Am I reading this current table right?

[scottsax]

Gonna try to dive EUWP Sunday. Using the corrections, slack times are 2:51 AM, 8:36 AM, 3:44 PM, and 6:34 PM. If I hit the water at 2 PM, the current should continue to lessen until the slack time, correct? Obviously I need to take a tide/current class, but I need to be wet more than I need to be in a classroom right now.

Thanks for the help y'all!



If the picture's too small, here's the link.

[Seth T.]

I hate to burst your bubble, but Edmonds UWP is barely affected by the current. I've been there many, MANY times and haven't felt more than a slight flutter, not even significant enough to move you off course.

Edmonds Oil Dock, however, whoa! The current there is remarkable. I have vivid memories of hanging on to the pilings for dear life, literally "jumping" from piling to piling trying not to get blown away.

[scottsax]

I hate to burst your bubble, but Edmonds UWP is barely affected by the current. I've been there many, MANY times and haven't felt more than a slight flutter, not even significant enough to move you off course.

Edmonds Oil Dock, however, whoa! The current there is remarkable. I have vivid memories of hanging on to the pilings for dear life, literally "jumping" from piling to piling trying not to get blown away.

It's more of an academic exercise for me than anything else. I will take the class at some point, but until then, the brain is always looking for something new to learn....

MAN I'm a geek!

Soooooo......am I reading it right?

[dsteding]

......

[Grateful Diver]

Gonna try to dive EUWP Sunday. Using the corrections, slack times are 2:51 AM, 8:36 AM, 3:44 PM, and 6:34 PM. If I hit the water at 2 PM, the current should continue to lessen until the slack time, correct? Obviously I need to take a tide/current class, but I need to be wet more than I need to be in a classroom right now.

Thanks for the help y'all!



If the picture's too small, here's the link.

That looks about right. With that afternoon exchange you should be able to dive comfortably from around 2 till around 7:30 or so without feeling much current at all.

Edmonds can get some current on days with big tidal exchanges ... mainly because of the bottleneck created by the jetty (you'll feel it most along the end of the jetty). But surface current can often be more of a concern there ... in part due to the fact that it tends to eddy on an ebb, and the resulting "swirls" can pull you out away from the beach.

But Sunday's tidal exchanges just aren't that big ... from the looks of it I'd say you can dive just about any time all day without too much of a concern ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[DiverDown]

I hate to burst your bubble, but Edmonds UWP is barely affected by the current. I've been there many, MANY times and haven't felt more than a slight flutter, not even significant enough to move you off course.

I wouldnt say that!! The Ferry has had to rescue divers there many times cause they missjudged the currents.

[LCF]

I've been at Edmonds when we had to crab 45 degrees to stay on the lines. Current can be strong enough there to cause navigational problems. But not on small exchanges, as Bob says.

[nwscubamom]

I hate to burst your bubble, but Edmonds UWP is barely affected by the current. I've been there many, MANY times and haven't felt more than a slight flutter, not even significant enough to move you off course.

That's not been my experience - currents there can greatly affect you. Stop in at Edmonds UWS sometime and they'll tell you all about it - you should always be careful out there and plan your dives around currents - just like you're doing, Scott. It's no academic exercise. It's good sense.

Bio-Marine has a good, free online tutorial to help you until you can take a class.

Mischi Carter (Pelagia Scuba) teaches excellent Tides and Currents courses. As far as I'm concerned she's my Tides/Currents guru lady!

I've been on dives at EUP where I've had to pull myself along the rope lines to get back in. It's a very common mistake to think that EUP is not affected by current. I've been witness to several dive incidents where divers got whooshed into the ferry area and had to be rescued (and subsequently fined).

Instead of using Admiralty Inlet as your current station, you can also try using Edmonds 2.7mi WSW of to plan your dive.

Here's a real interesting tidbit from Mischi's Current and Tide Tables for Dive Planning:

"...Currents off Edmonds behave opposite from the Admiralty Inlet cycle, with weaker currents experienced during the maximum flow at Admiralty and stronger currents experienced close to Admiralty slack. ...Currents can be quite strong at both sites [EUP and Oil dock] - use caution."

If that's the case, then you're most likely to experience weak currents at Edmonds on Sunday the 14th, around 11:25am.

If the current is flowing towards the ferry dock, I start my dive out at the far north end of the park. If it's flowing away from the ferry dock, I'll start my dive at the south end of the park - just to be safe!

Whatever you wind up doing, I'd like to hear what you experience! It does seem like a pretty mild exchange that day.

Have fun and be safe!

- Janna

[scottsax]

Thank you thank you thank you!

I thought I was reading it right. Can't wait to dive. I should be at the park at about 1:00, maybe a little later, in the water probably around 2. Maybe I'll see one of y'all there. If not, soon!

Peace,

Scott

[Grateful Diver]

Looks like I'll be there ... was there yesterday doing a scooter dive out to the northern boundary. Hope today's vis is as good as yesterday's ... (about 20 feet)

... Bob (Grateful Diver)