Whittier & Prince William Sound · United States · Wall
Kittiwake Rookery
A wall beneath a kittiwake colony, 5–10 minutes by small boat
Kittiwake Rookery is a wall dive near Whittier, beneath a seabird colony and alongside three large waterfalls. Boats put in at Smitty's Cove for the short crossing. The wall carries nudibranchs, rockfish and brittle stars, and past 40 m (130 ft) the bottom topography stops and only giant sea sponges break the rock.
Where it is and how deep
60.8126° N, 148.6240° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The run from Whittier takes 5–10 minutes in a small boat, and someone stays aboard as tender, because beaching the boat or stepping ashore here is illegal. Divers drop in at the furthest waterfall and work back along the wall towards Whittier, keeping the rock face alongside as the reference for the whole dive.
The life is on the wall itself: nudibranchs, rockfish and brittle stars among a spread of other invertebrates on the bare rock. Past 40 m (130 ft) the bottom topography stops entirely and only giant sea sponges break the face, so plan the dive to stay above 40 m, where the wall's topography is.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Whittier & Prince William Sound: March to June is the best stretch; from late May to early September stream runoff makes Smitty's Cove very hard to dive.
Know before you go
- Going ashore or beaching the boat is illegal at the rookery, so a tender stays with the boat while the divers are down.
- Past 40 m (130 ft) the cliff keeps plunging into darkness with no bottom in reach; keeping the rock face as the reference and watching the depth gauge along it keeps the dive on plan.
Photos from Kittiwake Rookery
Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided · Public domain
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Kittiwake Rookery dive?+
It is a wall dive planned to 40 m (130 ft). Past that depth the bottom topography stops and only giant sea sponges break the face.
How do divers get to Kittiwake Rookery?+
By boat or zodiac from Smitty's Cove in Whittier, a 5–10 minute run for a small boat in relatively calm seas. A tender has to stay with the boat, since going ashore is illegal.
Sources
- Kittiwake Rookery — Dive Alaska
Photo credits
- Black-legged kittiwakes nesting on ledges of a grassy, wet rock cliff by Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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