AlaskaDiver
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Trip Report; Juneau, Seward & Dutch Harbor, Alaska 7/26-8/03
I wanted to show ScubaGypsy from SB a great time diving in Alaska since it was his first visit to the state. I wanted this to be a special first visit for him so in the works was a series of flights to and dives in Juneau, Seward & Dutch Harbor. Our adventure time spent together was exciting and the dives were a good representative sampling of the diving in Alaska. Although I am moving out of Alaska soon, I hope to return for more exploration.
Juneau 07/26-07/27:
Weather: low 50’s with clouds to rain
Dives: Shrine of St. Therese and Ann Coleman Drive (both shore dives)
Water Temp: 46F-48F at depth
Visibility: 0-5’ from 0-25’ depth and 10-15’ from 25’-40’ depth.
General: We rented tanks from Carlene at the Scuba Tank. The Scuba Tank had a pretty good selection of high quality gear and Carlene was very helpful. Juneau’s got the right idea and has dive sites marked on their tourism map! From land we saw the Mendenhall Glacier where we drank some ~3,000 year old ice, saw Black bears at a salmon filled stream and hiked to a waterfall on a nearby trail.
Underwater Aside from the usual Alaskan fare we saw geoducks galore protruding from the sand, cockle shells (baseball size), lots of green sea urchins, krill everywhere and large Dungeness crabs. Sunflower and Linckia starfish also seemed exceptionally large here.
Seward 07/28-07/30:
Weather: 62F-70F overcast to sunny
Dives: Shackle, Fox Island Barge, Hidden treasure, Boulder City, Shark’s Tooth, Mary’s Rock (all boat dives in Resurrection Bay).
Water Temp: 48F-52F at depth
Visibility: Anywhere from 5-25’ at depth
General: We rented tanks through Dive Alaska and had our boat dives on Scott’s boat Tide Dancer. The boat was not crowded (4-6 divers max) and we felt right at home. Scott & Karen made us as well as other divers (some taking classes) feel comfortable and welcome. Boat ride was steady and slow at 8 knots. Plenty of time to get geared up on the way out and have all equipment readied on the return ride. The boat ride itself was filled with a great deal of marine life. We saw Orcas breaching (a first for me in Resurrection Bay), Humpback Whales, Sea Lions hauled out basking in the sun, Bald Eagles, Puffins, Cormorants, Murres, Pigeon Guillemots, snow covered mountains and even a nearby glacier leading into the water.
Underwater: The usual Alaskan fare was here too, but focus was on the large Ling Cod, schools of Black Rockfish, Wolf Eels, Octopi, Plumose Anemones, Beaded Anemones, Sculpins, Puget Sound King Crab, crabs galore and many, many invertebrates. This area is heaven for a macro photographer snapping delicate Nudibranchs and unusual Ascidians. Late summer in Seward bears the most prolific and diverse range of creatures to see out of the entire year.
Dutch Harbor & Unalaska 07/31-08/03:
Weather: 50F-54F overcast to rainy
Dives: Bunker Reef, Landfill Road, Devilfish Cove & Ballyhoo Rd Kelp Bed (only this final dive was by boat).
Water Temp: 41F-46F at depth
Visibility: Anywhere from 10’-30’ at depth
General: There are no dive shops in Dutch Harbor or Unalaska, but Brandon from SB had us all set up with air fills for the dives. It truly was a great experience for both of us to meet and dive with the Bering Sea Divers; Brandon, Roger, Shari & Jennifer. Without their genuine Alaskan hospitality we would not have had such a good time diving. It was this kindness that we experienced for the duration of the trip. Upon arrival I discovered one of my bags had not arrived which had my undergarment in it. Roger did not hesitate and provided me with one for the night dive so we could dive right away. We were greeted with some post-dive beers. Thanks also to Shari for taking us out in her boat Os des Poissons to Devilfish Cove. On the 10 minute boat ride we saw Bald Eagles, Sandpipers, Murres, a Humpback whale in the distance and Salmon that seemed to be jumping at least 1-2 a minute clear out of the water. Shari informed us that the whale we saw earlier had dived close to us while we were underwater. We of course did not see it.
Underwater: We saw Octopus, absolutely huge fearless Sculpins, Mottled Anemones, Plumose Anemones, Soles, Flounder, Kelpfish, Rockfish, Wolf Eels, Irish Lords and a Grunt Sculpin.
