Keystone Jetty
Just adjacent to the Keystone Ferry Landing (aerial photo)
A jetty built of very large boulders protrudes into the Admiralty Inlet to be swept by the strong currents provides a thriving population of sea life. You often see octopus in the many crevices the boulders provide. This is a popular site, and one I like a lot. I like all the many nooks and crannies the boulders supply. Even if the jetty was all there was, it would be a great place to dive. But there is a bonus of the remnants of an old pier off shore. If you are clever with the currents you can dive among the pilings and then catch a current across to the jetty at the end of your dive.
Another way to dive this site is too start on the ferry side of the jetty and go around to the opposite side. BEWARE, if you decide to do it this way, stay close to the jetty and out of the way of the ferry and boat traffic. Also, make sure that you have currents planned correctly or you could easily be swept away from the jetty where you will end up with a very long swim walk back to the entry point.
You want to make sure you have the currents judged correctly when you dive the jetty or the pilings. If you are not paying attention you can go past the end of the jetty. If the jetty is blocking the currents you will soon realize you have gone to far. If you don't have currents and think you have gone around to the other side don't try to make it back. Chances are you won't beat the current and you will end grabbing onto rocks to get back. Now, you are on the same side of the jetty as the ferry. Make sure you stay close to the jetty and don't get in the way of the ferry.
The other side of the jetty is quite a bit different than the front side. The slope rises fairly rapidly and becomes shallow quickly. It is easy, but a bit long, to swim back to the boat launch on the ferry side to exit; a good option if you've been caught over there by current. It is more current protected being in a "cove" and so there is less life on the rocks. There are some different anemones and nudibranches that live over there, worth checking out if you like those kinds of things.
Fritz Merkel: 2/16/02