Underwater Sports - Pacific Northwest
The team at Underwater Sports are the real deal, perfect for anyone looking to properly embrace cold water diving. Their Drysuit Diver Specialty Course is our pick for a reason; these folks know drysuits inside and out, from the sales floor to the service bench. If you’re serious about diving the PNW, or just want to expand your skills for chillier climes, this is where you start. We’ve always appreciated a dive shop that gets its hands dirty, and Underwater Sports is exactly that. They’re not just pushing gear; they’re teaching you how to use it safely and comfortably in conditions that can be, let's be honest, a bit bracing. We love how their Open Water classes transition smoothly into Advanced, building a solid foundation before you even think about specialties like Nitrox. The local diving here, while chilly, offers some fantastic experiences – think giant Pacific octopuses in rocky crevices and wolf eels peeking out from under ledges. Underwater Sports sets you up right for all of it. Forget struggling with borrowed gear; they’ve got a showroom and rentals, and crucially, they actually service what they sell. You’ll feel the difference a properly maintained drysuit makes on a winter dive to Edmonds Underwater Park. It means staying warm enough to actually enjoy watching the plumose anemones sway in the current, rather than just shivering through the dive.
- Location
- Pacific Northwest, United States, North America
- Coordinates
- 47.619267, -122.178696
- Phone
- +1-425-454-5168
- Website
- https://www.underwatersports.com/bellevue/
- Courses
- Beginning Open Water Class, Advanced Open Water Class, Rescue Diver Class, Divemaster Class, Re-Activate Class, Drysuit Diver Specialty Course, Enriched Air Nitrox (EAN) Specialty Course
- Air Fills
- Air, Nitrox
- Address
- 12003, NE 12th, Bellevue, 98005
Dive Sites Near Underwater Sports
Underwater Sports provides access to 15 dive sites in Pacific Northwest.
- 100 Foot Rock
- Alki Beach Park
- Alki beach Seattle ferry north
- Am/Pm Beach - 13m (shore)
- Ansell Point Dive Site - 5-20m (shore)
- Arachne Reef - 5-20m (reef)
- Arachne Reef (reef)
- Arbutus Island - 10-30m (shore)
- Arbutus Point - 23m
- Atkins Reef (reef)
- Atrevida Reef (reef)
- Barnard Castle - 15-35m (pinnacle)
- Bell Island
- Blake Island Reef (reef)
- Blind Reef (reef)
Other Dive Centres in Pacific Northwest
- Adventure Scuba
- Aqua Dive And Water Sports
- Aquatic Sports - SSI
- Blueback Tyee Cove Dive site
- Central Oregon Diving - PADI
- Cottam Point Dive site
- Discount Divers
- Dive and Sea Sports - PADI, Emergency First Response
- Diving Sports Canada - PADI, TDI, PFI, SDI
- Edmonds Underwater Sports
Best Time to Dive in Pacific Northwest
The warmest water temperatures in Pacific Northwest occur in August, averaging 16.5°C (up to 15.6°C). The coolest conditions are in February at 6.9°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 7.1°C (air: 6.3°C)
- February: 6.9°C (air: 4.5°C)
- March: 7.7°C (air: 6.6°C)
- April: 9.5°C (air: 8.7°C)
- May: 12.0°C (air: 11.7°C)
- June: 14.0°C (air: 13.7°C)
- July: 15.7°C (air: 14.9°C)
- August: 16.5°C (air: 15.7°C)
- September: 14.3°C (air: 14.0°C)
- October: 11.4°C (air: 10.5°C)
- November: 8.8°C (air: 7.4°C)
- December: 7.7°C (air: 5.5°C)
Marine Life in Pacific Northwest
Home to 38 recorded species including 18 reef fish, 7 crabs & lobsters, 3 whales & dolphins, 2 sharks & rays, 2 clams & mussels, 2 sea urchins.
Notable Marine Life
- Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) - Reef Fish
- coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) - Reef Fish
- Spiny Dogfish (Squalus suckleyi) - Sharks & Rays
- Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) - Reef Fish
- Dungeness Crab (Metacarcinus magister) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Common shore crab (Carcinus maenas) - Crabs & Lobsters
- red salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) - Reef Fish
- California Spot Prawn (Pandalus platyceros) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Slender Crab (Metacarcinus gracilis) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Pacific Northwest
Based on average water temperature of 11.0°C, currents 7 cm/s.
- Wetsuit (5-7mm) - recommended for 11°C water
- Hood & Gloves (3-5mm) - helps retain warmth
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories