View of Downtown
This is the second cove past Salty's restaurant (1936 Harbor SW) at Alki. To the left of the site is a small parking lot (2 hour limit) and a fishing pier. There is a small cafe here (but not always open so don't count on it). More importantly there are rest rooms located here. If you want to walk for an on-site gear rinse you can use the water at the fish cleaning station on the dock.
Air fills to the south about 1/2 mile at Deep Fathom dive shop. There is a coffee shop right across the steet, a Thai restaurant a bit north (walking distance).
This is a another popular site to hold Open Water I classes, and for the same reasons as Cove 1. Both sites have similar underwater profiles. The cove is protected from winds and the currents are minimal here. The entry is very easy and the slope drops steadily to 130ft so there is no surface swimming. Swim towards the right side of the cove away from from the fishing pier. The fishermen don't take too kindly to having divers swim under where they are fishing. There is a 150' boundary around the fishing pier. There are several maps on shore that show the area. The boundary is marked by a rope with floats all the way around to Cove 3 reaching a depth of about 100 feet.. Octopus are frequently sighted here along with an occasional 6-gill shark. Hidden in the sunken wood pilings is an occaional Decorated Warbonnet. At about 85' off the south corner of the cove are the I-beams if you want a deeper dive.
This is a great area for a night dive.
Stay away from the fishing pier and the dock. The city runs a Water Taxi from W. Seattle a good portion of the year. Problems with the Taxi and the fisherman could cause the site to be closed. Respect the boundary. The best diving is the other direction anyway. Boats do come in to tie up to the dock occasionally. So, to be safe, you should use a dive flag.
Keep the noise down. Some particular neighbors in the condos across the street have been know to complain.
Help keep the boundary rope and the floats clean.