Sunrise Beach Arial View
Gig Harbor
From I-5, get off at the Gig Harbor/Bremerton Exit 132 for Hwy 16 West. Follow Hwy 16 West toward Gig Harbor and across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. After crossing the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, exit from Hwy 16 West at the Gig Harbor/City Center Exit. At the end of the exit ramp, turn right at the stoplight onto Pioneer Way, drive through a second light and down a hill into Gig Harbor. At the bottom of the hill, turn left onto Harborview Drive and follow the roadway around Gig Harbor for about a half mile. Harborview curves to the right at this point and becomes Stinson Ave. Move into the right hand lane. The roadway will curve to the right again onto Harborview Drive. After about a mile, curve to the right onto Vernhardson Street. Follow Vernhardson Street (which becomes 96th St) until you come to a "T". Turn left at the T onto Crescent Valley Drive NW, then turn right at the fire station onto Drummond Drive NW and follow the road up a hill. At the top of the hill, turn right at a stop sign onto Moller Drive NW, then turn left onto Sunrise Beach Drive NW. Follow Sunrise Beach Drive NW for a 1/2 mile, then turn left into Sunrise Beach Park.
This site is a Puget Sound favorite for wolf eels. Treat them kindly while you are there. If you mistreat the them you never know how that the diver just swam up behind you is go to react. The last time I dove this site I saw 11 octopus. Must have been a convention that day. The most I usually see at this is 2 or 3. The best way to dive this site is from a boat. There are charters going out of Tacoma that dive here frequently. You can dive it from shore if the park is open. Sometimes it can be closed without notice. If I find a reliable way to find out I will post it here.
If you dive this site from shore it is a very long walk down the hill to the site. Part of the joy of diving this site frequently is seeing all of the contraptions that divers have for carting their gear down to the site. I bought one of those plastic wheel barrows just for this purpose. It worked great! I made the trip once hauling dive gear for two.
Reviewed by John Syre
There are two things I detest more than anything, getting up early and gear humps. For either one or both, it better be worth it, and for this site I will do both. The gear hump is mandatory if you do it as a shore dive, but sometimes you can time the currents right at a reasonable hour of the day. Consult Northwest Shore Dives for instructions on how to time this dive. Almost guaranteed wolf eels and octo. Bring some herring to feed the wolfies and/or octos. I myself use a radio flyer (wagon) to haul my gear down/up the long, steep path to the beach, even then it takes a couple of trips. Plan it carefully and take your time, it'll be worth it! There are picnic tables available for the shore-masters (non-divers) in your family (if you have one). This is a park, therefore it's a marine sanctuary. Don't know if it's city, county, or state, but it doesn't really matter. The caretaker lives at the site.
Reviewed by Greg Goebel
- Fritz Merkel