Submerged and Immersed: Scuba Diving in the Pacific Northwest
What draws people to scuba dive even in the most extreme conditions, like the frigid waters of the Pacific Northwest?
Barse and his dive buddy in the geodome in Mukilteo. This is another popular destination for divers in the PNW region. // Photo courtesy of AJ Barse
Written by Sam Pearce
The sea is many things. It is deep, dark, bright and colorful; life-giving and life-taking; cruel and kind; majestic and terrifying. But above all, it is ever-changing. The ocean is a world beyond human comprehension in so many ways, vast and inscrutable.
It is natural to be afraid of the unknown. Out in open water on a boat, floating above the ocean is both thrilling and frightening because of that unknown factor. There could be miles of water beneath your feet or mere yards. There could be thousands of creatures swimming below you or none at all.
“Scuba diving gives you that window into the underwater world, because you’re down there and you’re part of it,” said Sigrid Beesley, a divemaster and instructor at Gone Diving, Bellingham. “You can actually see what’s going on. You have that extra window to this unexplored world that so many people don’t understand and don’t ever get to experience.”
Beesley first got certified as a scuba diver in 2010 while studying environmental science at Western Washington University. Since then, she has logged over 500 dives, attained Divemaster status and worked with Gone Diving for the last 10 years.
For Beesley, the ocean is not an obscure, fearful place — it is her sanctuary, her refuge.
“I just feel at peace,” Beesley said. “It’s about as close to being on the moon or in space that you’ll ever be. You’re basically gliding like a fish, weightlessly.”
Most people think of scuba diving as something exotic and far away. People often associate scuba diving with vibrant reefs, azure tropical waters and hot sunny beaches. However, in most places where there’s an interesting body of water, there’s also a scuba diving scene.
The Pacific Northwest is no exception. Despite the frigid temperatures, divers are still dedicated to submerging themselves in the cold northern waters to explore the icy depths. Popular dive sites in the PNW include the San Juan Islands, Hood Canal, Alki Beach, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Lake Crescent.
Scuba diving is one of the many ways to explore the beautiful Pacific Northwest. There is so much density of nature, scenic views and unique ecosystems all packed into a relatively small area.
“One weekend I literally was summiting Winchester Mountain with my son…three days later, I’m diving with my buddy, all within an hour’s distance from each other.” said AJ Barse, an instructional designer at WWU, host of the Bellingham Podcast and avid outdoorsman.
Barse is a much more recent addition to the diving community. The energetic and outgoing explorer was certified in June of this year.
Cold water diving varies greatly from warm water diving, primarily in the amount and types of gear involved, as well as the safety precautions.
In warm waters, divers wear a simple wetsuit for body heat retention. Even warm tropical waters can get dangerously cold if a person stays submerged for too long. Wetsuits are skin-tight and absorb a lot of water, to act as a dense shield for temperature loss.
In cold water, divers usually wear a drysuit or semi-drysuit instead of a wetsuit. Drysuits maintain a thin layer of air between the body and the suit. This layer of air is controlled by inflators, which are connected to the diver’s tank. Drysuits also require an additional training course and special certification, separate from a base-level diving certification.
Cold water divers will often have specialized masks, fins, hoods and other such equipment to keep themselves warm.
Sunlight streams through a kelp forest off the coast of Keystone, Washington. Kelp forests are popular destinations for divers, because of the dreamlike serenity. Just try not to get caught on the kelp! // Photo courtesy of AJ Barse
There are all sorts of forces you must be aware of in scuba diving: water pressure, the effects compressed air has on your body and the unpredictable ocean currents. For this reason, diving requires a lot of awareness and attention.
“Scuba is the act of understanding physics on your body in real time,” Barse said.
Barse added that ascending 100 feet of elevation while hiking is no big deal — but descending 100 feet while diving is “whole other can of worms.”
The most common hazards of scuba diving include decompression sickness and nitrogen narcosis. Both are related to the artificial balance of nitrogen and oxygen in diving tanks.
Decompression sickness (DCS) or “the bends” often results when divers ascend from a dive too quickly. This leads to compressed nitrogen, which is dissolved in the bloodstream, to expand rapidly. DCS leads to side effects such as dizziness, vertigo, fatigue and shortness of breath.
