Imagine yourself enjoying 25 acres of scuba diving fun, with more than 30 sunken attractions, all teeming with amazing marine life, and you've just enjoyed a virtual trip to Edmonds Underwater Park in Puget Sound. While you won't find a merry-go-round, teeter totters, or other playground equipment here, you'll find even better things which come together to create an entertaining underwater play area just for divers.
Features and Attractions
Topside, the site appears to be unimpressive; the little park that fronts the dive site encompasses just two acres of beachfront at the end of Main Street, adjacent to the Kingston-Edmonds ferry terminal in the city of Edmonds, Washington. A very popular site for both recreational diving and diver training ever since the 1960's the site is also known as Brackett's Landing. In the early days, the main attraction was the remnants of a 300 foot long dry dock submerged in just a little under 35 feet of water. Ever since the 1970's, the underwater park has been a fish sanctuary; no spearfishing, and no boats are allowed.
The park was planned with safety and security, maintenance, and future enhancement in mind. Buoys mark the park's periphery, along with some of the underwater features; all attractions are inspected and repaired as needed to help boost site safety. Popular attractions include Tubehenge, which is a 60 by 100 foot structure made of concrete arches patterned after England's Stonehenge. The Slinky, a 72 foot long coil of plastic tubing that resembles a stretched out Slinky, forms a ten-foot swimthrough. Other popular attractions include sunken boats and ships.
Navigation is a snap, thanks to a grid of rope trails; there are six 1 inch lines running west along the bottom from the tide line to the edge of the sanctuary boundary trail; thicker lines extend north to south for the entire length of the park.
Marine Life
When the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife conducted an underwater survey of the park, they were astonished to find that some of the biggest fish in the state are found here in the park. As you explore structures covered with swathes of plumose anemones, bright red sponges, starfishes, and more, you'll encounter cabezon and perch, sole and flounder, all sorts of colorful rockfish, blackeyed gobies, lingcod, and other fish. In addition, the park is home to Dungeness crabs, harbor seals, frosted and lemon nudibranchs, huge sunflower sea stars, and many other creatures.
Edmonds Underwater Park is open for diving year-round. The best time to come is at slack water; while the area is well protected from direct ocean swell, high winds do occasionally create small surf. Visibility here varies; during the late May plankton bloom, it can drop to about 3 feet, but by late August or early September, you can enjoy visibility at about 40 feet or better. Water temperatures vary between 45 and 54 degrees seasonally; a dry suit will keep you warm and comfortable as you make your way from one attraction to the next. Topside, there are restrooms, changing areas, and an outdoor shower for rinsing. Incredibly, all this is free. Ensure you dive with a buddy and follow all safety rules, or risk paying a steep fine of more than $1,500. Last but not least, bring your camera with you and be prepared to see some incredible things - both manmade and wonderfully natural.