Outdoors Notebook | Scuba divers have new place to explore

Local scuba divers have a new place to explore in Puget Sound.

A new artificial diving reef was recently constructed, and is now open for scuba divers to view sea life, fish and critters at Saltwater State Park near Des Moines.

"The new dive site is the one single light on the horizon in a sea of reductions in access for divers across Puget Sound," said Mike Racine, president of the Washington scuba Alliance, who recently went down to view the new reef. "It is an awesome project, and this is the first new dive site in Puget Sound in probably 30 or more years."

Racine said there are plans to replace the old reef started as many as 15 years ago.

"Back then they ran into some problems, including permitting issues, and when things didn't match up, the funding went away and it sat on a shelf for a number of years," Racine said.

Recently, the Washington scuba Alliance and state Parks and Recreation Commission were successful in getting support from the State Legislative.

Things aligned soon after, including the permitting process, and work broke ground this past November.

The new reef at Saltwater State Park replaces an archaic man-made reef that was constructed in the 1970s with thousands of old tires as well as an old wooden barge. That has virtually melted away, except for the metal fittings.

Last summer, Army divers removed most of the tires from the site, and the state Parks and Recreation is looking for opportunities to remove the remaining tires.

The new diving reef was created by placing 8-foot-high rock mounds as a base, and then laying long concrete pilings on top of the rocks. Two rows of rock perpendicular to shore provide a pathway to help divers locate the reef.

"It is a very clean stone that the reef is made of, and a very natural type of habitat," Racine said. "It will provide an attachment substrate, and will be up in the water current where there is food and a place that attracts life."

Racine estimates that the diving site runs about 30 feet to almost 90 feet deep. "But, it is a fairly gentle slope out to the site, and a good 200 feet offshore," he said. "That means it's good for both shore and boat divers."

The sea life around the reef has already found its new home to their liking.

"Right now there are invertebrates and sea star fish, and some sculpins were already there," said Greg Bargmann, a state Fish and Wildlife bottom-fish biologist. "It takes a little more time for others to establish themselves, but very soon the barnacles will settle down."

Bargmann says more vegetation will grow the first year, and sea slugs [a diver favorite], and lingcod and rockfish will arrive.

"We got approval to close the area to [sport] fishing, and wanted to have a high quality diving experience, plus keep it pleasant and safe for divers," Bargmann said. "There was good broad public support, and the initial response is very positive."

Four buoys clearly mark the area, and signs are scheduled to go up warning anglers that fishing prohibited.

Groups involved with making the new reef possible were the state Parks and Recreation Commission; state Fish and Wildlife; Reid Middleton, Inc., a design firm from Everett; and the Washington scuba Alliance.

The $231,935 construction project was completed by American Construction, Inc. of Tacoma.

Notes

• The Coastal Conservation Association Sea-Tac Chapter Banquet is 6 p.m. March 28 at IBEW Hall, 19802 62nd Ave. So. in Kent. Cost is $55. Details: 206-920-1446 or www.ccapnw.org.

• Washington Outdoor Women and Ducks Unlimited is hosting a women's introduction to waterfowling 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. April 4 at a Snohomish County duck club in Monroe. Cost is $85. Details: 425-455-1986 or www.washingtonoutdoorwomen.org.

• The Edmonds Laebugten Salmon Chapter of Trout Unlimited meeting is 6:30 p.m. March 25 at the South County Senior Center, 220 Railroad Ave. in Edmonds. Mike Jamboretz, owner of Jambo's Sportfishing, will share tips to catch halibut. Details: 425-218-0654.

• The Northwest Fly Anglers Fly Fishing Club offers an eight week beginning fly casting class 6:30 p.m. March 31 at the Green Lake Fly Casting Pier in Seattle. Classes are held every Tuesday through May 19. Cost is $40. Details: 425 486 5011 or slowsnap@att.net.

• The Lake Washington Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation's turkey-hunting seminar is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 28 at the Outdoor Emporium in Seattle. The federation's banquet is April 4 at the Mercerwood Shore Club on Mercer Island. Details: 206-914-7916.

• The Sportsman's Warehouse in Federal Way is hosting the fundamentals of fly-casting class 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. March 29 with fly-fishing expert Michael Martin. Cost is $50. Details: 253-835-4100.

• The Washington Butterfly Association hosts a free presentation titled, "How to Run a Butterfly Big Year?" by Dr. Robert Pyle at 7 p.m. April 1 at the Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 N.E. 41st St. in Seattle. Details: 206-364-4935 or www.naba.org/Chapters/nabaws.

• The Northwest TigerPac hosts an all-day tiger muskie fishing class April 4. Learn how to catch these fish and about the state Fish and Wildlife's stocking program. Featured speaker from Larry Ramsell from Hayward, Wis. Space is limited. Details: www.nwtigermuskies.com.

• The Kayak Academy is offering nature tours 9 a.m. to noon April 5 at Lake Sammamish State Park. Cost is $5, and kayak rentals are $10 per person or $15 for couples or family of three. Preregistration required. Details: 206-527-1825.

• The Icicle Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be showing an award winning film "Red Gold," a story about a proposed copper-gold mine in Alaska near two heavily populated sockeye rivers. The film will be shown at Kristalls Restaurant, 280 U.S. Hwy. 2 in Leavenworth 6:30 p.m. April 8. Details: www.icicletrout.org.

• The Washington Sea Grant and Port of Seattle Fishermen's Terminal are hosting a Coast Guard-approved first aid sea course 8 a.m.-5 p.m. April 8 at the Nordby Building, Fishermen's Terminal in Seattle. Cost is $40 for Washington residents. Preregistration is advised. Details: 206-543-1225 or sfisken@u.washington.edu.

• The O'Loughlin Trade Shows is hosting the Tacoma Dome Boat Sale 11 a.m. April 2-5, and offers some good buys from dealers on a wide range of boats. Cost is $9, and $5 after 5 p.m. each day. Details: www.otshows.com.

• The Western Bass Club meets every third Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Kennydale Hall in Renton. Details: www.westernbassclub.comor www.nickbarrfishing.com.

• Mount Rainier National Parks is offering daily guided snowshoe walks on weekends and holidays through March 29. Walks are offered at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Sign up at the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise beginning one hour before the start time.

Snowshoe walks cover approximately 1.5 miles and last up to two hours. Snowshoes are provided. A donation of $1 is asked to help defray the cost of snowshoe maintenance. Snowshoeing is a moderately strenuous activity, and participants must be at least eight years old. Details: 360-569-2211, ext. 3314.

• The Washington Trails Association offers statewide trip reports and trail conditions. Details: www.wta.org.

• The Northwest Fly Anglers offers various public classes through the year. The public also is invited to club meetings on the third Thursday of each month, at the Haller Lake Community Center, 12579 Densmore Ave N., in North Seattle. Details: 206-684-7524.

• The Emerald Sea Dive Club offers year-round activities including the big buddy program and weekly and monthly dives. The club meets on the first Wednesday of every month, 7-9 p.m. at Alfy's Pizza, 4820 196th S.W. in Lynnwood. Details: 425-775-2410 or www.emeraldseadiveclub.org.

• The Seattle Audubon Society offers field trips and classes every month. Details: 206-523-4483 or www.seattleaudubon.org.

• Northend Bassmasters is accepting new members who want to learn more about bass fishing. The group meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Crystal Creek Cafe, 22620 Bothell-Everett Highway (Canyon Park) in Bothell. Details: 206-789-4259 or e-mail Gary Millard at glmillard@comcast.net.

Mark Yuasa: 206-464-8780 or myuasa@seattletimes.com