Scuba Diving in Washington, United States

15 mapped sites

Destination guide

Scuba diving in Washington, United States

Washington, United States has 15 public dive sites on PickADive. Use the list below to compare mapped sites by depth, access, difficulty, ratings, and reviews before opening a site page.

Open map view Check condition context

Public sites: 15; Indexed destination pages
Reviews: 0; Catalog review count
Rating: Building; Reviews are still growing
Common access: Shore; 14 dive sites

Seasonal patterns

Best months, historically in Washington, United States

Typical conditions by month across dive sites in Washington, United States— historical patterns, not a forecast.

Jan99%8°C
Feb99%8°C
Mar100%8°C
Apr100%9°C
May100%11°C
Jun100%12°C
Jul100%14°C
Aug100%14°C
Sep100%13°C
Oct99%11°C
Nov99%10°C
Dec97%9°C

From 11 sites’ typical conditions · historical typicals, not a forecast

Best dive sites in Washington, United States

Showing 1–12 of 15

Three Tree Point

Washington · 6.1–27.4 m

A residential beach-access dive in Burien at the prominent point (Point Pully) between Seattle and Des Moines, dived from the small public access on the north side. Cobble and boulder reef begins around 30 ft and gives way to sand at 80-90 ft, with octopus dens, ledges and scattered debris; an old telegraph cable and bottle areas add interest. Access is a gated dirt path to a concrete bulkhead with almost no amenities, and the beach either side of the access is private property.

IntermediateShore entry

Sund Rock Marine Preserve

Washington · 4.6–30.5 m

A designated conservation area on the west shore of Hood Canal about 2 miles north of Hoodsport, widely considered one of Washington's premier shore dives. Two main walls (north and south) drop to 70-80 ft with deeper walls beyond 100 ft for technical divers, plus a sunken boat north of the north wall and a small wreck between the walls. The site is not current-sensitive, and resident giant Pacific octopus and mated wolf eel pairs are the headline attractions.

AdvancedShore entry

Alki Junkyard / Pipeline

Washington · 3–18.3 m

A pair of adjacent shore dives off Beach Drive SW on the south side of Alki Point in West Seattle, distinct from the better-known Seacrest coves. The Junkyard is a debris field of old car bodies, machinery and scattered junk that now functions as artificial reef and octopus habitat, while the Pipeline follows an old outfall pipe over a gentle slope to about 40 ft. Entry is from street ends near Richey Viewpoint with a stair/ramp walk-in and a shallow swim-out.

Shore entry

Edmonds Underwater Park

Washington · 3–13.7 m

Edmonds Underwater Park (Bruce Higgins Underwater Trails) is one of the oldest and most famous shore-dive parks in the US: a 27-acre marine protected area and no-take sanctuary established in 1970 just north of the Edmonds ferry terminal on Puget Sound. Volunteers led by Bruce Higgins have built roughly 2.5 miles of rope-and-block underwater trails linking sunken structures - the Lopez pontoon, pipes, spools, a dry dock and more - all marked with quirky underwater road signs. Because no fishing or harvesting of any kind is allowed, marine life thrives, most famously the park's enormous resident lingcod. Maximum depth is only about 45 ft, making it a superb beginner and training site, but cold water makes a drysuit the norm.

Shore entry

Deception Pass

Washington · 6.1–24.4 m

The narrow channel between Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands where Skagit Bay meets the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with tidal currents that can scream through at up to 8 knots. The huge water exchange feeds some of the most densely colorful invertebrate-covered walls in the Pacific Northwest, but the site is diveable only on a handful of minimal-exchange slack windows scattered through the year, and true slack can fail to materialize. Whirlpools, downwellings and instantly reversing current make this an expert-only dive, usually done with boat support and local knowledge.

ExpertShore + boat

Blake Island Reef

Washington · —

Blake Island Reef is a dive site located in United States. It is accessible from shore.

Shore entry

Redondo Beach (Des Moines)

Washington · 3–30.5 m

One of the most popular training and night-dive sites in south Puget Sound, on the Redondo waterfront boardwalk in Des Moines next to the MaST Center aquarium. A gentle sandy slope holds guide ropes (shallow line ~50 ft, deep line ~100 ft), sunken boats, a VW bug and other debris that act as artificial reef. It is famous for muck-style critter hunting - red octopus, stubby squid and Pacific spiny lumpsuckers on night dives - with easy stair entry next to the boat ramp.

