Fort Flagler
Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 9:32 pm
Dive Site Name: Fort Flagler, Marrowstone Island, Washington
Skill Level: Intermediate to advanced due to current.
Current Sensitive: Yes. Recommended for slack dives only. Pick a day when the exchange is small, so if you miss the slack you can still have a good dive. An approximate current predictor can be found here:
http://tide.arthroinfo.org/tideshow.cgi ... on+Current.
Update: We suggest a splash time of 1 hour before slack, just before flood. Slack before ebb is still dicey.
Location: Fort Flagler, Marrowstone Island, WA.
Driving Directions: Google Map.
Free Parking: Discovery pass required.
Staging Area: A gravel parking lot, infrequently used. The beach entry is down a couple dozen irregular steps.
Surface Swim: Moderate.
Nearby Facilities: Restrooms are located a couple hundred feet up from the parking area. Camping is available in the park. Showers are located in the camping area. The nearest store is back in Nordland. The park has a lot of interesting things for your non-diving family members to explore so this makes a great weekend outing for everyone.
Special Considerations: The exposure to Admiralty Inlet and the severity of the currents make this site dicey. On the positive side, that current exchange typically makes the visibility fairly good.
Maximum Depth: About 60ft max. You'd have to go very far out or dig a hole to get much deeper.
Dive Site Description: There used to be an old pier here. The end of the pier was a dumping ground for all kinds of junk, especially tires -- lots of treasures lurk here. Beyond the remains of the pier and out in the inlet the bottom drops down to roughly 50-55ft. There are scattered concrete slabs, fish havens, each with many holes where rockfishes, sculpin and crabs hide. In the sandy areas between the slabs are fields of sea pens.
Skill Level: Intermediate to advanced due to current.
Current Sensitive: Yes. Recommended for slack dives only. Pick a day when the exchange is small, so if you miss the slack you can still have a good dive. An approximate current predictor can be found here:
http://tide.arthroinfo.org/tideshow.cgi ... on+Current.
Update: We suggest a splash time of 1 hour before slack, just before flood. Slack before ebb is still dicey.
Location: Fort Flagler, Marrowstone Island, WA.
Driving Directions: Google Map.
Free Parking: Discovery pass required.
Staging Area: A gravel parking lot, infrequently used. The beach entry is down a couple dozen irregular steps.
Surface Swim: Moderate.
Nearby Facilities: Restrooms are located a couple hundred feet up from the parking area. Camping is available in the park. Showers are located in the camping area. The nearest store is back in Nordland. The park has a lot of interesting things for your non-diving family members to explore so this makes a great weekend outing for everyone.
Special Considerations: The exposure to Admiralty Inlet and the severity of the currents make this site dicey. On the positive side, that current exchange typically makes the visibility fairly good.
Maximum Depth: About 60ft max. You'd have to go very far out or dig a hole to get much deeper.
Dive Site Description: There used to be an old pier here. The end of the pier was a dumping ground for all kinds of junk, especially tires -- lots of treasures lurk here. Beyond the remains of the pier and out in the inlet the bottom drops down to roughly 50-55ft. There are scattered concrete slabs, fish havens, each with many holes where rockfishes, sculpin and crabs hide. In the sandy areas between the slabs are fields of sea pens.