Curley's Resort & Dive Center
(360)963-2281/1-(800)-542-9680
Drive .2 miles past Olson's Marina through parking lot to far end at N.W. corner of lot. Configuration of rocks is directly in front of you. You will see nudibranch, ling cod, rock fish, sea bass, greenling, schools of micids, sponges, red, green and purple sea urchins, amphipods, and sea squirts. Very colorful....
Stop .1 mile prior to milepost 6. Dive into the kelp. You will see on left side with one large protruding rock. We saw whales, seals, and harbor seals from the surface. We found amphipods, micids, and greenling.
Go .5 miles past milepost 5. It's past the graffiti on the rocks, though three turns off the road. As the road straightens out, pull over at the turn-out on your right, opposite the slate rocks. Climb down the small cliff. The rocks and kelp are protruding directly in front of you even at high tide. You will see ling cod in the kelp forest, sea bass, greenling, rock scallops, all types of sea stars, an occasional wolf eel, perch, micids and amphipods.
Dive .1 mile past mile post 4. Pull into large turnout. Walk though the trees to the beach. Swim out a few hundred feet. Go off to your right or left 75 yards. Don't go straight it is barren. You will see the same as Mile Post 5 plus an occasional seal.
Go .1 mile prior to mile post 2. (.9 mile from mile post 3) The turnout is on a corner at a large cove. You will see the same as mile post 5.
The
diving in the Sekiu area is excellent. East of town, across the bay, is the Slip
Point Reef. This massive reef
is marked with a green channel buoy and offers a plethora
of life. Divers can see fish, invertebrate, anemones, wolf eels and
octopus on this dive. This spot is extremely current sensitive. Dive this reef
only on a slack tide with a live boat, if possible. (local predictions can be
obtained at Curley's.)
Just
north of Sekiu is the Hoko Reef or Kadaka Point.
This is a really nice reef that is located at the mouth of the Hoko
River. The reef has a massive structure with rising canyons and valleys leading
from 30 ft down below 100 ft. This
area is in the rock
In
front of the Snow Creek Resort is the wreck of the Andalusia.
The wreck
Just
west of the resort are a couple of
huge rocks called Seal and Sail Rocks.
They are part of a huge boulder field that stretches out 1/2 mile to the
west. This area has a variety of life in a partially protected bay. The bay is
shallow at first and gently
A
little farther to the west is Third Beach Reef. This is an excellent dive
site that stretches out over several hundred yards. You can see the reef
extending from shore. The submerged reef has canyons and valleys that provide
structure for a immense vareity of life. Although
the reef goes down past 100 ft. the majority of life can be found above 40 ft.
This site is somewhat exposed to currents. You should dive this on slack if
possible or use a live boat.
The
Neah Bay Jetty is an excellent but demanding shore dive.
The jetty is on the west side of the town and access is limited. You must
get permission from the logging company who uses the jetty to park your car.
You can park about 1/2 way out the jetty and then walk across the huge
boulders down to the water, carrying your gear.
Water entry is difficult at best and exit is just plain dangerous. Still,
it is a great shore dive that has plenty of fish, wolf eels, and octopus.
Whadda
Island is at the head of
Neah Bay. It is connected to the
shore by the man-made jetty. The
diving is outstanding all around the island. Many fish have been caught near
this island, it shelters an incredible amount of life and critters.
On
the Northeast side is a site called "the fingers."
This reef extends like fingers into the ocean forming a series of
ridges that gently slope to deep water. It makes for excellent habitat for all
kinds of fish, invertebrates, wolf eels, and giant pacific octopus.
Further
west of Neah Bay is the outer bay area, known to local fisherman as Garbage
Dump Bay. They got the name from the smoke from the garbage dump that sits
A
few hundred yards to the west of Neah Bay is Mushroom Rock. This is a
mushroomed shaped rock that is part of a very heavily carved series of rocks
that channel the surge thru a series of underwater canyons. Local charter
captain, Steve Boothe calls them, "surge directors" but says that they
lead to "spectacular diving."
A
few miles still further west is Tatoosh Island. This is the most NW part
of the US. The island is a wildlife
sanctuary and is very exposed and rugged. Many fisherman call this area there
"honey hole". The west side of the island seems to hold the most life.
You can dive a deep as you like here. Most of the life is in the shallower
waters.
Still
farther west. is Duncan Rock. Duncan is an exposed pinnacle nearly in the
middle of the strait of Juan De Fuca. The amount, size and variety of life here
is legendary. This can only be dove
safely on certain days with near perfect dive conditions and only with an
experienced guide. I'm not kidding.
Seven Fathoms Reef is 1 mile west of Tatoosh Island. This is a
pillar that comes up from 200 +ft to within 50 ft of the surface. If you can
find it, it promises a nearly "virgin" dive site. Go and explore!