Affiliates and Resources
Local Dive Clubs
Some of the most active dive clubs in the greater Seattle area:
- Emerald Sea Dive Club – a friendly, casual group of divers located in the north shore area
- Marker Buoy Dive Club – one of the oldest, most active dive clubs in the Seattle area
- Moss Bay Dive Club – a large, eastside (Kirkland area) dive club
- Puget Sound Depth Chargers – located in Federal Way, between Seattle and Tacoma
Local Dive Shops
Some of my favorite local dive shops:
- Tacoma Scuba – a very nice, friendly shop in downtown Tacoma
- Underwater Sports, Federal Way – dive shop manager Walt Amidon is a local legend in our community
- TLSea Diving – a full-service, family-owned dive center in Des Moines
- Northwest Sports Divers – located in Kenmore, north of Seattle, offering a full range of recreational and technical services
- Hood Sport ‘n’ Dive Hood Sport ‘n’ Dive – located in Hoodsport, the place to go for all your diving needs on Hood Canal
- Anacortes Diving and Supply – a family-owned dive shop in the gateway to the San Juan Islands
Some Recommended Local Instructors
Some of my friends who are independent scuba instructors:
- Scott Christopher – high-quality technical instruction
- Brian Weiderspan & Jeanna Edgerton – independent NAUI and UTD instructors, quality recreational and technical instruction
- Greg Wilson – quality recreational instruction
- Valerie Lyttle – a south Sound PADI and DAN instructor
- Sandra Herrera - quality recreational and technical dive instruction and PSI training for those located north of Seattle
Scuba Internet Discussion Forums
My favorite places to go discuss scuba diving:
- ScubaBoard – the world’s largest scuba internet forum
- Northwest Dive Club – a very friendly place for local divers to spend their surface intervals
- The Dive Matrix – a place to go discuss the diving lifestyle
- The Deco Stop – a place for technical divers to exchange information
- Zendiving – the way diving should be
Exploration
Organizations dedicated to underwater exploration:
- Puget Sound Divers – an exploration team dedicated to locating and preserving Washington’s underwater resources
- Submerged Cultural Resources Exploration Team (SCRET) – promoting exploration, identification, documentation and recovery
- Northwest Underwater Explorers (NWUE) – a group of recreational and technical divers exploring new dive sites in Puget Sound
- DCS Films – wreck videos by Dan Warter
My Favorite Manufacturers
Companies with high-quality products and excellent customer service:
- Deep Sea Supply – a California-based company that makes innovative products for recreational and technical divers
- Salvo – lights, regulators, scooters, and more
- Dive X-tras – manufacturers of X-scooters
- Diving Unlimited International – producers of high-quality drysuits and more
- Softwear – a local manufacturer of quality drysuit undergarments
Local Charters
Some of my favorite local dive charters:
- Bandito Charters – serving Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands
- Pacific Adventures – located in Pleasant Harbor, Hood Canal
- Porthole Dive Charters – serving Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, and the Straits of Juan de Fuca
- Diver’s Dream Charters – serving the San Juan Islands and North Puget Sound
Dive Site Information
Web site resources for local dive sites:
- Pacific NW Scuba – dive site maps, directions, photos, reviews and more
- Seaotter – dive site reviews by Jon and Keith
- Diving the Northwest – dive site reviews for Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, Straits of Juan de Fuca, and British Columbia
- Emerald Sea Photography – dive site reviews by Scott Boyd
- Cooldives – all about diving in beautiful British Columbia
Additional Resources
- National Association of Underwater Instructors – my chosen scuba certification agency
- Divers Alert Network (DAN) – an organization focused on dive safety
- Washington Scuba Alliance – a statewide advocacy group dedicated to promoting scuba diving
- Seattle Tides and Currents – a useful website for dive planning