My experiences have been mostly boat diving near the mouth of the bay. Inside the bay, it's mostly just sand, with a channel dredged for the bigger ships running near the center. You can hear and feel the big ships go by when diving - stay out of the main channel! Visibility has not been very good - 10 feet max, with a max. depth in the bay at around 60 feet. There are fairly strong currents in the bay, so you'll have to check the tide charts. My favorite activity here has been catching dungeness crabs. Chasing them around, catching them, and trying to get them into your bag is a sport in itself. When the weather is good, some divers will venture by small boat outside the Jetty to local rocks and reefs for some better diving, with better visibility too. Visibility is generally better at high tide.
Upper 40's to low 50's all year. A full wetsuit or drysuit is needed. Winter storms can be violent here, so like all Oregon Coast diving, don't even think of diving when the weather is rough. There are several sites suited for all levels of divers. It's best for newer divers to go with someone who knows the area, though. Many people depart from the Charleston area. I do not have dive site specifics here - check with a local dive shop for more information. There can be strong currents in the bay, so check the dive tables. Low visibility, boat (and ship) traffic, and fishing line are also concerns. Seasickness if boat diving outside the bay. Up to 15 feet in the bay, better offshore. |
