Northwest Wreck Dives
Caution: Northwest Wreck Diving can be addictive.
There are a large number of wrecks in Puget Sound and around the Pacific Northwest that offer some great diving. They run the gamut from the shallow wrecks located in Edmonds Underwater Park to the deep dark wrecks located in the middle of the shipping lanes. Visiting these wrecks is like stepping back through time. More information on the wrecks listed below can be found in Northwest Wreck Dives.
Puget Sound Wreck Dives
Alaska Reefer. The old USS Pinon, lies forgotten in Port Townsend Bay after the refrigeration ship burned in 1961 and sank just off of the Indian Island munitions dock. 48° 04.16'N 122° 44.66'W
Al-Ind-Esk-A-Sea. Deep, dark and very poor visibility make this 336' Freighter one of the tougher wreck dives in the area, but the ship has a very interesting history. 47° 59.032' N 122° 14.772' W
Alitak. A 94' tug sank just northeast of the Delion Dry Dock in Edmonds Underwater Park in 1972 GPS: 47° 48.842' N 122° 23.082' WAmerica. This square-rigged, 232' long sailing ship was towed right up onto the rocks of San Juan Island by the tug Lorne in 1914. The cargo of coal that she carried, now harbors urchins and kelp.
Andalusia. An impressive Panamanian flagged Tramp Steamer that sank near Neah Bay in 1949 carrying a cargo of 5 million board feet of lumber. This 7,700 ton freighter is twice the size of the Diamond Knot and is just covered with marine life.
Anna Foss Tug. A nice shallow wreck in Colvos Passage that is a fun, current-free site for a second dive. Only 30 feet deep to the bottom of the hull. GPS: 47° 24.171'N 122° 31.440'W
Barbara G. Another very nice, shallow wreck dive just off the end of the Harper's Fishing Pier in Kitsap County (Port Orchard).
The Boss. A pair of easy, shallow wrecks, located just 5 miles due West of the Alki boat ramp that make a great second dive to many of the sites around Blakely Harbor. GPS: 47° 35.465' N 122° 29.766' W
Burton. The Steamship Burton once carried passengers and light cargo from Tacoma to Vashon Island as part of the Mosquito Fleet. She sank in shallow water after burning in Gig Harbor in 1924. A very nice, shallow dive that is best in the winter when there is less boat traffic in this busy harbor.
Cabezon. The 130' fishing vessel Cabezon was burned and sank in the Bellingham channel. Wicked currents make this a challenging, but rewarding dive for the avid wreck enthusiast.
Carkeek Park Wreck. A relatively new fishing boat hanging out on the bottom along with a bunch of it's own crab pots.
Comet. Once home to some "wild and crazy guys", the comet sits just 200' from the Port Hadlock boat ramp, making it a nice shore dive.
Concrete Sailboat. A monstrosity of a three level, concrete sailboat that was sunk in Budd Inlet.
Dauntless. December 30, 1923 the well known mosquito fleet steamer "Dauntless" broke loose from her moorings at Kingston during a storm and drifted across the Sound to pile up on the beach near Meadow Point, a total loss.
Des Moines Wreck. A 55' Yacht that caught fire in the Des Moines marina in 1994 sank just off of Normandy Park. This site makes a nice second dive after diving the KVI tower. Only 45 -50' deep and covered with marine life.Diamond Knot. One of the premiere dives in the Pacific Northwest. This wreck, actually located in the Strait of Juan de Fuca is covered with marine life and is an awesome dive, but watch out for those wicked, wicked currents! GPS coordinates 48° 10'18" N, 123° 42'38" W .
Dockton Five. Lots and lots of wrecks near Dockton, including a fishing boat with refrigeration holds, two sailboats, a 45' tri-cabin cruiser and a 50' yacht that is still attached to its mooring buoy. Poor viz, but a fun way to spend a day of diving.
Dungeness Crane. A huge crane with a 130' boom and a massive machinery house, subjected to the same "howling currents" as the diamond knot, but a very, very impressive structure just covered with colorful sponges and marine life.
Easy Eight. A 34' fishing vessel which sank during a storm on November 13th, 1992 near Port Angeles.
El Captain. A 50' ex-Navy motor launch that had been converted to a Dive Boat was sank and abandoned in Friday Harbor in 1995. A good backup if you get blown out of other, more interesting sites in the area.
