About Who's Been Here Photos Dive Log Revisions Day Island Wall Day Island, Tacoma, WA More Info Max Depth: 71-80ft/22-24m Average Viz: 5-10ft/2-3m Entry Type: Shore Bottom Composition: Sand Aquatic Life: Plenty To See Rating: 3.50 by 10 divers Spring: Under 50°F/10°C Summer: Under 50°F/10°C Fall: Under 50°F/10°C Winter: Under 50°F/10°C View All 10 Members Mako13: Avg Viz: 21-25ft/6-8m. Water Temp: 56-60°F/13-16°C. 7/26/2015 Mako13: Avg Viz: 16-20ft/5-6m. Water Temp: 50-55°F/10-13°C. 3/28/2015 8/23/2009 4:49 PM

Day Island Wall is a shore accessible salt water dive site, located at Day Island, Tacoma, WA. This dive site has an average rating of 3.50 out of 5 from 10 scuba divers. The maximum depth is 71-80ft/22-24m. The average visibility is 5-10ft/2-3m.

Wall teaming with a variety of aquatic life. Known for diver friendly Wolf Eels and octopus.

Dive Site Name Day Island Wall

Current Sensitive: Yes, extremely sensitive, calculate for slack before Ebb and subtract an hour and a half for best entry time, do this in a low exchange day.

Location/Address: Day Island, Tacoma

Directions: From Tacoma, take Highway 16 East toward the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Take the Jackson street exit and turn left, heading south on Jackson. Turn right on 27th, and follow it as it curves and becomes Vista before crossing the Day Island Creek bridge onto Day island. There are only two roads running N/S on Day Island, drive on either one until you reach the E/W road. The beach access is parallel to this road on the West side of the island, park along the street and do not block any residential areas.

Free Parking: Yes, but limited- car pool if possible

Staging Area: None- short downhill trail to beach, no rocks or walls at beach to use for setup.

Surface Swim: short- there is a floating dock, swim a little past that, or until you can no longer see the bottom easily.

Nearby Facilities: Food and restrooms about a mile away on 27th (Pine Cone Cafe?)

Special Considerations: Be prepared for Wolf Eels, as you will be virtually guaranteed sightings- don’t feed em, and let them do the touching!

Maximum Depth: Wall starts at about 50’, and at the South end the top of the wall can be at 75-80 with a straight down drop to over 110.

Dive Site Description: Swim straight out from the entry, if the floating dock is there go to the North of it. Drop down and continue a straight West course, you should be funnelled down a gully in the center of the wall at about 50’. To the South the wall starts dropping deeper- at first there are two distinct wall segments with a ledge. Look for Wolf Eel dens at the base of the wall. Toward the south end the wall becomes straight up-and-down and Wolf Eels can be found anywhere on the face tucked into holes or even hanging out into the current. Turn at 1000 PSI and return to the start point, don’t go over the top of the wall until you are ready to swim in or you may have to contend with current as it picks up.

http://www.nwdiveclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2234

Comments

Mako13 - 7/29/2015 5:48 PM I went scuba diving here on 7/26/2015. Average viz: 21-25ft/6-8m. Water temp: 56-60°F/13-16°C. kelp bed is back. Huge Wolf Eel, easy 6 footer, just laying in the open at about 40 ft

Mako13 - 4/19/2015 7:43 PM I went scuba diving here on 3/28/2015. Average viz: 16-20ft/5-6m. Water temp: 50-55°F/10-13°C. Great dive, the kelp forest is gone just prior to the wall. Saw 3 wolf eel’s

ScubaDue - 8/21/2012 12:48 PM Rating Added: 4 Great site but challenging. You MUST time your visit perfectly for the ebb at a low exchange. You’ll be swept away otherwise. Also be aware homeowners are not friendly with divers parking there. Only a few viable on street spaces available...carpool! GPO’s & Wolf eels are the main attraction!

scubaduber - 6/17/2012 4:28 PM I have dove here with a friend who is very familiar with the site. You need to be VERY CAREFUL TO TIME THE TIDES with this dive. A lot or water rushes through a narrow place (The Tacoma Narrows) during each tide exchange. So, we timed our dive along the wall to start just before the tide reversed. We let the current take us along the wall in one direction. Then about half way into the dive, the current reverses and we drift back to where we started.

GregScubaholic - 8/03/2008 10:43 AM Access here is in a neighborhood with little parking (and tolerance for divers). Wall has octos and wolfies galore. The tide/current charts must be carefully studied here so you don’t get into trouble.