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Hood Canal, Washington
Depths to: 600 feet (182 m) Visibility: 40-60 feet (12-18 m) in the winter. Water temperature: A dry suit is recommended. Aquatic life: Wolf eels, octopus, and lingcod are the biggest draws but there are many other creatures. Fees: Octopus Hole is free but there is a fee for access to Sund Rock Marine Reserve. On-site amenities: At the south end of Hood Canal is Potlatch State Park, a 57-acre camping park. More info: Along Hood Canal are two dive shops, Mike's Beach Resort at (800) 231-5324 and Hood Sport 'n Dive at (360) 877-6818, and a dive charter service, Pacific Adventure at (206) 714-1482 in Brinnon, Washington. The Web site www.masoncountytourism.com also is helpful. Open: Year-round. Getting there: Hood Canal is west of Seattle. The best access points are off U.S. 101, which follows the western shore.  |
In
the Pacific Northwest is Hood Canal, a 45-mile north-to-south body of water
that's not actually a canal but a natural fjord. There is no current there
but wind and weather are important factors to consider when diving. Many of
the dive sites on Hood Canal are accessible only by boat but some of the
most popular are right off U.S. Highway 101, which parallels Hood's west
side. Octopus Hole is popular thanks in large part to Mike Schultz of Mike's
Beach Resort. A few years ago, fearing a loss of shoreline access to dive
sites in Hood Canal, he bought the land separating Octopus Hole and U.S. 101
but charges no one for the access. Schultz's dive shop operates at its
resort location between Hoodsport and Brinnon on U.S. 101. Diving
opportunities are available there as well. Octopus Hole is a wall about 20
feet (6 m) deep and a few hundreds yard long. There is no designated parking
for Octopus Hole, forcing divers to park on the shoulders of U.S. 101.
Caution is urged. Another popular site is Sund Rock Marine Preserve, which
features a rock wall and boulders that extend down 90 feet (27 m). Shore
access to Sund Rock is controlled by Hood Sport 'n Dive, which charges a
fee. It offers an on-site porta-potty and hot showers at Rest-A-While
Boathouse, which is three miles north of the city of Hoodsport. Other Hood
Canal dive sites include Sea Mount and Triton Cove. Divers should be careful
not to kick up silt. With little to no current, disturbed silt requires a
long time to settle. In some areas, visibility is murky on the top 10-20
feet but clears substantially below that.