Drive and Dive to Neah Bay

"Yes, the kayaks are secure on top," assured Tallen as we drove to catch the Keystone Ferry on Whidbey Island. "No, I didn't forget to load your laptop," she added with that cute smirk teenagers are so famous for

Once off the ferry in Port Townsend, we headed to Port Angeles on Highway 101, via Highway 20. Turning west onto Highway 112 just past Port Angeles, we drove to our first destination, Salt Creek County Park. Offering a selection of Oceanside campsites (equipped with toilets), and easy launching for the kayaks, it was ideal for our first dive and overnight stay. There are actually four dive sites in the park, including Tongue Point Marine Life Sanctuary at the west end.

Not being a fan of long hikes with sixty some pounds of gear; I was pleased to discover a set of stairs leading down to the beach near our campsite. We waited for the current to slack (when water movement slows to change direction) and went in at high slack over the smooth Basalt rock surface. Although the wreck of the Diamond Knot was located just offshore, marked by a buoy, Tallen and I decided to join a group of divers from Bellingham. Extra subjects to photograph are always a bonus!

Carefully we made our way through gentle surf into a dense section of kelp. Visibility looked to be at least nine meters (thirty feet), judging from the holdfast (kelp roots) clinging to the pinkish lavender reef below. Swimming through the kelp, we dodged huge red urchins and descended down a wall of swimming scallops, nudibranchs and anemones to forty feet. Thousands of white and orange burrowing sea cucumbers meshed with clusters of purple leaf algae trailed down the rocks. My console read 14°C (58°F), definitely dry suit water. I could see the depth was just about whatever you wanted to make it. Tallen spotted an abalone slowly meandering across one of the walls, and a small orange crab sitting atop a snail, trying to get a good foothold in the surge. Somehow new divers seem to have all the luck in finding cool critters!

For two days we explored the park's beaches, kayaked its protective coves and hiked a few trails.

Continuing on, we were joined by several from the Bellingham crowd to Clallam Bay. I have always wanted to check out the crescent-shaped beach across from the Bay Motel, so it was our next stop. The small roadside pull-off, approximately midway, was barely big enough to squeezein three cars.

Entry was easy across tiny black pea-gravel, leading us to a thick forest of kelp with giant fronds overlapping at the surface. To the right a rock breakwater stretched out and around several small floating boat docks. Possible wolfeels maybe?

Tallen resembled the Pied Piper, with all the perch, silvery baitfish and kelp greenling following her. She was in heaven! We came across two wolfeels hiding in the reef and several lingcod staking out sections for future nesting purpose. White plumose anemones seemed to be on every other rock at the jetty's corner. Vis was getting better though, at least 13.5 meters (forty-five feet)! Cracks and crevices housed an abundance of macro invertebrates as well as chitons, whelk eggs and clusters of brachiopods (lamp shells). I was happy to come away with a fully exposed roll of film in both my wide-angle and macro cameras! Divers using video were also pleased.

Sekiu jetty, just ten minutes away, around the corner from another small boat harbour, looked appealing as our next exploratory site. Scattered with driftwood, the beach was calm and close to parking. Seeking information from Olson's Marina Harbour store, we found it was indeed a popular site. They did request visiting divers to please check in at the store before entering the water.

Tallen and I decided to snorkel and kayak while the others enjoyed a leisurely dive. Although this and the Clallam Bay site was not current dependant, high tide made the dive far more enjoyable with a shorter walk and better visibility. As Tallen made a furry friend (dog), I followed the divers in my kayak. Even from the surface the reefs stood out like islands of life and colour.

Curley's Dive Resort in Sekiu gave us a warm place to stay (motel room), espresso lattes and air for our tanks. Tallen got her dreaded sugar fix of ice cream, causing me to seek a caffeine fix to keep up with her! Camping sites were plentiful from Clallam Bay to Neah Bay as some of the others choose to rough-it.

Jim, the owner of Curley's Dive Resort, told us there were several places along the road to Neah Bay, hosting excellent shore exploration. He gave us a paper with several milepost directions and said some sites may be marked for easy identification.

At Mile Post 6, we pulled over to a sheltered spot on the ocean side of the road. "Looks calm enough." Tallen said, deciding to comb the beach while mumbling something about wanting to listen to her tunes. I have come to believe this to be another teenage customs. But buddies were plentiful and yes, willing models to boot!

An eagle curiously watched as we swam out over bright green blades of eelgrass swaying in serenity with a gentle surge. It was like a desert of sand with patches of lush oasis scattered about. Within minutes we came to a reef. Bright red and purple urchins covered whole sections of rock like a prickly carpet. An occasional sea pen, heart crab and clusters of yellow and tan staghorn bryozoan added unique diversity. Moving from one oasis to another I found an area rich with red aggregating club Anemones, simply awesome! Wayne, my dive buddy, seemed to get a kick out of playing hide-and-seek in the kelp.

After checking out several more shore and kayak sites, we headed to Neah Bay for a walk out to Cape Flattery Viewpoint. In places the road was poorly maintained, but the trail and decks overlooking monstrous crashing waves below, were excellent! I would recommend an entire day to see everything, taking a picnic lunch, water and lots of film. If it's a clear day you may get a glimpse of Tatoosh Island Lighthouse, also a spectacular boat dive, as I've been told.

Small boat launching ramps were plentiful en-route to Neah bay. With more time I would have loved to examine the depths of Lake Crescent, a fresh, deep-water lake west of Port Angeles off Highway 101. It not only looked crystal clear, but unusually inviting.

To cap off our adventure we stopped at the Olympic Game Farm in Sequim, east of Port Angeles to view a selection of land-critters. Grizzly Bears, Zebras, a Rhino and dozens of Bison were almost too friendly!