Non current sensitive "off the beaten path" dive sites?

[Mortuus]

Anyone know of good, interesting dive sites that do not get dove all that frequently, but are not current sensitive? Do they even exist? I am looking for sites to pass the time with, so to speak, in the periods when currents are being a royal PITA. Diving the same old sites time and time again gets repetitive and downright boring. Number of friends with working boats ranges from limited to none, so preferably shore diveable. Based on the current charts I have seen, we are really getting any good days until next summer, so I need something to keep me going until then.
I cannot take myself seriously as a diver if the weekly dive schedule is Cove 2 day in and day out. That is the only site people ever want to do, but that site is not why I got into diving. Exploration is. Im desperate for some new stuff here.

[fmerkel]

Alki Head - it's that last bit of concrete viewing area just beyond the boat ramp. You'll need almost exactly +12 tide and a large rope maybe 20 feet long. Tie the rope to the railing about middle of the west facing side. Scoot around the railing and look for a flat rock about 5 feet across which will now be about waist deep. The rope is to help stabilize you up and down the rock rip-rap. It's a steep rip-rap slope going down to the usual Seacrest mud. Go either direction and explore.
Go over sometime on a lower tide and scope out the entry.

Alki Junkyard is not terribly current sensitive. It'll give you a good workout if you push it too far though.

3-tree can be dived on most current profiles.
Seahurst gets very little dive action for a nice park. But then it's mostly a shallow sand dive with pitiful little to look at.
The cove between the Fauntleroy ferry and Lincoln Pk can be dove most times. It's shallow so a higher tide is desirable. High car prowl spot though.

[CaptnJack]

First off there are PLENTY of diving days between now and summer...

Anything in Hood canal (except right up by the bridge)
Tolmie State park (epic swim)
Lobster Shack wall
Steilacoom wrecks
West Wall of Fox Island
Ana Foss in Colvos Passage
Alki pipeline
West Seattle fishing reef (scooter)
Three Tree North and South
Wreck of the Barbara G

The list goes on and on and on.

[fnerg]

I don't know if you're bored with EUP yet, but now that I've got doubles, I've been wanting to see how much of the park I can explore on a single dive. Most people stick with jetty way and the pontoon, but there's got to be more to the park than that.

I also really like Saltwater state park, surface swim be damned. I don't see why people don't go there more often.

North Lincoln Park, and Lowman Beach Park can be kinda interesting. They've both got some rock piles and CSOs, so you shouldn't dive them after heavy rains. I've only been there a few times though, so I don't know where anything is. They're pretty shallow, so at some point, I want to go out and just try to find things.

Alki Junkyard is best as a night dive. That's when all the critters really come out. It's kinda barren during the day, although at some point, I want to try to do it as a drift dive, maybe from the usual entry to the statue of liberty or so. I've done it once in the opposite direction, and then just walked back. Since the current wasn't huge, we didn't travel that far, so walking back wasn't too bad.

I haven't actually gotten bored with cove 2 though. According to REEF, it's one of the more biodiverse sites in the area, so I keep finding cool new critters there. If it had eelgrass, it'd be perfect.

[fnerg]

Oh yeah, I want to do Lobster shop wall at some point too!

[Jeremy]

Kayak Point dude

[Don-B]

Are you limiting yourself to shore dives only?
If not there are plenty of sites by boat.
Like CaptnJack said most of the Hood Canal.
Up in Discovery Bay you have Ed's Fault.
The KVI tower is pretty good too.
There are a few other down in the south sound but I have never dove them.

If you don't have a boat there's guys like me who do.
Trying to find people who want to go is like pulling teeth.
Everyone say's they want to, but they never do.

Your welcome to come dive with me you would like.

[Rooinater]

There's plenty of places. I routinely run down to Ruston Way for diving. Les Davis can be dove whenever and comes alive at night. Lobster Shop on the upper portion of the wall on mild to medium exchanges can be timed. The dry dock can be dove on medium exchanges, along with old town dock, those pilings get little to no moving water, along with several other sites on Ruston. Send me a pm and I'll head down there next week to do a dive after work. You also have a couple sites in the lake that are really not current sensitive. :p

[Mortuus]

I like the lake. Trying to get people to leave C2 or Redondo is the real challenge it seems. I posted on facebook about a boat dive to the PBM Mariner this weekend, yet no one bit. That actually surprised the hell out of me. Lobster Shop is fun too, although ive only done it once. College starts up for me in 2 days though, so I wont be able to go dive Lobster Shop with you, although I would love to. And this weekend I am taking the 5th D scooter workshop.
I do need to get out to Hood Canal a bit more, but again....dive partners. Don, I am not limiting myself to shore dives because I dont like boat dives. It's because not many people I know have a boat they can take out. I am actually surprised you have a hard time filling it. Dont people normally jump on the opportunity to go boat diving, or have I been mistaken all along?

[Don-B]

I am actually surprised you have a hard time filling it. Dont people normally jump on the opportunity to go boat diving, or have I been mistaken all along?

I can only find someone 40-50% of the time even with a week notice.
Most of the time it's one of the guys that I have dove with before.
I like the guys I have been diving with but there not always available.

It seems to me most divers are content with the same old spot's.
Its in there comfort zone and that's fine.
Not everyone wants to try new areas or roll off a boat.

[Rooinater]

I'd love to go on boat trips! I don't know anyone with a boat, so I deal with what I got. I do have a scooter though now and hope to see more spots.

[Mortuus]

I am actually surprised you have a hard time filling it. Dont people normally jump on the opportunity to go boat diving, or have I been mistaken all along?

I can only find someone 40-50% of the time even with a week notice.
Most of the time it's one of the guys that I have dove with before.
I like the guys I have been diving with but there not always available.

