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Hudson Point
 Port Townsend, WA
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Max Depth: 51-60ft/16-18m
Average Viz: 21-25ft/6-8m
Entry Type: Shore
Bottom Composition: Sand/Rock
Aquatic Life: Might See Something
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Hudson Point is a rich shore dive in Port Townsend with multiple habitats in a single site that offer a beautiful array of life. The bottom drops gradually to about 20ft from shore toward the large cement dolphin (piling). Seasonal eel grass adds interest to this area during late summer and early fall before the winter storms hit. Lots of gunnels hanging from the grass and hooded nudibranchs in late fall. At 20ft the bottom begins to drop off steeply toward the monsteous Cement WWII Dolphin designed as an anchor point for the submarine nets that protected the sound from enemy subs. It is alive with anemones giant barnacles and lots of other interesting life. A rope, often hidden by kelp and sand, extends downward from the dolphin to about 90ft. Rope leading down slope to 100 ft or tmore. Along this route there are logs, rocks, manmade objects and many discarded bottles, some of which may be quite old. Look close for baby octos and gunnels in and around all these objects including in the bottles. Make sure if you decide to collect bottles to leave all the critters behind. Along the jetty and the rocks piles at the baseThere are many species of sea life here including many types of fish, nudibranchs, crabs, Giant Pacific Octopus and plant life. Please try to be kind to all the many tiny critters by keeping off of the rocks as much as possible and watch where you place your hands. At the end of the jetty there is an old metal barge broken in two, starting at about 50ft. Lots of life but be gentle, it is rusting badly and in danger of caving in. There are severe currents beyond the barge. Hudson point is a rich and diversified environment with many things to see for all levels when conditions are favorable but keep in mind it is a current dependent site and can change rapidly. Currents can go from nothing to above 3 knots quickly and intensify as you get closer to the end of the jetty with the prevailing direction being outward toward the channel. Please use the current table and NOT the tides as they do not match up. There is little to see beyond the barge and lots of boat traffic in and out of the marina. If you get caught out there when the current cranks up you will have a tough swim back or a long walk around the marina so it is advisable to make the barge your dive limit in this direction. Keep in mind also that this is a windy exposed area. If the wind is coming from the south or south west this spot can get very rough quite quickly. There is a Finger Pier attached to the main pier from early spring to late fall to give access to rental sailboats and the occasional powerboat. It is removed for the winter months. Please be careful of boat activity in this area. Heading north on WA-19 N and continue northward on WA-20 E toward Port Townsend. WA-20 becomes Water street and runsl along long the water front. Continue all the way through town until you see the American Legion Hall on your left. Park and suit up. Enter the water down the smalll boat ramp on the east side of the pier (the pier will be on your left). Swim or walk underneath the pier. The dive site is the area between the pier and the rocky jetty at at the marina.