San Juan Islands · United States · Wall · Drift
Lawson Bluff
King crabs and tiger rockfish in the chasms of a Sucia Island wall
Photo: Washington DNR · CC BY-SA 2.0
A wall dive on the west side of Sucia Island, above Shallow Bay, where sheer rock, caves, overhangs and shelves sit between 21 and 30 m (70–100 ft). It is dived as a gentle drift on a minor ebb, with fringed tube worms on the wall and king crabs and tiger rockfish in the dark chasms.
Where it is and how deep
48.7670° N, 122.9187° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Lawson Bluff is reached by boat from Washington Park in Anacortes, with moorings in Shallow Bay or Echo Bay on Sucia Island. On a minor ebb, divers enter about 137 m (450 ft) north of the Shallow Bay entrance and drift gently south along the wall. The bluff is a run of sheer walls, caves, overhangs and shelves between 21 and 30 m (70–100 ft).
Fringed tube worms coat much of the wall, and Nanaimo and yellow-margin dorids are common. The dark chasms hide Puget Sound king crabs of all sizes and shy tiger rockfish. Depth needs watching along the shelves, because the bluff drops well beyond recreational limits, and the drift ends early if a strong flood reverses the current mid-wall.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows San Juan Islands: Dived year-round; current-sensitive sites are timed to slack water on the tide table.
Know before you go
- A strong flood can reverse direction mid-wall; dive it on a minor ebb and be ready to end the dive if the current turns.
- The bluff drops well beyond recreational limits, so watch the depth gauge along the shelves.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Lawson Bluff?+
The walls, caves, overhangs and shelves sit between 21 and 30 m (70–100 ft), and the bluff keeps dropping well beyond recreational limits.
Sources
- Lawson Bluff dive site — PNW Diving
Photo credits
- Shaded lidar and sonar relief of a fingered island and surrounding seabed in turquoise and dark teal by Washington DNR, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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