West Seattle Fishing Reef
Contents
Quick Info
| Coordinates | 47.557300, -122.407300 |
| Depth | 40-80ft |
| Skill Level | Advanced |
| Access Method | Boat or scooter |
| Protection Status |
Entry & Access
Scooter Entry
The entry is at Mee Kwa Mooks park, either here, if the sand level permits, or here. In the case of the first entry, there's a crack in the wall that you can use as a foothold to get down to the sand.
Once you're under way, just scoot south until you hit 50-60 feet, then follow the contour until you hit the reef. It should take about 15 minutes, give or take 2-3 minutes, depending on the speed of your scooter, how well you're in trim, etc. It's about 2500 feet to the reef.
On the way back, just head north, and plan to scoot for about the same amount of time you took to find the reef.
Attractions & Wildlife
The reef consists of 14 rock piles that can reach up to 20 feet high in places, most covered in anemones and other invertebrates. There's lots of surfperch and rockfish, with occasional reef dwellers like ronquils, eelpouts, crabs, nudibranchs, etc. This site tends to have fewer smaller fish like sculpins. Sometimes you'll be able to see orange seapens in the sand next to the reefs, and if you scooter to the reef, you'll absolutely see seapens along the way. The deeper reefs tend to have more life than the shallower reefs, but they're all interesting. You probably won't be able to see the entire site on a single dive.
You can see a report of the species seen here by REEF surveyors, and their sighting frequency here. I've seen a wolf eel there once or twice, but they aren't common here.
Amenities
At Mee Kwa Mooks park, there's sometimes a porta-potty, but other than that, there's not much in the way of amenities.
Skill Level & Hazards
Currents
This is a somewhat current-sensitive site. Not to the point where you're going to wind up in Edmonds if you mis-time it, but enough to be irritating. You'll want to dive it at slack. I use the Alki Point current station on NOAA's site. No corrections are necessary.
If you're on a scooter, you'll want to plan for slack at high tide. Since you're travelling south, any current should be at your back both going to, and returning from the site.
Try to start the dive at least a half an hour before slack, so the current switches mid-dive.
On the reef
There's occasional fishing line to get tangled in, so bring a knife. If you're on a scooter, know your SAC rate, and reserve enough gas to get yourself back, since you'll have at least 15 minutes of scooting to do after you decide to turn the dive.
Bring an SMB if you need to ascend on the reef, since there'll be boat traffic, especially in summer.
Nearest Emergency Medical Facilities
Notes
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