Alki Junkyard!
Dive the artificial reefs created by toilets, trees, and other junk.
Site Description
The Junkyard. Appropriately named? You be the judge: over the years, divers have sunk computers, toilets, shopping carts, tires, refrigerators, the kitchen sink? in order to create a series of artificial reefs. While some may call it junk, ling cod, octopus, decorated warbonnets, hermit crabs, grunt sculpins, rockfish, and wolf eels call it home. While you can see some big stuff here, this is a better dive for slowing down and looking out for the little stuff: nudibranch, moon snails, sea pens, clams. Avoid kicking up the bottom: the sandy silt will kill visibility and take forever to settle back down.
Water Conditions
Temperature: Ranges from 44 (winter) to 52 (summer) degrees F
Depth: Can easily get down to 90 feet
Visibility: Ranges from ten to 50 feet (worse in summer when algae bloom)
Hours
24 hours
Parking
Along street
Surface Amenities
Nearby Restrooms
Nearby Restaurants
More Info
Dive Training Magazine's Description
For additional information about this dive site, call the shop (425-747-8842); come in and talk to one of us; or e-mail a dive master.
Dive Safely
Diving Hazards Boat traffic: display a diver-down flag or float
Ebb and flood currents: local tides may rise and fall by as much as 15 feet in a given cycle
Tidal currents
Currents caused by Duwamish River outflow
High winds may cause high waves, surge, and limited visibility as all that surge lifts up the silt. (Alki is very exposed to wind.)
Dive Safely
This dive site review is for informational purposes only. Silent World does not guarantee (and is not liable for) your safety when you dive at this site. Be a responsible diver:
Dive within your limits
Plan your dive
Know how the weather and tides will affect your dive
Dive with a buddy
Practice out-of-air and other emergency procedures
Directions
Take 520 West to I-5 S
From I-5 S, take Exit #163 (West Seattle Bridge)
Take the Harbor Avenue SW exit, turning right onto Harbor Ave
Continue on Harbor Ave, following it past the boat launch
As you round the Duwamish Head, the street name changes to Alki Ave
Continue heading westward on Alki Ave SW past Alki Beach on the right and eateries on the left
Drive thru the stop sign at 63rd Ave SW, continuing straight for 1 more block. Park along the street in this area
The entrance to the dive site is at the end of the asphalt park along the water's edge (where the condos and private property begin). At the west end of the park, there are steps leading down to the lower section and the dive site entrace.
Map to Alki Dive Sites