Skyline Marina/Wall Saturday morning???

kwbyron · Post by **kwbyron** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:53 pm

Ok, So I am calling this a plan and need some budies!
Tides Show:
High Tide - 8.1 at 4:00 am
Low Tide - 7.7 at 8:09 am
High Tide - 7.6 at 10:59 am
Low Tide - 0.0 at 7:35

From the Chart, it appears that slack pretty well goes from 8-11...if I'm reading it right. so maybe meet at the Smoky point park and Ride at 8:30am and carpool on up?

come on.......who's in??

Pez7378 · Post by **Pez7378** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:01 am

I'm in. I'm sure Fishtiq is in too. I've been wanting to check out this site for awhile.

Grateful Diver · Post by **Grateful Diver** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:20 am

If you see some folks flying by on scooters, give us a wave ... $\:D/$

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Nwbrewer · Post by **Nwbrewer** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:09 am

I can't make saturday.

Pez, I know Kevin's a kept man at the moment so he's not working, you want to do this on Friday instead of DIW?

Jake

mattwave · Post by **mattwave** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 8:55 am

Dang wish I could make, I have a rescue class.

huh maybe enjoying an awesome wall could be part of the class. :rr:

Joshua Smith · Post by **Joshua Smith** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 9:11 am

mattwave wrote:Dang wish I could make, I have a rescue class.

huh maybe enjoying an awesome wall could be part of the class. :rr:

Gotta practice those wall rescue scenarios, same as the other kind, right?

dsteding · Post by **dsteding** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 9:25 am

If I were swimming, I'd drop around 9:30 or so-the smallish exchanges in the morning may make for some weird currents. It may not switch directions or may be a bit unpredictable. When that ebb kicks in, it will become significant, however.

We are scootering, the plan is to meet at 9, be in the water at 9:30. 20 minutes out at 90 feet, 20 minutes back at 50, maybe 10 minutes of kicking out at the end of the wall.

Great dive, have a good time-we'll probably see you there. Hopefully the vis isn't crap.

dsteding · Post by **dsteding** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 9:29 am

kwbyron wrote:Ok, So I am calling this a plan and need some budies!
Tides Show:
High Tide - 8.1 at 4:00 am
Low Tide - 7.7 at 8:09 am
High Tide - 7.6 at 10:59 am
Low Tide - 0.0 at 7:35

From the Chart, it appears that slack pretty well goes from 8-11...if I'm reading it right. so maybe meet at the Smoky point park and Ride at 8:30am and carpool on up?

come on.......who's in??

BTW, use the Rosario current predictions rather than the tide chart.

I think Fischnaller's book says to use a -30 minute correction and then dive 30 minutes slack before ebb, but I could have this wrong. I do know that the site review on this board (by Gray) suggests hitting the wall 30 minutes before slack before ebb at the Rosario station, with no correction for the site.

[EDIT] Others may have input here, but one thing with smallish exchanges at this site is that the current never switches-it keeps flowing out to Rosario on an ebb. How do I know this? I planned a dive there a while back on a small exchange day and had to deal with the current. So, keep this is mind. If there is still current flowing towards Rosario after it has switched, get inside the kelp line close to the cliff for the long swim home.

Pez7378 · Post by **Pez7378** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 2:55 pm

Nwbrewer wrote:I can't make saturday.

Pez, I know Kevin's a kept man at the moment so he's not working, you want to do this on Friday instead of DIW?

Jake

Sure! We can do whatever you want on Friday. I still need a solid plan for Saturday though! And maybe Sunday Morning!

dsteding wrote:Hopefully the vis isn't crap.

This is probably "code" for, fins suck. I hope those guys without scooters don't silt out the place!

Have fun guys and be careful. If we go on Friday instead we'll give you a current visibility report.

Post by **H20doctor** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 10:51 pm

I am game...where is this place...? I can scooter... Mine will only run for 45 mins : (

whatevah · Post by **whatevah** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 11:41 pm

kwbyron wrote:Ok, So I am calling this a plan and need some budies!
Tides Show:
High Tide - 8.1 at 4:00 am
Low Tide - 7.7 at 8:09 am
High Tide - 7.6 at 10:59 am
Low Tide - 0.0 at 7:35

From the Chart, it appears that slack pretty well goes from 8-11...if I'm reading it right. so maybe meet at the Smoky point park and Ride at 8:30am and carpool on up?

come on.......who's in??

