SCUBA Dive Whidbey Island

“What do you see under there?”  That is the first question I get when people find out I SCUBA dive on Whidbey Island.  The cold water is a breeding ground for a very diverse and dynamic ecosystem. The Pacific Northwest is rated the number one dive location in the United States and Whidbey Island is centrally located to a collection of exciting northwest dive sites.  The king of northwest marine life isthe Giant Pacific Octopus; the largest octopus in the world.   He can be found hiding in a den under the rocks, his front door littered with scraps from dinner, mostly crab shells.  You will also see many fish like kelp greenling and ling cod.  The invertebrates are the most numerous and can range from very small colorful nudibranchs (sea slugs) to purple, orange or red sea stars to giant white plumose anemones that stand over a foot tall. 

 Whidbey Island has many dive sites from Deception Pass to Possession Point but the most popular are the Keystone Underwater Park and the Langley Tire Reef.   The Keystone Underwater Park is located next to the Keystone/Port Townsend ferry dock.  It consists of two dives; “The Jetty” and “The Pilings.”  The jetty dive is the most common dive and consists of a long rock jetty that separates the dive site from the ferry lane.  Keep the jetty on your right as you enter the water and descend.  Take your time and look closely in the bull kelp that grows near the shore, this is where you will find the nudibranchs and small decorator crabs.  Also look between and under all the rocks for many different and colorful anemones, red rock crabs and smaller octopus.  At about 45 feet you will see a wall of white plumose anemones rising to the surface.  As you near the end of the jetty at about 55 feet of depth keep a watch out for a huge ling cod who likes to hang out and startle divers.  You may also be lucky and see one of the largest octopuses in the area who lives in a big den at the end of the jetty.  Before you dive this site, check the current, as it can be strong and you will have a better more enjoyable dive during slack.

The Langley Tire Reef is located on South Whidbey at the Langley Marina.  Just outside the marina’s break water, in about 45 feet of water, you will find several thousand tires piled up with tons of chain and telephone pole size logs that once made up the old floating breakwater before it sank.  Here you can find shoals of fry (baby fish) a plethora of Dungeness crab, small groups of pile perch, and a wide variety of anemones and starfish.   For the advanced diver, Deception Pass offers a challenging and exciting dive but be sure you know the current or you may end up in Coronet Bay or floating alone in the straight toward Japan. 

Whidbey Island dive adventure, go see Pat Beach and his crew at the Whidbey Island Dive Center located in Oak Harbor on Highway 20 just across the street from Windermere.  Pat offers a full range of SCUBA instruction, equipment repair, rental and sales plus he will make sure you have all the information needed to have a safe and enjoyable diving experience on Whidbey Island. 

Photos by Jan Kocian  http://jankocian.smugmug.com

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