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Access by boat: The Dabob Bay Seamount is (surprise!) located in Dabob Bay. It is a few miles southwest of Pulali Point. No land-based reference points are nearby this offshore seamount. A buoy sometimes marks the east side of the seamount. If the buoy is not present, I find the seamount by searching around the GPS coordinates for a shallow anchorage in 20-30 feet of water. The top of the seamount is about 50 yards long (north to south) and 50 feet wide (east to west) with sides that drop at a moderate slope to depths of over 75 feet.
Shore Access: None
Dive profile: As with most seamounts, diving the Dabob Seamount is straightforward. I descend the anchor line to the top of the seamount and head downslope to the desired depth. The seamount is not overly expansive and is easily circumnavigated on a single dive.
Most of the area around the seamount is comprised of rocky boulders covered in broadleaf kelp. The rocky slope yields to a flat and silt-strewn bottom at around 75 or 80 feet. My favorite part of this site is a series of walls on the southeast corner of the pinnacle. I find healthy stocks of rockfish and lingcod packed into this area. The walls are about 10 feet high and found in 60 to 80 feet of water. I spend most of my dive in this area.
Hovering above the top of the pinnacle is a good place for a safety stop. The top of the pinnacle comes within 20 feet of the surface at low tide which allows me to poke around the kelp while I fulfill my safety stop obligation.
My preferred gas mix: EAN 38
Currents observations: Tidal current in this area is negligible. I do not plan dives around slack or even minor exchanges. I consider the potential for wind driven current in my dive planning, but usually only dive this area when wind and seas are calm.
Boat Launch:
· Seabeck boat ramp (east side of Hood Canal). Approximately 5 miles from the dive site. This ramp requires a Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife usage sticker. This exposed boat ramp offers no docks and is shallow.
· Point Whitney boat ramp (west side of Hood Canal). Approximately 3 miles from the dive site.
Facilities: None
Hazards:
· Offshore location: There is no nearby shore to swim to in an emergency. This seamount is located approximately a half mile
offshore.
· Exposure: This site is susceptible to wind. Surface conditions can deteriorate quickly.
· Boat traffic: Boat traffic in this immediate area is light to moderate, especially during boating or shrimping season.
Marine life: This site is not often referred to as a prolific marine habitat. Although I never expect to be overwhelmed with thick communities of colorful invertebrates and massive schools of fish, I do expect to find some unique and interesting creatures at this site.
Brilliant orange burrowing sea cucumbers and large white sea cucumbers dominate the seascape. Metridium of various shades and giant plumose anemones all add welcome contrast to the rocky seamount.
I often note crabs at this site that I do not commonly find elsewhere in Puget Sound, including almost comical looking squat lobsters and unusual lithoid crabs. Ohdner dorids frequent the rocks, as do large sea lemons and beautiful white lined dironas.
This dive site offers the chance to see seven or eight different species of rockfish. Schools of Puget Sound rockfish are always present. Lone quillback, copper, and brown rockfish are also common. I usually spy a few yellowtail, black, and juvenile yelloweye rockfish loitering around the walls on the southeast corner of the pinnacle. Large vermilion rockfish often approach as I focus on shooting pictures of some of the invertebrates around the wall area.
I have had good luck finding wolfeels on the southeast corner of the seamount. They make dens among the boulders at the base of the walls.
Shore Access: None
Dive profile: As with most seamounts, diving the Dabob Seamount is straightforward. I descend the anchor line to the top of the seamount and head downslope to the desired depth. The seamount is not overly expansive and is easily circumnavigated on a single dive.
Most of the area around the seamount is comprised of rocky boulders covered in broadleaf kelp. The rocky slope yields to a flat and silt-strewn bottom at around 75 or 80 feet. My favorite part of this site is a series of walls on the southeast corner of the pinnacle. I find healthy stocks of rockfish and lingcod packed into this area. The walls are about 10 feet high and found in 60 to 80 feet of water. I spend most of my dive in this area.
Hovering above the top of the pinnacle is a good place for a safety stop. The top of the pinnacle comes within 20 feet of the surface at low tide which allows me to poke around the kelp while I fulfill my safety stop obligation.
My preferred gas mix: EAN 38
Currents observations: Tidal current in this area is negligible. I do not plan dives around slack or even minor exchanges. I consider the potential for wind driven current in my dive planning, but usually only dive this area when wind and seas are calm.
Boat Launch:
· Seabeck boat ramp (east side of Hood Canal). Approximately 5 miles from the dive site. This ramp requires a Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife usage sticker. This exposed boat ramp offers no docks and is shallow.
· Point Whitney boat ramp (west side of Hood Canal). Approximately 3 miles from the dive site.
Facilities: None
Hazards:
· Offshore location: There is no nearby shore to swim to in an emergency. This seamount is located approximately a half mile
offshore.
· Exposure: This site is susceptible to wind. Surface conditions can deteriorate quickly.
· Boat traffic: Boat traffic in this immediate area is light to moderate, especially during boating or shrimping season.
Marine life: This site is not often referred to as a prolific marine habitat. Although I never expect to be overwhelmed with thick communities of colorful invertebrates and massive schools of fish, I do expect to find some unique and interesting creatures at this site.
Brilliant orange burrowing sea cucumbers and large white sea cucumbers dominate the seascape. Metridium of various shades and giant plumose anemones all add welcome contrast to the rocky seamount.
I often note crabs at this site that I do not commonly find elsewhere in Puget Sound, including almost comical looking squat lobsters and unusual lithoid crabs. Ohdner dorids frequent the rocks, as do large sea lemons and beautiful white lined dironas.
This dive site offers the chance to see seven or eight different species of rockfish. Schools of Puget Sound rockfish are always present. Lone quillback, copper, and brown rockfish are also common. I usually spy a few yellowtail, black, and juvenile yelloweye rockfish loitering around the walls on the southeast corner of the pinnacle. Large vermilion rockfish often approach as I focus on shooting pictures of some of the invertebrates around the wall area.
I have had good luck finding wolfeels on the southeast corner of the seamount. They make dens among the boulders at the base of the walls.
Dabob Seamount
Topography: Rocky pinnacle located offshore consisting of boulder fields and some walls.
Hood Canal marine life rating: 3
Hood Canal structure rating: 3
Diving depth: 75-85 feet
Highlight: Wolfeels and numerous species of rockfish residing near the small walls on the southeast corner of the pinnacle.
Skill level: Novice
GPS coordinates: N47° 43.433’ W122° 52.529’
Hood Canal marine life rating: 3
Hood Canal structure rating: 3
Diving depth: 75-85 feet
Highlight: Wolfeels and numerous species of rockfish residing near the small walls on the southeast corner of the pinnacle.
Skill level: Novice
GPS coordinates: N47° 43.433’ W122° 52.529’
Looking north toward Wawa Point from the Dabob Bay Seamount. Note the dive site marker buoy in the foreground.
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