Sunrise Beach - Gig Harbor, WA
March 6th, 2006
site name: Sunrise Beach
location: Gig Harbor
directions (via pnwscuba.com):
- Cross Tacoma Narrows Bridge toward Gig Harbor
- Drive 3.3 miles and exit at the Gig Harbor/City Center exit
- Turn right at the stoplight onto Pioneer Way
- Drive down hill into Gig Harbor
- Turn left at stop sign at bottom of hill onto Harborview Drive
- Follow roadway all the way around Gig Harbor
- At the T, turn left onto Crescent Valley Drive NW
- Turn right at fire station onto Drummond Drive NW, follow this road up the hill.
- At top of hill turn right at stop sign onto Moller Drive NW
- Drive .2 miles, then turn left onto Sunrise Beach Drive NW
- Follow road for .5 mile then turn left into Sunrise Beach Park.
- Park in upper parking area, near the picnic benches.
dive site summary:
This is my favorite dive site so far. It can be done from either a boat or the shore, I’ll be describing it as a shore dive. The staging area has some picnic tables that make getting prepped a snap. After you’ve got all your gear on you’ll have to walk down a steep hill, climb over some rocks and then head South (to your right) along the shoreline. There is a large, distinctive evergreen tree about 45 yards down the beach where you’ll stop and head directly out from shore. Swim out a bit and descend. About 70 yards or so from shore you’ll see the top of the reef at about 40-45′. The reef is a small wall with many crags and small pockets where creatures lurk, and runs parallel to the shoreline. When I say ‘reef’ I really mean it, this is the first cold water dive I’ve done that had formations that rivaled those of tropical coral reefs, both in terms of shape and biodiversity. The wall is about 25-30′ tall and its maximum depth is around 65′.
You’ll see an abundance of rich sea life: sponges, filter feeders, crabs and more urchins than you can shake a stick at. Nearly ever centimer is covered with life. In addition to this, you’ll find the main attraction to be Giant Pacific Octopus, huge seastars (up to 4.5′) and a number of wolf eels (mostly in pairs). One of my buddies brought an urchin along and fed it to the wolf eels, it was a pretty funny sight. I also saw a moon snail, two of the largest nudibranches I’d ever laid eyes on and countless other colorful creatures I don’t even know the names of (see gallery).
Between dives you’ll likely have to rush to get your second tank ,due to the currents and timing, and you’ll have to go mountain climbing to get back up to the car (okay, I’m exaggerating but it is a very steep, long hill). I suggest going doubles and forgetting about pesky surface intervals and tank-swapping, something I’ll be doing very soon. This dive is a very current intensive, so make sure you take a good look at the tide tables and time it right. The depths in this summary were taken at slack tide.
additional resources:
View the Sunrise Beach Gallery
Entry Filed under: Puget Sound, SCUBA