Edmonds Underwater Park(several wrecks and the dry dock). This is a wonderful dive site, with many, many different objects placed in the park. The fish are HUGE, with Ling Cod that get over 5', but the surface swim can be very tiring.
Ferndale. A 150 ton steam ship that had a very short life on Puget Sound. She foundered and was destroyed by fire south of Lopez Island in December of 1890.
Four Mile Rock Barges. A couple of HUGE barges sunk just outside of Elliot Bay near West Point in about 100' of water. Loaded with life, fishing nets and cave line.Fox Island Ferry. A small passenger ferry that once ran between Fox Island and Titlow.
Friday Harbor Trawler. A 65' trawler sitting on the bottom of Friday Harbor with all of its fishing gear still intact.
G.B. Church . Canada's first, and best artificial reef. Only a few miles from the San Juan Islands, this easily accessible dive site is well protected and is well worth the trip.
Gedney Island Barges . Three large barges that sank just off the entrance to the Hat Island Marina on Gedney Island. This makes a nice second dive when returning to Everett.
Grace Foss. The Grace Foss was a 55 foot wood passenger vessel, built in 1911. She sank in Gig Harbor in 1974, just off the end of the dock at Arabella's Landing, in 38' of water. There isn't much left but the stern and propulsion machinery.
Hildur Foss. Built in Gig Harbor in 1907, then sank in Commencement Bay on April Fool's day in 1949, this wood hulled tug is slowly disappearing into the silty bottom near Tacoma.
Hood Canal Bridge. The Western half of the old bridge sank on February 13th, 1979 during a severe storm. It makes a fascinating wreck dive now. There's even an old sailboat wreck lying on top of the old bridge deck!
Indianola Fishing Pier Wreck. Three small wrecks that are piled up together on the bottom in 45' of water just off the end of the Indianola Fishing Pier.
Jefferson Head Minesweeper. A wood hulled minesweeper that sank just north of Point Jefferson and Port Madison. There still lots of this wreck to see, though the wood hull is gone.
Martha Foss. Sank in a collision with the steamer Iroquois off of Port Angeles on May 20th 1946, the 96 ton diesel tug now hosts octopus and colorful sponges. The engine, shaft, propeller and a few towing bitts mark the site of this maritime disaster.
Maury Island Barges. A very pleasant wreck dive off the East side of Maury Island, right next to the gravel pier. GPS coordinates: 47° 21.76' N 122° 26.415' W
Orca. The Orca is a very pleasant dive on a 45' tug that is resting quietly on the bottom in 65' of water just north of the Port Hadlock marina.
Owen Beach Barge. An awesome site in the summer, when the SixGill sharks come up into the shallows to feed and mate. I've seen Sixgills on many dives at this site. Watch the currents though, North Wall is mere feet away, and the currents can get ripping. 47° 18.89' N 122° 31.71' W
Phillip Foss. A small tug that sank off of Port Orchard Harbor. It's safe to skip this dive.
Possession Point Ferry. One of the best dives in Puget Sound. The Washington State Ferry Kehloken (230' long by 50' wide) has been sitting on the bottom since 1983 off the South tip of Whidbey Island, and is completely covered with Marine Growth.Puget Girl. A 37' wood hulled fishing vessel scuttled off of Ediz Hook, Port Angeles.
Prosper. A 45' wood hulled fishing vessel with fiberglass super structure and an interesting stainless steel stack. The engine and rudder are still in place on this wreck near Port Angeles Harbor.
Quartermaster Wreck. The forgotten wooden hull of an old tug (circa 1910) now harbors schools of huge, pregnant rockfish.
Ranger. Located just outside the breakwater of the Boat Haven Marina in Port Townsend, the ranger is actually visible on a Google Maps satellite image . 48° 06.27'N 122° 46.59' W
Richmond Minesweeper. The wreckage of an old Minesweeper lies scattered along the bottom near Richmond Point. Current swept and full of life and artifacts. A very nice dive. GPS coordinates: 47°23.249' N 122° 32.907' W
Salt Water State Park. A nice park, a bit of along swim to an old barge that was sunk as fish habitat in the 60's. Lots of critters for you macro photographers.
Seahurst Barge. A LONG 300 yard swim out to the remains of an old wood barge that is mostly ribs and vent pipes. Lots of species of nudibranchs and interesting fish.