AdvancedShore entry

Salt Creek Recreation Area (Tongue Point)

Washington · 3–12.2 m

Often called the best shore diving in Washington, this Clallam County park sits on the Strait of Juan de Fuca about 13 miles west of Port Angeles beside the Tongue Point Marine Life Sanctuary. Rocky reef fingers, kelp beds and surge channels hold open-coast life rarely seen inside Puget Sound, with most diving in the 20-40 ft range beyond the kelp line. It is an advanced, ocean-exposed site - swell, surge and thick kelp demand careful timing - and the easiest of the three diver access points is the staircase beside campsite #63.

AdvancedShore entry

Les Davis Marine Park

Washington · 6.1–36.6 m

A Metro Parks Tacoma fishing pier and marine park on Ruston Way in Commencement Bay with a dedicated diver stairway. A short ~75 ft swim from the stairs reaches a large man-made reef built partly from blocks of the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge, lying perpendicular to shore in roughly 40-70 ft, with the bottom continuing past 120 ft for deeper profiles. Mild conditions, easy entry and on-site amenities make it one of Tacoma's most popular training and night-dive sites.

IntermediateShore entry

Octopus Hole

Washington · 6.1–18.3 m

A WDFW conservation area on Hood Canal right off Highway 101, just over three miles north of Hoodsport and a short drive from Sund Rock. A roughly 200-yard-long rock wall starts around 40 ft and drops to 50-60 ft depending on tide, riddled with cracks and dens that house giant Pacific octopus and wolf eels. Currents are mild, making it a relaxed wall dive, but no hunting or gathering of any kind is permitted.

Shore entry

Day Island Wall

Washington · 12.2–33.5 m

A natural sandstone wall at the south end of the Tacoma Narrows near Day Island, just south of Titlow Beach. The sheer main wall runs south of the entry to about 110 ft, with shallower ledges and cutbacks in 40-55 ft to the north and a reported deeper wall starting around 100 ft and running to roughly 140 ft. Swift Narrows currents carve dens that shelter numerous wolf eels and giant Pacific octopus, but the same currents make this an advanced, slack-only dive planned around minor exchanges (max ~2.4 kt predictions); current along the wall runs opposite to the mid-channel flow.

AdvancedShore entry

Keystone Jetty (Fort Casey Underwater Park)

Washington · 3–18.3 m

Washington's other underwater state park, along the rock jetty protecting Keystone Harbor at Fort Casey State Park on Whidbey Island, next to the Coupeville-Port Townsend ferry landing. The jetty boulders are plastered with anemones and nudibranchs and shelter wolf eels, octopus and big lingcod, with about 55-60 ft of depth at the jetty tip. Admiralty Inlet currents sweep the site hard, so it is strictly a slack-water dive planned with Admiralty Head current predictions, and divers must never round the jetty into the active ferry lane.

IntermediateShore entry

Plan a dive in Washington, United States

Compare nearby sites

Washington has 15 public dive sites in the PickADive catalog. Start with the map when coastline, nearby alternatives, and travel distance matter.

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Match depth and difficulty

Current public data shows 5 advanced and 4 intermediate dive sites. Listed depths range from about 3m to 37m where available. Shore is the most common listed access type. Use those signals as a starting point, then confirm the plan against training, equipment, and current local guidance.

Check conditions close to the dive

PickADive can help with research and comparison, but it does not certify that a dive is safe today. Weather, current, visibility, entry, boat traffic, and local rules can change quickly.

How condition context works

Common questions about diving in Washington, United States

What are the best dive sites in Washington, United States?

Use the ranked list on this page to compare 15 public dive sites in Washington. PickADive highlights ratings, reviews, depth, access type, difficulty, and mapped location so you can move from destination research to a specific site page.

Is Washington beginner-friendly for scuba diving?

PickADive does not yet have enough beginner-labeled public site data to summarize Washington confidently. Review difficulty, access, depth, and recent notes on each site page before deciding.

Are there advanced dives in Washington?

Yes. PickADive currently marks 6 dive sites in Washington as advanced or expert level. These dives deserve extra attention to depth, access, current, visibility, and local guidance.

What depths can I expect in Washington?

Listed PickADive depth data for Washington ranges from about 3m to 37m. Use that as a research starting point, then verify current conditions and site-specific guidance.

Can I see Washington dive sites on a map?

Yes. Use the map link on this page to compare Washington dive sites by location, coastline, nearby alternatives, and individual site details.