I wanted to show ScubaGypsy from SB a great time diving in Alaska since it was his first visit to the state. I wanted this to be a special first visit for him so in the works was a series of flights to and dives in Juneau, Seward & Dutch Harbor. Our adventure time spent together was exciting and the dives were a good representative sampling of the diving in Alaska. Although I am moving out of Alaska soon, I hope to return for more exploration.
Juneau 07/26-07/27:
Weather: low 50’s with clouds to rain
Dives: Shrine of St. Therese and Ann Coleman Drive (both shore dives)
Water Temp: 46F-48F at depth
Visibility: 0-5’ from 0-25’ depth and 10-15’ from 25’-40’ depth.
General: We rented tanks from Carlene at the Scuba Tank. The Scuba Tank had a pretty good selection of high quality gear and Carlene was very helpful. Juneau’s got the right idea and has dive sites marked on their tourism map! From land we saw the Mendenhall Glacier where we drank some ~3,000 year old ice, saw Black bears at a salmon filled stream and hiked to a waterfall on a nearby trail.
Underwater Aside from the usual Alaskan fare we saw geoducks galore protruding from the sand, cockle shells (baseball size), lots of green sea urchins, krill everywhere and large Dungeness crabs. Sunflower and Linckia starfish also seemed exceptionally large here.
Seward 07/28-07/30:
Weather: 62F-70F overcast to sunny
Dives: Shackle, Fox Island Barge, Hidden treasure, Boulder City, Shark’s Tooth, Mary’s Rock (all boat dives in Resurrection Bay).
Water Temp: 48F-52F at depth
Visibility: Anywhere from 5-25’ at depth
General: We rented tanks through Dive Alaska and had our boat dives on Scott’s boat Tide Dancer. The boat was not crowded (4-6 divers max) and we felt right at home. Scott & Karen made us as well as other divers (some taking classes) feel comfortable and welcome. Boat ride was steady and slow at 8 knots. Plenty of time to get geared up on the way out and have all equipment readied on the return ride. The boat ride itself was filled with a great deal of marine life. We saw Orcas breaching (a first for me in Resurrection Bay), Humpback Whales, Sea Lions hauled out basking in the sun, Bald Eagles, Puffins, Cormorants, Murres, Pigeon Guillemots, snow covered mountains and even a nearby glacier leading into the water.
Underwater: The usual Alaskan fare was here too, but focus was on the large Ling Cod, schools of Black Rockfish, Wolf Eels, Octopi, Plumose Anemones, Beaded Anemones, Sculpins, Puget Sound King Crab, crabs galore and many, many invertebrates. This area is heaven for a macro photographer snapping delicate Nudibranchs and unusual Ascidians. Late summer in Seward bears the most prolific and diverse range of creatures to see out of the entire year.
Dutch Harbor & Unalaska 07/31-08/03:
Weather: 50F-54F overcast to rainy
Dives: Bunker Reef, Landfill Road, Devilfish Cove & Ballyhoo Rd Kelp Bed (only this final dive was by boat).
Water Temp: 41F-46F at depth
Visibility: Anywhere from 10’-30’ at depth
General: There are no dive shops in Dutch Harbor or Unalaska, but Brandon from SB had us all set up with air fills for the dives. It truly was a great experience for both of us to meet and dive with the Bering Sea Divers; Brandon, Roger, Shari & Jennifer. Without their genuine Alaskan hospitality we would not have had such a good time diving. It was this kindness that we experienced for the duration of the trip. Upon arrival I discovered one of my bags had not arrived which had my undergarment in it. Roger did not hesitate and provided me with one for the night dive so we could dive right away. We were greeted with some post-dive beers. Thanks also to Shari for taking us out in her boat Os des Poissons to Devilfish Cove. On the 10 minute boat ride we saw Bald Eagles, Sandpipers, Murres, a Humpback whale in the distance and Salmon that seemed to be jumping at least 1-2 a minute clear out of the water. Shari informed us that the whale we saw earlier had dived close to us while we were underwater. We of course did not see it.
Underwater: We saw Octopus, absolutely huge fearless Sculpins, Mottled Anemones, Plumose Anemones, Soles, Flounder, Kelpfish, Rockfish, Wolf Eels, Irish Lords and a Grunt Sculpin.
