Have drysuit, will travel

When planning overseas dive holidays, we usually think of tropical reefs, warm blue oceans and wetsuits. In the cool waters of the Pacific Northwest, however, lies a very different but equally fascinating marine environment. While areas such as God’ s Pocket, off Vancouver Island, have gained recognition as exclusive dive destinations, just across the border in Washington State lies a lesser-known but more accessible and affordable alternative – and one which UK divers are ideally equipped to explore.

The sheltered waters of the Hood Canal, Puget Sound and the Seattle area offer a wealth of stunning and varied sites perfect for self-guided shore diving. It was an area we had long been keen to experience, and a scheduled work trip to Oregon provided the perfect opportunity to add on a week’ s dive holiday. With our drysuits packed, car and cylinders hired and a list of sites prepared, we drove up the I-5 to Olympia, ready to discover a new underwater world.

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Pacific Northwest

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USA

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Mike’ s Beach resort● Flagpole dive site ●

Octopus Hole

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Sun Rock reserve● The Glen Resort ●

YSS Dive Centre●

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Alki Beach

● ● Alki Cove 2

● Tacoma

Days Island

Alki Cove 2 dive site, adjacent to the ferry terminal with Seattle in the background

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