bay, turn North on Broadway, then an immediate left onto Salmon Harbor Drive. Wind your way to the water until you see the landmarks below.

A great site for, what else, CRABS! The Docks have easy access and entry, but you do have watch out for the current. Plan your dive for slack! Exploring under the dock, lost items, from the landlubbers above, are there for the taking! Take the nearest exit from the South side of the Newport Bridge. Head down the hill toward the water, and find the parking lot close to the bay just to the East of the bridge. You won't see the dock until you start to walk toward the water.

Located just North of Barview Jetty and the Lumber Dock at Garabaldi

Very quiet place. Good to mix a familly pic-nic and a shore dive with friends. About 4 miles North of Brookings Twin Rocks is also known as Lone Ranch.

South to Florence, Oregon. Entry site closest to bridge/highway.

I went diving 2 times at the south jetty at Bandon easy entry and good viz. The north jetty has easy entry and dive below the 110 year old light house rock- would be good addition to a web page. Gary Walker, Roseburg Oregon.

The west side is sloped down to 100ft. as you travel east the wall becomes vertical and drops deeper than 100. The water temp. varies during the time of year. Summer surface temperature is around 70 degrees and about 46 at depth. The visibility opens up around 60ft. This is an advanced dive. This is a wall dive on Cougar Reservoir.

Limited Visibilty, check Tides and Currents. Hull of Wreck Silvia Degrass, 1870's Dive from shore Silvia De Grass Wreck is also known as Holcom's Wreck Dive.

You'll want to dive the wall that runs along Netarts Bay Drive and into the boat channel itself; but remember, please do not surface in the boat channel. This can be a current sensitive site so diving on a slack flood would be best and even better if it were a smaller exchange. Maximum depth on a flood tide is about 25-30'. There are Monkeyfaced Prickledbacks that inhabit the rock wall; a ton of assorted Nudibranch's and if you have a mind to harvest crabs there are Dungeness and Red Rock crabs. This is an active boat ramp facility so please do not use the boat ramp as an entry point, entry can be made just a few feet to the East of the ramp. Netarts Boat Ramp is also known as Netarts.

Good crabbing Florence, Oregon. From US 101, turn on Rhododendron Drive. It heads west, then north, following alongside the Siuslaw River to the ocean. Drive past Harbor Vista County Park, and watch for Jetty Road, which will take you out to the north jetty. North Jetty Florence is also known as Siuslaw River, Crab Hole.

The west side of the island declines to 40 feet, then a wall down to 130 and a flat landing at 130. The visibility can vary due to small current and dirt. This is an advanced dive. Head east on Hwy 126, turn right at Cougar Dam Rd/Natl Forest Develop Road 19 Rd, Slight right at Aufderheide Dr go about 3 miles , Slight right to stay on Aufderheide Dr go about 100 ft., Turn right to stay on Aufderheide Dr go 6.3 miles, Turn left at Natl Forest Develop Road 500 Rd go 1.1 miles, Continue until you find south boat ramp.

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