Edmonds Underwater Park
Head towards the Edmonds Ferry. Keep in the left hand lane. You will come to a stop light. The toll both for the ferry will be on your right hand side. Continue on through the light to the next light. Make a left hand turn towards the ferry and move to the right hand lane where you will be directed into the park.
A jewel in the city. This is a very popular dive site, and for good reason. There is tons of life here. Partly because this is a protected marine sanctuary. But also because of the many years of dedicated work by Bruce Higgins. On most Saturday mornings you can find him improving the underwater landscape in one way or another. He can always use some help. Over the years he has placed numerous, interesting items in the water to provide habitat for marine life. Recently, to this eclectic collection the Marker Buoys have added some reef balls. The life is denser here than cars on I5 at rush time. You will see the most and the largest fish here than anywhere in the Puget Sound area - huge ling cods, bigger than the old timers tell about and the cabezon are equally impressive. Lots of crabs, dungeness, hermit, arrow, etc. Bruce has also helped out by providing divers with an underwater grid to keep you from getting lost. Though it is always prudent take a compass reading to shore. Stop by the bulletin board on the outside of the shelter to look at a map of the park.
It is shallow for a long time so you have quite a swim. I like to swim all the way out, descend and then try to swim back to shore underwater. Doing a surface swim out and back can be tiring. Most of the time the depth here is around 20-30ft. At the end of the park you can get deeper in spots. If you are deeper than 40ft. you have gone too far. Be careful as you swim on the ferry side of the park and don't drift into the ferry lane. Also, if you are a new diver to the UW Park be forewarned that the ferry is really loud underwater when pulling in and out of the dock. The currents can be stronger here than you think. There have been times they have sent boats out to pickup diivers hanging on to the pillars unable to swim against the current. This is a rare happening but you should always consult the tide and current guides before diving.
Reviewed by J. Syre