How do you dive ALASKA now that Nautilus Swell is no more?

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

With Nautilus Swell going out of business I know that one of the dives in my bucket list would never happen. I always wanted to do their Alaska trip when I was rich enough. With Nautilus Swell gone forever, I wanted to know what recreational diving opportunities remain in Alaska and if I was to come there for a week 3 - 4 days of diving, where should I be heading for and what kind of diving can we expect.

Id love to hear from folks who have been diving around Alaska.

Cheers -

CS

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Alaska Diving « Dive Alaska

 

[Herb-alaska]

well you could make contact with us Alaskans and come up and dive anyway. I live in Sitka and the Nautilas Swell hung out in the same harbor as my boat. We also dive atSaint Lazaria National Wildlife Refuge as well as many other great sites. Alaska has not closed up shop, I would personally say that SE Alaska has much better diving than northern areas.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

well you could make contact with us Alaskans and come up and dive anyway. I live in Sitka and the Nautilas Swell hung out in the same harbor as my boat. We also dive atSaint Lazaria National Wildlife Refuge as well as many other great sites. Alaska has not closed up shop, I would personally say that SE Alaska has much better diving than northern areas.

That option is extremely tempting. Let me pm you to discuss it further.

 

[Brandon]

well you could make contact with us Alaskans and come up and dive anyway. I live in Sitka and the Nautilas Swell hung out in the same harbor as my boat. We also dive atSaint Lazaria National Wildlife Refuge as well as many other great sites. Alaska has not closed up shop, I would personally say that SE Alaska has much better diving than northern areas.

No, we definitely still dive up here. =)

I live in Anchorage, and I'd agree with Herb about Southeast. Sitka/Juneau/Ketchikan are all much better diving than Resurrection Bay or Prince William Sound, and it's all a lot more accessible. PWS and Res Bay both have a lot of glacial runoff; compared to the large tidal exchanges in Southeast. Invertebrate life is MUCH bigger and more plentiful down there, though it's decent up here too. Unalaska and Kodiak also both have fantastic diving, but it's more difficult to get out there and weather can be an issue.

There's one shore diving site in PWS accessible from Anchorage, and a couple of mediocre sites in Seward. The rest you need a boat for, and the only commercial option is in Seward on Dive Alaska's Bottom Time (which has recently been making trips into PWS as well). And they only operate the boat in the summer. Contrast that with a dozen or more shore diving sites in each of the larger Southeast communities, which are (mostly) accessible year round.

Finding fills or rental gear can be tricky. There are dive shops in Anchorage (Last Frontier Diving and Adventures & Dive Alaska), Kodiak (Scuba Do), Ketchikan (Wind & Water), and Juneau (the Scuba Tank). Fairbanks also has a dive shop (Test the Waters), but there's no ocean for 6 hours in any direction, so I'm not sure they count for the visiting diver! If there's not a shop in the area, there may still be divers out there that you can hook up with. While I was living out in Unalaska (Dutch Harbor), I met up with and took several Scubaboard members diving and we had a blast. There isn't a dive shop for 880 miles, but I guarantee you the dive community is alive and well.

If you're not an experienced drysuit diver, most of the shops offer drysuit classes. Be realistic about the time commitments - it's going to take at least two days. Some of the shops (especially in Juneau and Ketchikan; the cruise ship ports) have had problems with cruise ship passengers showing up wanting to dive in Alaska; today; like right now dude, but weren't prepared to do so and didn't understand the time commitments involved. Please don't be rude about it.

Anyone who's planning a trip up to Alaska is always welcome to shoot me a PM for more info or trip planning advice. I've been diving up here for just over a dozen years and love it. =)

-B

 

[alaskasharks]

With Nautilus Swell going out of business I know that one of the dives in my bucket list would never happen. I always wanted to do their Alaska trip when I was rich enough. With Nautilus Swell gone forever, I wanted to know what recreational diving opportunities remain in Alaska and if I was to come there for a week 3 - 4 days of diving, where should I be heading for and what kind of diving can we expect.

Id love to hear from folks who have been diving around Alaska.

Cheers -

CS

There's a new dive operation in Alaska that operates out of Prince William Sound! Swim with Salmon Sharks, massive jellyfish blooms and of course incredible invertebrate life! Check out Swimming with Sharks in Alaska

alaskasharks.com

Cheers,
Boone

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

There's a new dive operation in Alaska that operates out of Prince William Sound! Swim with Salmon Sharks, massive jellyfish blooms and of course incredible invertebrate life! Check out Swimming with Sharks in Alaska

alaskasharks.com

Cheers,
Boone

Awesome tours! I was looking at the shark and diving tour and it is totally up my alley. Can we substitute a diving day on Day 6 instead of the glacier tour? Just curious. I am glad that Alaska diving is back on the map.

 

[alaskasharks]

CA - Yes you sure can substitute a diving day that last day if the group as a whole would like to just continue swimming with sharks. We are very flexible

Boone