Site Resources & Tools
Dive planning for Lawson Bluff
Site Briefing
Lawson Bluff is a dive site in the San Juan Islands . On the west side of Sucia Island above Shallow Bay, with sheer walls, caves, overhangs, and shelves from 70 to 100 ft.
Puget Sound king crabs of all sizes and shy tiger rockfish hide in dark chasms. On a minor ebb, enter about 150 yards north of the Shallow Bay entrance and drift gently south along the wall.
Access: Boat from Washington Park in Anacortes; moor in Shallow Bay or Echo Bay on Sucia.
Marine life: Fringed tube worms coat much of the wall. Nanaimo and yellow-margin dorids are common.
Conditions: Northwest wind from the Strait of Georgia can deteriorate surface conditions quickly.
Hazards: A strong flood can reverse direction mid-wall. The bluff drops well beyond recreational limits.
⚠️ Safety & accuracy
Before diving at Lawson Bluff, always check the site-specific wind/wave forecast, tide/currents, and recent reports (latest: Aug 11, 2023)! 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Briefings may be out of date or have inaccuracies.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
Patos Island, south of Toe Point (30 ft) -- 1 mile away
WALDRON ISLAND, PUGET SOUND -- 8 miles away
Nearby Dive Sites
- Ewing Island Fish Haven (~2 miles)
- Point Doughty (~4 miles)
- Raccoon Point (~7 miles)
- Point Whitehorn Wreck (~10 miles)
- Derelict Conveyor (~11 miles)