The premier shore diving sites in Washington are found throughout the Puget Sound area. We have included our favorites in and around Seattle, stretching as far South as Tacoma, Fox Island, and the Gig Harbor areas. All have unique inlets and coves, and are easily accessible shore diving opportunities for your enjoyment. Bear in mind the conditions vary considerably with the changing tides, currents and seasons of the year. Check with your local resource providers for the information to make your dive experience the safest and best possible. Enjoy!

Washington

San Juan County

Divers will travel far and wide to find the best diving. But those who live in the United States have plenty of great diving on their doorstep as well, with plentiful access to the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. From warm-water reefs to temperate seas, here are some of the top places to scuba dive in the United States.

United States

White rocky wall close to shore, crevices to a shelf at 35 feet (10 meters), sloping to 60 feet (18 meters), kelp forest, blue starfish, red urchins, giant barnacles, big sea cucumbers, white sponges, yellow striped sea perch, Puget Sound king crabs, Irish lords, lots of small fish, experienced level

Friday Harbor

Reuben Tarte Park

Great wall dive. Large lingcod in the area. Other aquatic life includes: starfish, sunstars, and crabs.

North side of Shaw Island (in the Wasp passage). Access from Friday Harbour by boat needed to reach dive site. Recommend "Island Dive" to take you to the site. 

Bell Island

Sandy bottom to 20 feet (6 meters), with purple starfish, orange sea cucumbers, pink anemones, bull kelp starts just outside the bay, boulders start at 20 feet (6 meters), ledges and caves at 50 feet (15 meters), shrimp, lingcod, swimming scallops, all levels

San Juan County Park (Smallpox Bay)

Great dive! Wall dive anywhere from 10-100 feet and see lots of lingcod, seastars,sunstars, and octopus. I would recommend "Island Dive" from Friday Harbor to take you to the site.

Need boat to access dive. Jump off boat and swim 20 feet to shore and descend.

Note: Exact location and GPS wanted :) Edit the dive site and use the GPS finder.

Harney Toe

Not the easiest shore entry and some potentially devastating currents, hitting this site on slack is well worth the effort. A series of beautiful terracing walls, you can hit 200' within 50' of the shore. Rock fish, wolf eels, octopus, pacific king crab, walls of metridium anemones, the list goes on. If you aren't familiar with the area, it's well worth the trip.

Kelp forest, wall, mauve algae, dense invertebrate life, abalones, red urchins, giant barnacles, swimming scallops, giant octopus, rockfish, strong current, advanced level

Lime Kiln Point State Park

Cooper Reef is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver Island which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Cooper Reef

Arachne Reef is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver Island which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Arachne Reef

Graham`s Wall is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver Island which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Graham`s Wall

Joan Rock is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver Island which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Joan Rock



This dive site is located at the north end of Forest Island, and a boat is required. Current is an issue here. The best site here is between 75 and 200 metres north of the end of the island.

Forest Island - North End is also known as Forest Island.

Forest Island - North End

Imrie Island is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver Island which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Reuben Tarte Park

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Reuben Tarte Park