Tacoma and South Sound covers the southern reaches of Puget Sound, where sites range from the shallow bottle field at Titlow Beach near the Tacoma Narrows to the wall and drift dives at Day Island Wall and Les Davis Pier. Currents through the Narrows are powerful and require careful timing around slack water, making some sites here more demanding than those further north. Shore access is the standard entry method across the seven sites. Species recorded include giant Pacific octopus, dungeness crab, red Irish lord, mosshead warbonnet, and bluntnose sixgill shark at Redondo Beach. Three operators are based in Parkland.
Monthly water temperature across Tacoma & South Sound's sites, from satellite sea-surface data corrected for depth. The band shows the site-to-site spread.
Water temperature in South Sound is cold year-round, and a drysuit is the practical choice for any extended dive. Slack water windows can be short near the Tacoma Narrows, and drift conditions at some sites mean that experience with current is an advantage. Sites such as Sunny Side Beach offer calmer conditions suited to beginners when the tide is right.
Water temperature around Tacoma & South Sound 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 Tacoma & South Sound; in the coldest months (about 8°C) step up to a drysuit.
Fin maps 7 sites in Tacoma & South Sound (7 scuba diving sites).
Across Tacoma & South Sound's dive sites, July and August are most often reported as the best months to visit.
2 more sites to explore
