Southeast Alaska's Inside Passage offers cold ocean diving along a coastline of rocky walls, kelp forests, reef systems, seagrass beds, and drop-offs. Sites are concentrated near Juneau, Ketchikan, and Wrangell, with several accessible directly from shore. Water temperatures are cold throughout the year, rising moderately in summer but always requiring significant thermal protection. Species include harbour seals, Steller sea lions, nudibranchs, gorgonians, kelp greenling, red Irish lord, Dungeness crab, dogfish, and black cod. The site mix suits all skill levels, from the shallow kelp forest at Lena Beach to the advanced wall at Ann Coleman.
Monthly water temperature across Southeast Alaska's sites, from satellite sea-surface data corrected for depth. The band shows the site-to-site spread.
Water remains cold year-round, reaching its warmest in late summer before cooling steadily through autumn and winter. A thermocline at some sites such as Amalga Harbor means temperatures can drop sharply with depth even when surface conditions feel relatively mild, so drysuits are strongly advisable across all seasons.
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Water temperature around Southeast Alaska ranges from about 6°C in January to 13°C in July, based on satellite sea-temperature data for its dive sites.
In the warm season (about 13°C) a 7mm or semi-dry suit is comfortable in Southeast Alaska; in the coldest months (about 6°C) step up to a drysuit.
Fin maps 8 sites in Southeast Alaska (6 scuba diving sites and 4 snorkelling spots, with some suited to both).
8 more sites to explore