It seems to me most divers are content with the same old spot's.
Its in there comfort zone and that's fine.
Not everyone wants to try new areas or roll off a boat.

Odd...... I was definitely under the impression that most people (especially those on the board here) would jump on a boat diving opportunity. Isnt exploration the reason why almost everyone started diving? To see what's there? Even if you venture 50 miles outside of your normal site, wherever it may be, the life and geographical features seems to change immensely. Totally worth it imo,

Anyways, if you are ever taking your boat over into the main basin, then yeah I would love to go out on it!

[fnerg]

I'm one of the folks who would jump on a boat dive!

[msblazer]

I'm no expert, but I recently dove Keystone Jetty and Rosario. If you don't mind a bit of a haul to Whidbey Island, both were very good dives and largely tide and current neutral - Keystone gets sporty if you wander past the jetty, but ther's plenty to see inboard of that.

[Grateful Diver]

Kayak Point dude

Unless you're crabbing, there is absolutely NOTHING to see at Kayak Point. I think most of the crabs there die of boredom ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Grateful Diver]

There's plenty of places. I routinely run down to Ruston Way for diving. Les Davis can be dove whenever and comes alive at night. Lobster Shop on the upper portion of the wall on mild to medium exchanges can be timed. The dry dock can be dove on medium exchanges, along with old town dock, those pilings get little to no moving water, along with several other sites on Ruston. Send me a pm and I'll head down there next week to do a dive after work. You also have a couple sites in the lake that are really not current sensitive. :p

Les Davis can be an interesting site ... in fact, I'm diving there tomorrow. It's reasonable to dive on larger exchange days. And sometimes there can be interesting things to see out in the structure.

Not a good place to be on a week-end night ... the parking lot gets taken over by the Tacoma gang-bangers ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[sekhmet]

I am 3.5 hrs away, but with advance planning I would love to be your friend as I don't have access to a boat. I am verrrry tired of diving hood canal. Everyone I know wants to dive Sund rock, etc. I feel like I know the fish by name. I'd love to explore more with a boat. I don't know the sound very well, and am respectful of current so I have wanted to find others who wouldn't mind being a tour guide. Next time you go, let me know, and like I say, maybe I can nip up. I don't mind paying my share towards gas or bringing a treat to eat either. I dove Alki Reef and China Wall and it was fantastic. I've been out on Banditos a few times too but for some reason always get stuck diving Zees Reef or Dalco wall. I'm also a pretty fair deckhand being used to fishing boats

[Grateful Diver]

I'm no expert, but I recently dove Keystone Jetty and Rosario. If you don't mind a bit of a haul to Whidbey Island, both were very good dives and largely tide and current neutral - Keystone gets sporty if you wander past the jetty, but ther's plenty to see inboard of that.

Keystone Jetty is most definitely current-sensitive ... especially on an ebb. Once you get beyond about halfway out the jetty it can get "windy" in a hurry. The other thing you have to consider is the wind ... a stiff south wind can make entries and exits a bit challenging ... especially on a high tide.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Grateful Diver]

What about Norrander's Reef? Only ever dived there once from shore, but I don't recall much for current.

Harper Ferry? A shallow dive, but it can be dived on a big-exchange day when a lot of other places are off-limits ... or just for a change of pace kind of dive.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[sekhmet]

I'll second Bob on the current at Keystone. Fabulous dive, lots to see, but that current will rip you right around that jetty into the ferry lane and then you are SOL. If you want to find out how efficient homeland security is, get stuck diving in a ferry lane or terminal. This is frowned upon heavily. I actually had as much fun poking around in the shell hash looking at sturgeon poachers and the like as I did looking at the life on the wall. The tire reef was interesting too, esp at night. We had a nice dive where we used the current to carry us in an eddy like fashion from the jetty to the reef and that was fun. I also had my first Jan Kocian sighting there

[Jeff Pack]

Norranders and Metridium on Bainbridge Island, Point Whitney as well is a fun couple of dives.

[Jeremy]

Kayak Point dude

Unless you're crabbing, there is absolutely NOTHING to see at Kayak Point. I think most of the crabs there die of boredom ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Pristine puget sound without all the junk!

[Jeremy]

Langley Tire Reef is good and not current sensitive

[msblazer]

I'm no expert, but I recently dove Keystone Jetty and Rosario. If you don't mind a bit of a haul to Whidbey Island, both were very good dives and largely tide and current neutral - Keystone gets sporty if you wander past the jetty, but ther's plenty to see inboard of that.

Keystone Jetty is most definitely current-sensitive ... especially on an ebb. Once you get beyond about halfway out the jetty it can get "windy" in a hurry. The other thing you have to consider is the wind ... a stiff south wind can make entries and exits a bit challenging ... especially on a high tide.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

There I go sticking my fin in my mouth. I can only say that when I dove the jetty a couple of weeks ago, the water was flat calm up to the end of the jetty. But oh boy was it moving beyond that! My buddy and I stayed we'll inboard admiring the anemones.

Bob, sorry I wasn't able to touch base on this trip. Never did make it south. I'll be back in March and hopefully you can show me the sights at Redondo.

[Dive Monkey]

There's plenty of places. I routinely run down to Ruston Way for diving. Les Davis can be dove whenever and comes alive at night. Lobster Shop on the upper portion of the wall on mild to medium exchanges can be timed. The dry dock can be dove on medium exchanges, along with old town dock, those pilings get little to no moving water, along with several other sites on Ruston. Send me a pm and I'll head down there next week to do a dive after work. You also have a couple sites in the lake that are really not current sensitive. :p

Dude!! Routinely!?!?
There for a while it was like pulling hens teeth to get you out of cove 2

Head on down this weekend jerad! We'll do a couple dives,drinks some 40's and smoke a couple blunts with our t-town peeps yo!