Site Resources & Tools
Dive planning for Dungeness Spit crane
Site Briefing
Dungeness Spit crane is a dive site along the Strait of Juan de Fuca . A large crane that fell off a barge (year and details unknown) now sits on the vast sand bottom in the Strait of Juan de Fuca near Dungeness Spit.
Sits in ~88 ft of water; the only structure in a huge sandy plain -- fish flock to it. Notable for a resident population of wolf eels; divers have reported 5-10 wolf eels visible at once.
Access: Boat access only (no reasonable shore option); usually run from Port Angeles or a Sequim ramp.
Marine life: Wolf eels (feature critter), rockfish schools attracted by the only structure for miles.
Conditions: Extremely current-sensitive; slack windows are hard to predict at the Dungeness Spit -- current tables for the spit station are often off by hours. Do NOT dive on a flood tide -- ripping 3-5 knot current can persist for hours as water accelerates over the shallow bar. Weather-exposed -- full-fetch Strait of Juan de Fuca conditions; wait for a calm, low-exchange day.
⚠️ Safety & accuracy
Before diving at Dungeness Spit crane, always check the site-specific wind/wave forecast, tide/currents, and recent reports ! Reminder: Winds (even offshore winds) can impact slack time.
Briefings may be out of date or have inaccuracies. Dive within your training and experience. The first time diving a site, join someone familiar with the site and/or start on a mild day.
See our currents, tides, wind, and waves guide for help reading charts and planning current-sensitive dives.
The nearest NOAA or XTide current and tide stations within 25 miles are selected by default when available. NOAA stations show charts here; XTide stations link to Dairiki. Click a pin on the map below to choose another station for current, tide, camera, or buoy data (you may need to zoom in or out).
See an issue? Would you suggest a different default station or depth? Suggest briefing updates.
Nearby Stations
New Dungeness Light, 2.8 mi. NNW of (52 ft) -- 5 miles away
Port Angeles -- 13 miles away
Nearest Featured Dive Sites
- Race Rocks (~19 miles)
- Ogden Point (~19 miles)
Nearby Dive Sites
- Easy Eight (~1 miles)
- Martha Foss (~4 miles)
- Green Point (~8 miles)