Dive trips from Idaho

[Johanan]

Hi,
next september I will be in Hayden Lake, Idaho. It's near the Canadian border. After the busines there I plan to rent a car and travel around a week or two. Could anybody recommend me good diving spots which I could realistically reach by car from Hayden Lake? I'm curious to see kelp forests (is it worth it?) but will be grateful for other good advises.

Many thanks!
J.

 

[DandyDon]

Well, you'll be 315 miles from Seattle, about a 5 hour drive. I once flew much further to dive there in September and loved it. We have nice divers in the Pacific Northwest forum here who can help you set that up.

If you want to drive around the western US for a couple of weeks, there are all sorts of fantastic sites, depending on your preferences. I hope to get back to Yosemite next summer with my kids, even tho we'll have to go in the crowded season. The northern road there should still be open in September, but not nearly as crowded - but still, 900 miles south of Seattle. I had some friends from Germany come over last summer tho, and they didn't mind driving much further between Texas and California.

 

[Johanan]

Thanks, DandyDon, that's a good advise to search in the Pacific Northwest forum! And I will gladly go to Seatle as someone said, it was the pritiest city in the US.

J.

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks, DandyDon, that's a good advise to search in the Pacific Northwest forum! And I will gladly go to Seatle as someone said, it was the pritiest city in the US.

J.

I guess so, if you like cities. I like nature more, but I'm sure there are many interesting sites in the city. Now that I think about it, Olympic National Park is not far and has some unique features. Have a great trip. ilot:

 

[Nwcid]

Here is a website I am building as I visit our local sites, Scuba Dive Sites Lake Pend Orielle and the Pend Orielle River both have good sites to dive. Lake Cour D'alene has several good sites on it and some information can be found here http://cdadivers.com/localDiving.htmltoo There are tons of good sites but are not well documented which is why I started my site. Every time we hit a new spot I add it.

Of course "Seattle" is always a good bet, we go there ever couple of months to dive. There are tons of good sites over there. I have links to sites with that info on my site as well.

I am not sure where but things are cold and dark here. I would say average water temp is in the 50's*. If you have any questions please let me know.

 

[DandyDon]

I am not sure where but things are cold and dark here. I would say average water temp is in the 50's*. If you have any questions please let me know.

He's in Latvia. He'll think it's quite balmy there I bet...!!

 

[gypsyjim]

"Diving tips from Idaho", sounds like the line from a joke. Sorry. I could not resist that.

I have friends in AZ, and we joke about AZ shore diving. Too much shore, but not much diving. Idaho seems even further from diving than AZ. (note: living in upstate NY, I don't see where I live as all that much better than either!)

---------- Post added November 1st, 2013 at 07:48 PM ----------

For kelp forests, I think of California, but that is only because the only diving I have ever done on the west coast of the US was near Monterrey Bay, and the kelp forests there were awesome!!!

I can't speak of WA or OR at all. Bob would be the one to ask about that part of the coast.

 

[diversteve]

Start with Seattle. It's a short drive to excellent diving. Great Pacific Octo's, Wolf Eels etc. I found this website once - I'm sure there's others: Pacific NW Scuba - Washington God's Pocket - just a few hrs. north of Vancouver in British Columbia is called the best Cold Water diving in the World. Home | God's Pocket Reachable in a morning from Seattle.

Google shows Monterey CA is 16hrs. driving from Hayden Lake. So if you don't go to Seattle first, that's where I'd aim for. It's one of the better areas for Kelp - Kelp Forest - Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Monterey/Carmel is also a very picturesque area. Maybe stop in San Francisco along the way. If you want to see the Redwoods without making the several day detour to Yosemite, there's a small stand of them at Armstrong Woods State park just north of San Francisco in Marin County. Takes about an hour to drive up there. Hit Sausalito on the way back for lunch/dinner/views of SFO.

Driving to Monterey from SFO takes longer than you might expect also, traffic is often bad thru Silicon Valley during the day. We try to time it to go thru mid/late morning or at night. If you're interested in ocean-related stuff, the Monterey Aquarium is worth a look. They have a Kelp forest in the big tank there. Besides boat diving in Monterey Bay, the Breakwater is often dove there. Find someone local to show you the ropes - conditions can be tricky. Also I think it's by reservation only.