Nitrogen narcosis often occurs when divers dive too deep and nitrogen gets in their brains. This causes divers to feel euphoric and intoxicated. While it may sound fun (and it can be), it is also very dangerous — as impaired judgment and decreased reflexes underwater can lead to potentially deadly consequences.
Despite these additional challenges, many people thoroughly enjoy their cold water diving experiences. The types of creatures and landscapes you see in the Pacific Northwest seas vary greatly from tropical oceans.
According to the SeaDoc Society, the Salish Sea is home to 37 species of mammals, 172 species of marine birds, 253 species of fish and over 3,000 species of invertebrates. Included in these numbers is the iconic Pacific giant octopus, the massive Lion’s Mane jellyfish and of course orcas.
“Eels will visit you, octopuses will come say hi, wolf eels will surprise you, cod will scare you from around a corner, because they’re big, not because they’re scary,” Beesley said.
Big creatures — especially the giant octopus — are a big pull for people wanting to scuba dive in this area. However, according to Beesley, the real beauty of scuba diving is seeing how these marine ecosystems flourish and function all together.
“When you’re initially certified, you want to see the big things,” Beesley said. “You want to see the giant pacific octopus, you want to see the wolf eels, you want to see a seal. But when you’ve dove for a while, you start to realize that it’s the little things: a barnacle feeding in the tidal zone, the fish swimming across and just seeing how the system works together so cohesively.”
Barse’s dive buddy at the wreck of the Charlotte in Lake Whatcom. The Charlotte was a tug boat that towed logs in Lake Whatcom from 1911 until 1975, when it burned down and sank on Halloween night. It is a popular destination for scuba divers and free divers alike in Whatcom county. // Photo courtesy of AJ Barse
The Salish Sea, like many other marine ecosystems, is in environmental peril. Of these thousands of species present in the region, 113 of them are on the endangered list, according to SeaDoc.
Additionally, due to ocean temperatures slowly rising and ocean acidification, the marine ecosystems in the Salish Sea experience adverse effects, like coral bleaching.
Diving is an activity that requires focus on equipment, potential hazards and the variety of sights you might see. Divers must be careful to never get overly confident — they need to be aware of their surroundings and gear at all times. Such intense focus allows for a unique type of living in the moment.
“Doesn’t matter if it’s diving, flying, driving, whatever you’re doing, once you feel like you’re too comfortable, that’s when you make mistakes,” Barse said.
Underwater, everything feels different. It may sound obvious, but when you are down in the deep ocean for a long time, the way your brain works changes. The environment looks alien, otherworldly. You don’t hear sounds in the same way; they are muffled and far away, while simultaneously right next to you.
Down in the deep ocean, you are alone with your diving buddies and whatever else you may find in this surreal, dreamlike world. For a brief time, there is no world above the water; just silence and serenity.
“No one’s talking in my ear, no electronics, no one can call me or text me, no email dings,” Beesley said. “You’re there, you’re in control and you’re just able to be in the moment, instead of all the distractions that happen around us. It’s one of those peaceful places of mine where you can just be, and not worry about anything else.”
Being under the ocean is one of the last true refuges where you can be fully present and cut off from the outside world. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, technology, screens and internet connection are more constant than ever — leaving many with the desire to fully escape the digitized world.
“It’s nice to be able to truly disconnect,” Barse said. “I climb mountains, and I find it ironic that while I’m on my mountains, I can get LTE from the top now. That’s insane. But they can’t get LTE down below. If you want to truly disconnect, get a [regulator] in your mouth and go down.”
When Barse goes diving, the only technology he takes with him (aside from his diving gear) is his GoPro. This helps him not only remember the experience, but share it with others.
“As a photographer, yes, I have very nice camera equipment, but when I go down, I just take a GoPro,” Barse said. “Most of what I do down there is for me and for my son — he’s six, and he can’t go down with me, and he desperately wants to see what’s down there.”
Barse recalls his father, also an avid diver, telling him stories of diving up and down the West Coast. While hearing his father’s stories, Barse dreamed about diving in the ocean as well. Now, a generation later, his son is already begging him to go diving, counting the days until he is old enough to be certified.
Scuba diving is not only an immersive activity, it is an irreversible life experience. Once you’ve seen how peaceful life is at the bottom of the ocean, it takes hold of you. The sea calls you to come back over and over again.
“I could get lost down there for hours if I was able to keep an air tank on me that long,” Beesley said. “I could just sit there all day and watch the fish.”