I hate to discourage people from a dive, but I think the conditions in Burrows Pass that day aren't really suitable for diving Skyline Wall from the shore. As another diver has mentioned, small ebbs just don't seem to happen at that location - the large body of water pushing up through Burrows Bay keeps running right on out through the pass into Rosario Strait. The water movement in those first few daylight hours will be quite unpredictable. Eventually it will definitively turn and run back toward the east (what you want to return to the entry point) as there is a sizeable ebb later in the day... but trying to predict when the right time to dive will be is quite difficult. It is really unpleasant to time this dive wrong - it is a tough swim and there really aren't a lot of alternative exit points.

The ideal day for shore diving Skyline Wall is one in which you see a significant flood (better than a knot) turn into a significant ebb (better than a knot). In that situation you can pretty much depend on the water carrying you west from the entry point (the end of the flood), stopping for a bit, then carrying you east to return you to the beach (and the timing will be predictable too). This slack before ebb happens around 25mins before the prediction for the Rosario Strait current station in my experience.

dsteding · Post by **dsteding** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:07 am

whatevah wrote:
I hate to discourage people from a dive, but I think the conditions in Burrows Pass that day aren't really suitable for diving Skyline Wall from the shore. As another diver has mentioned, small ebbs just don't seem to happen at that location - the large body of water pushing up through Burrows Bay keeps running right on out through the pass into Rosario Strait. The water movement in those first few daylight hours will be quite unpredictable. Eventually it will definitively turn and run back toward the east (what you want to return to the entry point) as there is a sizeable ebb later in the day... but trying to predict when the right time to dive will be is quite difficult. It is really unpleasant to time this dive wrong - it is a tough swim and there really aren't a lot of alternative exit points.

The ideal day for shore diving Skyline Wall is one in which you see a significant flood (better than a knot) turn into a significant ebb (better than a knot). In that situation you can pretty much depend on the water carrying you west from the entry point (the end of the flood), stopping for a bit, then carrying you east to return you to the beach (and the timing will be predictable too). This slack before ebb happens around 25mins before the prediction for the Rosario Strait current station in my experience.

You should add this information to the site listing in the dive sites section-this is a great post.

FWIW, I think we'll push back our scooter dive to splashing closer to the start of ebb in Rosario-I'm happy scootering into the current for a bit, clipping the scoot off if need be, and then drifting home. I'd rather start the dive right on slack or just a bit before it, and I'd rather err on the side of ebb rather than the flood current still running. I've dived this area on tides like this, and the current never really changed, which is why I brought that up in my previous post.

In case the current doesn't turn, we'll reserve 2/3rds of our battery time for the return, so if we get ~15-20 minutes into the dive (our planned runtime anyways) and the current is still running towards Rosario, we'll turn the dive and work our way home.

CaptnJack · Post by **CaptnJack** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:35 am

Yeah Skyline is best on moderate floods leading to moderate ebbs. Otherwise you are potentially looking at a long swim home when there's no switch. With kelp and the wall right there I doubt it would be dangerous for reasonably fit divers, but a 45min surface swim is no freakin' fun.

gcbryan · Post by **gcbryan** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 11:28 am

I've personally not had this problem on low exchange days as long as you get in using Rosario without corrections. If you get in too early you will have this problem of course.

You're also not dealing with much of a current regardless on low exchange days and as has been noted once you get back to the kelp area you're in a more protected cove like area. Kelp is an annual and shouldn't be a factor at this time of year however.

As an aside, this is a great time of year to dive Sekiu for that very reason...no kelp!

Pez7378 · Post by **Pez7378** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:34 pm

Crap! I want to dive this site. ](*,) Well, maybe some other time. I never imagined that you couldn't dive a location on such a small exchange. So what's next?

whatevah · Post by **whatevah** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 12:04 am

Pez7378 wrote: Crap! I want to dive this site. ](*,) Well, maybe some other time. I never imagined that you couldn't dive a location on such a small exchange. So what's next?