Shilshole Barges. Large barges sunk near the yellow barge mooring buoy just off of shilshole. Also know as the "Vertical Barge" and the "Horizontal Barge".Sognefjord. A tired old 40 foot fishing boat that is completely covered with fishing nets on the bottom of Neah bay. Not really worth the dive unless you are stuck in the harbor due to weather.
Steilacoom Marina. Just south of Saltar's point park is an old Marina with six wrecks. Two are near the north end pilings, two near the southern piles and two out at 60' in the middle.
Taylor Bay Tug. An old wood hulled Tug that was burned to the waterline and sunk in 1964. An easy, shallow dive.
Tolmie Barges. Notorious for a 1200' surface swim, the three barges sunk at Tolmie State Park make a very pleasant dive with a boat or a scooter.
Triumph. A 70' wood hulled tug that was sunk in Edmonds Underwater Park in 1999. GPS: 47° 48.9485' N 122° 23.0522' W
Tyee. A 180' refrigeration ship, sitting on top of a barge in Commencement Bay near the barge storage area.
War Hawk. An amazing dive on a Clipper ship that sank 125 years ago in Discovery Bay. This shallow site is only 35' deep but will keep both history buffs and critter watchers enthralled.
Wingina. Also known as the "Murph", Yard Tug 395 is a 101 foot long, steel hulled tug that sank in Quartermaster harbor in October, 2007. At only 30' of depth, this is a pretty easy dive.
Wreck at Taylor Bay. An old Sub chaser sunk in 1959, which is completely covered with huge marine growth. 47° 11.055' N 122° 47.073' E
Wreck of the Omar. A nice tug sitting in about 70' of water in Shilshole bay near the barge buoy. GPS coordinates: 47° 40.38'N 122° 25.34'W
Lake Washington and Lake Crescent Wreck Dives
Atlantic City. Huge Oak timbers and hand planed planking mark the remains of this once graceful steamer lying in 120' of water at the South End of Lake Washington.
Dawn. A 55' wood hulled passenger steamer that once ferried students from Mercer Island to Leschi Park. One of my favorite Lake Washington dives and relatively shallow at 115'.
Diamond Girl. A 35' Motor Sailor with an impressive diamond plate bow and lots of custom aluminum work around the bulwarks and inside the cabin.
Hauler. A 60' long wood hulled boat, that resembles a Chinese Junk lies quietly forgotten on the bottom at the south end of the lake. Viz was really poor on this dive, so no good photos!
Hauled Barge. An interesting old wooden barge, located just South of the Hauler.
King Street Scow. An old wood barge that sank just north of the I-90 bridge in 45' of water, not far from the end of King Street.
PA-d3 Barge. An old steel barge on the bottom of Lake Washington. Three open compartments and wood plank floor adorn this odd shaped vessel used to haul lumber or coal.
PB4Y-2 Privateer Bomber. Amazing WWII Privateer Bomber lying at the bottom of Lake Washington, just off the Magnuson Park Boat Ramp. With her guns still pointing off into the murky depths of the lake at about 150' Deep, and very low visibility but a cool dive.
PBM Martin Mariner . A huge flying boat from WWII
that sank after striking an obstruction in front of the Boeing
Seaplane ramp at the south end of Lake Washington. Only
70' deep, and a nice dive.
Snickerdoodle Tug. A small tug in the south end of the lake that was scuttled with lots of barrels. Several portholes have fallen on the bottom around this wreck.
Sonny. A very nice 38' fishing boat that is still in excellent condition in the south end of Lake Washington.
Steele Dodge (aka Sherman Wreck) (1). A 1950 dodge sedan that slid off the icy curves into Lake Crescent on January 24th, 1960. Beverly Sherman's suitcase was recovered from the trunk of the vehicle in 2004 after spending 44 years on the bottom.
Warren Wreck. Blanch and Russell Warren disappeared on July 3rd, 1929, without a trace until their car was recently (2002) found off of ambulance point in Crescent Lake. A unique, historical dive with cold, clear, 170' deep water. [ Map Location ]
YMS Minesweepers. Just discovered in 2007, this is the third YMS Minesweeper found out in the middle of Lake Washington, and the one that is in the best shape. 128 feet long and 200 feet deep. An awesome dive, but deep and dark.