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Scarrow Reef

Scarrow Reef in the Pacific Northwest, it’s a bit of a local secret, and we’re happy to share it. Forget what you think you know about Pacific Northwest diving being all gloom and grey. We find Scarrow Reef has this surprisingly soft, almost vibrant feel to it, even on an overcast day. The corals here, while not tropical, form these surprisingly delicate structures that just glow under a dive light, especially the scarlet sea anemones that cling to every surface. Our favourite time to drop in is on an outgoing tide, just after slack. That’s when the current starts to pick up just enough to bring in the larger filter feeders without making for a strenuous dive. We often spot harbor porpoises cruising past the deeper sections, so keep an eye out into the blue. The sheer density of Dungeness and slender crabs scuttling across the reef floor is something else; it’s a constant, rustling motion down there. The visibility can vary quite a bit, but even on a 10-meter day, the close-up macro life, like the delicate fragile tube worms, more than makes up for it. It's a proper cold-water immersion, demanding a drysuit and good buoyancy, but the rewards are genuinely unique.