Waadah Island Fingers

[pauldw]

The second weekend of April I might be able to get to Washington and be there for part of the following week. I gather there are seldom any charters running to Waadah Island Fingers, so I'm not exactly holding my breath for that. But does anyone know if by chance someone might be doing a trip there in that time frame?

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I don't know how you would access it by boat, as I believe the Makah reservation is closed to outsiders.

 

[pauldw]

It seems the tribe just opened things up, post-Covid.

I'm going to be following my wife to Seattle during her Monday-Wednesday conference next week, occupying myself with some diving. I'm going to be diving Sund Rock on Monday. Maybe Cove 2 and Edmunds on Tuesday. I'd planned a boat trip on Wednesday, but it looks like it might cancel due to a lack of people signing up with the dive shop that set up that charter. So now I'm wondering about driving out to Neah Bay on Wednesday, and seeing if scootering out to the island might be feasible. But, Neah Bay appears from Google Map to be a small town with narrow streets and little parking. Does anyone know from firsthand experience if there is a place to park, and legal shore access, on the east end of town near Baada Point? I don’t want to aggravate any tribal members. Thanks.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I'd reach out to Bill Minton of PNW dive charters and ask his advice

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

The Macaw res is now back open and even taking moorage and accommodation reservations for this year......but things can change and the tribe of course has the final say of anything to do with their "sovereign" nation.. I'll be up there with my boat June 19 thru 24.

Neah Bay does not have a dive shop or "public" compressor that I am aware of. You might try calling Big Salmon Landing and talk to Mike or Joe and see if there are any currently running dive charters running out of Neah. Ling Cod season just recently opened so there's a chance something might be shak'n....... but you'd probably be on a boat with spearfishermen so if that bugs you, just be advised.

What I would suggest is to contact Curley's Dive Resort in Sekiu which is just 30 min drive down the highway from Neah by truck and off the res. They have a dive shop and compressor, although they are not currently serving Nitrox. They might be able to give you some good info on possible charters or guided tours. Looks like the tide exchange is pretty decent on the days you are going to be here.

I and my boat will actually be staying at Curleys June 19 - 20. Neah / Waddah are only a 30 to 40 minute run in my boat from Sekui. The Waddah fingers are a real nice dive......lots of structure and about 80ft max. Shore dive might be doable but I've never done it. Also, keep in mind that those fingers are just what they sound like so keep track of your profile. It's easy and tempting to jump fingers which results in a big W profile. Currents can be tricky so do the corrections and dive the slacks. I've actually done this site with my boat unattended but would not recommend it. If your boat is on the hook then it's fairly easy to keep track of your location by counting any finger jumps, then make the same count back to the hook. Deeper is west and shallower is east.

There's boat traffic and fishing gear hazards, including downrigger wire. Besides our knives, my buddies and I all carry SS wire cutters..

Neah Bay in my mind is the best diving in the US in my opinion..... but that's probably because I live up here now. My all time favorite dive on the planet is Duncan Rock but that a whole different ballgame and requires some serious planning and good luck with the weather and tides... If you screw the pooch on that one...... next stop is Japan.. The only other dive I would compare to Duncan is Arena Rock in Nor CA.

Good luck.... Hope you have fun... When you do Edmonds, drop into Underwater Sports (about 1/4 mile south) for tanks and weights if you're renting... John Jensen is the manager. I taught out of that shop before retiring. Tell him Hunter says hello!