Seattle-area diving takes place in the cold, emerald waters of Puget Sound, with seven sites spanning artificial reefs, kelp forest, seagrass, muck, and wrecks from the south Sound to Blake Island. Shore entry is common and well-supported, with sites like Seacrest Cove and Alki Beach Park accessible from the city, while Blake Island Reef requires a boat. Depths range from very shallow to over thirty metres, covering both beginner and intermediate divers. Species recorded across the sites include harbour seals, California sea lions, cabezon, stubby squid, painted greenling, grunt sculpin, Puget Sound king crab, and a variety of nudibranchs. Over twelve operators are based across Seattle, Bellevue, and Des Moines.
Monthly water temperature across Seattle's sites, from satellite sea-surface data corrected for depth. The band shows the site-to-site spread.
Puget Sound is cold year-round, and a drysuit or thick wetsuit is the standard choice for regular diving here. Visibility varies by site and can change quickly with current, which is an active planning consideration at several locations.
12 operators
Navy Yard City, United States
Des Moines, United States
Water temperature around Seattle ranges from about 8°C in January to 12°C in July, based on satellite sea-temperature data for its dive sites.
In the warm season (about 12°C) a 7mm or semi-dry suit is comfortable in Seattle; in the coldest months (about 8°C) step up to a drysuit.
Fin maps 7 sites in Seattle (7 scuba diving sites).
1 more site to explore
