Agate Pass

I've enjoyed this dive many times over the last few decades and usually go here once a year now. The bridge piers are the best part of the dive, and the channel drift is certainly exhilarating. It's shallow, so there's no danger of downdrafts or sudden up-wellings. Boat traffic can be heavy, which is why I usually do this dive in late fall or early winter when that activity is nil. By staging cars at either end of the pass and timing the current, you can experience 2 excellent dives in and out of the pass to the bridge and back to 'Old Man Park' at Suquamish. Of course, this dive is best done in a modest tide exchange- 6 ft or less. The bottom is a riot of invertebrate life with barnacles, anemones, sponges, crab, etc. Some big ling cod, cabezon, perch and rockfish can be found here too. Most of the fish will congregate in the lee of the bridge pier and in the many nooks and crannies to be found there.

This is a marvelous dive. It takes some planning. My buddy and I each drove our cars and parked a car at one end of the pass and another where we expected to exit. Accomplishing this dive is all about reading the current tables and planning this right. We started from the north end and drifted with an increasing current. Like many drift dives, you fly. Big fish hunker down behind boulders and colorful invertebrates cling to the rocks to sweep up the detritus washing through. The is an adrenaline dive.