Fox Island West Wall

Fox Island West Wall is a nice, easy dive site on the South Side of Fox Island.  It's easy to get into and out of the water, with just a short walk from your vehicle to the water.  Set your compass for South (180°) and swim to the top of a small wall in about 55' of water.  The bottom of the wall is only 65' deep and is loaded with critters.  Spend some time shining your light into all of the nooks and crannies along the wall and you'll be rewarded with many unique sightings.

On you way back in from the dive, you'll find the shallows are just covered with Sand Dollars, and the current will be your friend instead of your enemy.

We dive this site frequently as a second dive after the Fox Island Bridge, as there isn't much current.   This is also a great site for new divers, training dives, or divers checking out new gear. 

We actually saw our very first Octopus at this site many years ago, and today this is still a common site for Sturgeon Poachers.

Updated Directions:

Take the Highway 16 exit from I-5 in Tacoma and head West over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.  Take the second (Olympic Drive/Fox Island) exit.  At the top of the ramp, turn left onto Olympic Drive NW which becomes  56th which then becomes Fillmore Drive. Turn left at the T intersection onto Wollochet Drive. Turn left at the light on to 70th and then at the T intersection, turn right onto Warren Drive and follow this road across the bridge to Fox Island.

Turn left onto 3rd Ave at the end of the bridge (follow the main road), and then veer right onto Island BLVD (again following the main road).  Island BLVD changes to 6th Ave, and then back to Island BLVD, but stay on it until the road T's at 9th Ave.   Turn Right onto 9th, travel a short distance and then Turn Right onto Kamus Drive.  Follow Kamus Drive down a very steep hill to the water.  Gear up and jump in!

GPS Cooridates:  47° 14.35' N  122° 37.95' W

Parker Says:

Description

The Fox Island West Wall, is even less impressive that the East Wall. It's an erosion formed, clay wall in about 60 fsw. The wall is probably 100' long and at maximum 10 feet high. It's better to dive this site in the winter time, when the wall is actually there, and not buried in mud.

Comments

The West Wall can sometimes be large, and sometimes be small. A lot depends on the time of year you dive it. I suggest diving it in the winter, when there is not as much sand and mud covering the wall. I have seen octopus, wolf eels and grunt sculpins in and on the wall. But, in general, it's pretty bare of life. The only _real_ cool thing about this dive site are the enormous (and I do seriously mean enormous), beds of sand dollars! I'm talking millions of dollars here! If they were money, I'd be rich, filthy rich! 47 Million!?!!!! Eh, do the dive at least once. See the"Northwest Shore Dives" book for more details and or for some excitement about the site. I give this site one Thumb Down on the Parker Scale.