Seward AK

[diverrick]

Has anyone ever dove around Seward Alaska? There was an earthquake, then tusnami sometime in the 60's and I understand a good part of the water front slipped into the bay cars, buildings and all. I was wondering if there is anything left of all the debris that might be worth diving on.

 

[Snowbear]

Has anyone ever dove around Seward Alaska? There was an earthquake, then tusnami sometime in the 60's and I understand a good part of the water front slipped into the bay cars, buildings and all. I was wondering if there is anything left of all the debris that might be worth diving on.

If you swim straight out from Lowell Point there is a car reef. It's starting to get quite a bit of life on it. Behind the sea life center you can find some interesting scavenger critters the chow on stuff that gets flushed out of the Center. Summer isn't much fun there due to the inevitable sea lion maulings. I haven't tried yet in the winter. There are some old pilings left from the post-earthquake debris, but I have not dove them. I've asked about them and been told there's nothing to see but sand and an occasional piling. They're off the beach South of town.
The best Seward diving is to get on a boat and dive some of the walls out in Resurrection Bay. There's a sunken Barge just North of the Fox Island spit where some BIG Ling Cod and occasional octopus hang out. There's also a rock reef South of Fox Island that has a lot of black rockfish and some invert life as well. There are a couple of wall dives that offer incredible amounts of life (i.e. you can't put a finger on the rock without killing something!) as deep as you care to go.
So when are you heading north?

 

[SteveKL]

Has anyone ever dove around Seward Alaska? There was an earthquake, then tusnami sometime in the 60's and I understand a good part of the water front slipped into the bay cars, buildings and all. I was wondering if there is anything left of all the debris that might be worth diving on.

Snowbear's suggestion for Lowell Point is right on. If it's earthquake debris you're looking for, most of the "good stuff" (buildings, oil tanks, railroad tankers & locomotives, etc.) was either deposited far upshore by the tsunami, or slid down the underwater slope past 200 fsw.

The present location of the Seward SeaLife Center (big AK-style aquarium & marine mammal center) is built on what used to be the railroad dock of 1940s vintage, and before that the steamship dock from 1906. We've found a fair amount of logo'ed steamship china (primarily Admiral Line and Alaska Steamship Co.) as well as newer 1950s-60s junk from the earthquake. Also, there was a devastating fire in Seward in the 1940s, and when they cleaned up the debris much of it was 'dozed right into the ocean, so there's charred timbers, twisted RR tracks, rotten pilings, etc.

It's not the tropics, but it's a good shore dive with the possibility of finding "genuine artifacts from yesteryear." If you're gonna make the trip, PM me and I'll set you up.

 

[Snowbear]

It's not the tropics, but it's a good shore dive with the possibility of finding "genuine artifacts from yesteryear." If you're gonna make the trip, PM me and I'll set you up.

Sounds like I need to get down there this winter - the viz was poor and dang sea lions made for an unpleasant experience during summer. Now I'll definitely be stopping by the store and get more info from you - probably next week, since I'm planning on diving all weekend.