After Monterey you could drive down to Los Angeles - about a 6-7 hr. drive on Interstate 5 - longer on CAL 1 (Pacific Coast Hwy) - and dive the Channel Islands, Cataina Island etc. from that area. There's a lot of short trip boat diving options - usually long weekend trips or day trips. If you wanted to stay on Catalina and dive the park from shore - there's the Catalina Express - they're used to divers hauling gear.

And there's some shore dives in the L.A. area. Boats typically leave from the Santa Barbara/Ventura (north of L.A.) or San Pedro/Long Beach areas. If you pick one, it's a good idea to stay nearby - L.A. traffic is unbelievably bad most of the time - esp. in the morning when you're trying to arrive in time for an early departure. If you're near Long Beach, Aquarium of the Pacific is also worth a look.

From L.A. you're only about 3-4 hrs. drive (depends on traffic) to San Diego. La Jolla is a popular dive area with Kelp Forests, the Cove is a world famous shore dive and there's a fleet of dive boats both in that area and some do weekend trips down to Mexico. Diving in that area is slightly seasonal but September should still have most options available. There's also a Wreck Alley just off San Diego.

Some links that may help -
California Dive Boats : The Official Page
Divebums - A San Diego Dive Website

In the San Diego area Power Scuba is a large club/meet-up group - they have 2000 members and do weekly Meetups in the San Diego area. Also frequent trips to Catalina Island. Power Scuba (aka Scuba Diving in San Diego County) (La Jolla , CA) - Meetup Anyone can join.

 

[salth2owannabe]

Well - Welcome to Idaho early
I'd go to the coast near Seattle and not waste much time around here. I may catch some flak from other local divers but I've dove a number of the local lakes up there as well as a number of the areas rivers, not a lot to see. Good dives to get wet and keep your skills up but not very interesting. I can point you to a car, a truck, a barge and Pond Oreille has some train cars south of Sand Point. In the summer on Lake Pond Oreille I've dove in 68-70 degree water above the thermocline and vis is pretty good, just not a lot to see. If you really want to try a couple of the local lakes there is a dive group out of Spokane/Coeur d'Alene that could really help you out. Enjoy your trip to Idaho! Great scenery above the water, not so much below it

 

[Johanan]

Fantastic! I knew that ScubaBoard will not let me down. Thank you everyone for the posts and good advise!

DandyDon, you're right, the spots for real diving in Latvia are the many wrecks in the Baltic sea. Like this one, for instance. Water temperature normally is about 40-45*F, so 50* might feel about balmy, indeed. Thanks for the link to the Olympic NP. I am much more interested in nature than in cities, and America excels in the beauty of her nature. Couple of years ago I made a trip: San Antonio - Carlsbad Caverns - Roswel - Santa Fe - Taos - Monument Walley - Grand Canyon - Flagstaff - Sedona - Tucson - White Sands Monument. Breathtaking! I understand why many Americans don't travel to other countries - you've got everything in your own!

gipsyjim, haha, dive trips from Idaho, I did not realize that it sounds like a joke! Yeah, cross-cultural sensitivity is what you need in this globalized epoch. I really should consider the Monterrey Bay, if it is within reach. Thanks!

Nwcid, what a great idea to make a site with the dive sites you know! I have already started to explore it and see that it will give me a good help. Thank you also for willingness to answer my questions! I surely will use it.:cool3:

diversteve, I am impressed by your extensive post! You proposed a ready-made travel plan. I am moved by the time and effort you invested to help me! Really appreciate that! Now I just have to sit down with a map to see the route and explore the links you provided. One thing I discovered already, what troubles me a bit, is that the dive costs are not that friendly as I hoped. Latvians often travel to Egypt where diving is not very expensive. USA seems to be a different class. It could put some limitations on my plans. Nevertheless, your post gave me a good starting point for planing. Many thanks!

salth2owannabe, thank you for that warm welcome! I think, I'll follow your advise and stay above the water in Idaho and save my diving bucks for elsewhere. Cheers!

Warmest regards, J.