Don't give up. Good tidal conditions for Skyline Wall occur at regular intervals - the right dive day is never far away. As it happens, this Saturday's tidal conditions will be some of the best all year at some other sites. Take the wind and snow predictions into account and see what you come up with - maybe I'll see you there!

Post by **H20doctor** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 11:14 am

Theres always Mukilteo... HA HA HA HA HA

CaptnJack · Post by **CaptnJack** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 11:25 am

Nah with moderate exchanges (and mild south winds) Keystone is the place. Or various San Juan dives.

dsteding · Post by **dsteding** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:19 pm

CaptnJack wrote:Nah with moderate exchanges (and mild south winds) Keystone is the place. Or various San Juan dives.

I was considering scootering Keystone, but it probably is too small a site.

CaptnJack · Post by **CaptnJack** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:27 pm

dsteding wrote: I was considering scootering Keystone, but it probably is too small a site.

Probably?? Unless you wanna do laps, alotta laps. I would look at Rosario Head and/or Northwest Island as a scooter dive instead.

Info in the shore dives book, although Steve Fischnaller considers a 1/4 mile swim a shore dive, I don't. Take a scooter. Lap the Island and report back.

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:34 pm

I've got a huge water-trap on the golf course (they call it "Eagle Lake") in front of my house you could do laps in if you're looking for somewhere cold, dark, and small to get some trigger time in. Fore!!

ppharman · Post by **ppharman** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 4:47 pm

We dive this site regularly, a great boat dive. It can be done as a shore dive, but old guys like me prefer the more civilized style of diving from a boat. We also enjoy a glass of red wine on the way back to the marina. HINT to all charter boat operators.

We will be there Sunday, looking for a wine steward.

Pat

Grateful Diver · Post by **Grateful Diver** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 5:41 pm

CaptnJack wrote:
dsteding wrote: I was considering scootering Keystone, but it probably is too small a site.
Probably?? Unless you wanna do laps, alotta laps. I would look at Rosario Head and/or Northwest Island as a scooter dive instead.

Info in the shore dives book, although Steve Fischnaller considers a 1/4 mile swim a shore dive, I don't. Take a scooter. Lap the Island and report back.

NWI would be an interesting scooter dive ... as long as you could avoid the kelp beds. I've only ever done it as a boat dive, and kicking. One side of the island is completely boring ... the other side has lots of interesting structure and life.

... Bob (Grateful Dive)

dsteding · Post by **dsteding** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 7:52 pm

Grateful Diver wrote: NWI would be an interesting scooter dive ... as long as you could avoid the kelp beds. I've only ever done it as a boat dive, and kicking. One side of the island is completely boring ... the other side has lots of interesting structure and life.

... Bob (Grateful Dive)

Let's eyeball it after Skyline.

dsteding · Post by **dsteding** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 3:48 pm

Bob and I had a great scooter dive, splashed around 10:30 or so, mild to no current for the first half of the dive, a decent current pushing us home on the second half.

1:06, max 100 feet. Scootered for 15 or so minutes out at ~90 ish feet until the vis started shutting down (probably down to ~6 feet from 10-15 at the beginning of the dive). It got below my comfort level for scootering, so I signaled Bob to clip off and we spent the next 25 minutes or so leisurely exploring the wall and slowly working our way back up to 50 feet. Vis opened back up a bit, I got a bit chilled (water was 42 degrees) around 45-50 minutes, so I turned things and we scooted home. Only 6 minutes on the trigger going home with the current pushing us, and we did our minimum deco going up the slope in front of the beach.

I'll let Bob give the critter rundown, I think he wished he had a camera.

Eyeballed NWI as well, it is on for scootering to that little gem.

Northwest Dive Club

Skyline Marina/Wall Saturday morning???

Skyline Marina/Wall Saturday morning???

Re: Skyline Marina/Wall Saturday morning???

Re: Skyline Marina/Wall Saturday morning???

Re: Skyline Marina/Wall Saturday morning???

Great dive!