Site Resources & Tools
Dive planning for Pile Point
Site Briefing
Pile Point is a dive site in the San Juan Islands . At the west entrance of False Bay on south San Juan Island, with a rocky wall, ledges, caves, and boulders from 30 to 100 ft.
Works as a light drift off slack on minor exchanges: enter about 100 yards west of the point and drift east with the wall on your left. South San Juan visibility is often 30 ft or better; a kelp bed on the east side makes a good safety stop.
Access: Boat from Cornet Bay on Whidbey Island, about 25 miles.
Marine life: Tall wall sections carry dense, colorful invertebrate cover.
Conditions: Along the point, current runs east on the ebb even when strait flow suggests otherwise. Comfort with drift diving and depth management is important.
⚠️ Safety & accuracy
Before diving at Pile Point, 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Briefings may be out of date or have inaccuracies.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
Discovery Island, 3.0 nm NE of (41 ft) -- 3 miles away
Kanaka Bay, San Juan Island -- 1 mile away
Nearest Featured Dive Sites
- Breakfast Rock (~5 miles)
- Whale Rocks (~7 miles)
Nearby Dive Sites
- America (~1 miles)
- Paul's Wall (~3 miles)
- Eagle Point (~3 miles)