Scuba diving Hood Canal

Just below the surface of the waters of the Hood Canal, a whole new world exists waiting to be explored. It is carpeted with sponges and seaweed, populated by wolf eels and octopus and visited by the occasional seal and even (rarely) a six-gilled shark. Although the cold water of the Pacific is daunting, the variety of marine life it holds is well worth the the chilly plunge.

WITH gentler currents, compared to the rest of Puget Sound, Hood Canal offers a variety of opportunities for rewarding shore dives as well as live boat dives of various experience levels. While diving in the summer is generally reserved for training dives – winter and early spring offer excellent conditions because the cooler weather means clearer visibility.

Unique cold water biomes like Octopus Hole and Sund, with their schools of ancient rock cods hanging along the fjord's plunging walls, have earned the Hoodsport area the distiction of a world renown scuba bucket list destination. When the summer crowds dissipate, the equipment laden hardy divers arrive to fill the local lodging and enjoy a magical underwater world only seen in photos.

Interested in getting your open water certificate? YSS Dive in Hoodsport is the perfect spot to begin that journey.

A PADI 5 Star Dive Center, YSS Dive offers a variety of scuba diving certifications as well as discovery courses for beginners. With over 30 years of combined experience, PADI Instructors John and Katherine Yackel have received 2018, 2019, and 2020 Elite Instructor Awards and were featured in the 2020 First Quarter Undersea Journal in their Exceeding Expectations article. YSS offers classes starting at all times of the year and courses include all the equipment.

Scuba can be a family affair too. Both of my sons received their scuba certification when they were 12 and 13 in Hoodsport. It was a skill that they were able to utilize in Norway (very cold), as well as Hawaii and New Zealand. As adults, they use this skill in their current fields – one as an oyster farmer the other as a marine mammal veterinary intern.

Whether you have your certification or are interested in getting it, Hood Canal is a great place to take the plunge – literally!

We have coalesced a list of some of the top dive sites of the Hood Canal. For a more comprehensive list, pick up a copy of Betty Pratt-Johnson’s 141 Dives in the Protected Waters of Washington and British Columbia (1977) or Stephen Fischnaller’s Northwest Shore Dives (2000), or visit diver’s blog reviews, such as Scott Boyd at Emerald Sea Scuba and Nicolle Prat at Pacific Northwest Scuba.

Northside Hood Canal

The eastside of Hood Canal Bridge makes an interesting intermediate dive. Leaving from the park at Salsbury Point heading toward the Hood Canal Bridge, this shore dive requires you time your swim out to the dive area right before the beginning of slack tide, so that the current pulls you out to the bridge, then you can save your energy for the swim back. On your swim out to the bridge you pass through eelgrass beds teeming with perch, soles, shiners and other sea creatures. When you reach the concrete bridge supports you are greeted by a

fantastic display of plumose anemones and many different types of nudibranchs. Be careful of boat traffic and pace yourself for the long swim to and from the bridge.

Outside of Lilliwaup, just to the South of Mike’s Beach Resort is a dive site more comfortably accessed by boat (but you can free swim to it also). Called “the knuckle,” Flag Pole Point consists of a series of rock formations, rising like a mini range of mountains from the ocean floor. Since this formation is farther out and more exposed to currents, this site usually has excellent visibility and there are lots to see. Lingcod lay their eggs at this protected site, and there are resident wolf eel and octopus populations. Since the rise of “the knuckles” is so rapid, the site can be difficult to locate— check the dive blogs for more information and ask your local dive shop.

Mikes Beach Resort in Lilliwaup is a popular scuba base camp. Family owned and operated since 1951, Mike's cabins are nestled along the shores of Hood Canal and backed by the Olympic National Forest.

Enjoy their old world 'camp charm' with dorm, cabin as well as glamping accommodations and private kitchenettes. Located on the family's active oyster farm, there is also plenty of opportunity for "fresh catch." mikesbeachresort.com

Also north of Hoodsport, Octopus Hole and Sund Reserve are popular dive sites. Although parking on this Hwy 101 site is limited, Octopus Hole is easy to access and gratifying for all experience levels. Bring a flashlight to catch sight of the friendly octopuses and wolf eels lurking in the dark crevasses. This is a protected site, so no harvesting or disturbing the site. Careful of debris as well, the bottles on the seafloor are ideal hiding spots for tiny octopuses.

Sund Rock Marine Preserve is an iconic dive spot. Managed by the Sund family who originally homesteaded in the area in 1889, the location is carefully managed to sustain its pristine nature. "The family considers the beach to be a partnership of sorts," Cindy Sund writes on sundrock. com, "we will provide limited access, a maintained road, porta potty, gear up benches, monitored entry and continue to add amenities such as a picnic area, a campsite, better lighting and hopefully a fresh water rinse area up top. In exchange we ask that you sign in, pay a fee, take any trash you create with you, drive slowly up the road, take pictures and observe sea life from a distance, be aware of the effect excessive finning has on visibility and organisms, no harvesting of any kind, and close/lock the gate behind you."

Glen Ayr Resort, just north of Hoodsport has great rooms and spectacular views of the Canal. The facility features a great drying room as well as a clubhouse for guests, moorage and a water-view spa room – all making it a great base camp for scuba groups. We especially love their waterfront cabin that sleeps a whole family with a full kitchen and laundry facilities! glenayr.com

From the beach, swim out through eelgrass environs filled with perch, crabs and other types of sealife. Reaching Sund Rock you are greeted by wolf eels, octopuses and giant lingcod. Access is $20 but there are special rates for veterans, first responders as well as "frequent diver cards." The Sund family also partners with area diving companies, including YSS, to offer night or group dives. During the summer months, stay onsite in a deluxe camp site. Visit sundrock.com for information.

Farther down the Canal, south of Hoodsport is Potlatch Park. While the diving at Potlatch is less dramatic than those sites already described, if you are just getting your flippers wet, this is a great place to start out. This shore diving spot is easy to get to, has showers to wash off gear, and its a great place to get comfortable with equipment and techniques.

Southside Hood Canal

From Potlatch to Twanoh State Park there are diving options but there are no remarkable underwater formations or creature features. Some folks practice at the Union boat launch as this has easy access, but more head over to nearby Twanoh State Park. This full service park has a gentle current, which gives divers the freedom to dive whenever – independent of slack tides. You will find a large eelgrass bed filled with interesting fish, such as tube-snouts, black eye gobies and sticklebacks. At about the 40 foot depth you will find tube-dwelling anemones. These anemones are entertaining to watch as they feed with their long graceful tentacles. Use a dive flag and submerge when you pass the roped swimming area stay deep to avoid any boat traffic.

Heading clear around the bend, you'll find Scenic Beach State Park near Seabeck, a 121-acre camping park with 1,500 feet of saltwater beach front on Hood Canal. Like Potlatch, this site is accessible from the beach and it is rewarding for all experience levels. There are plenty of marine life to observe on this sandy-cobble beach, which shifts after 15 ft into a large eelgrass bed, likewise teaming with all the sea creatures that are heir to this environment.