Check out a Redondo dive that was filmed in 2017 with members of the Oregon Scuba Club
Date: Saturday September 13th
Time: 10AM
Location: 28280 Redondo Beach Dr S, Des Moines, WA 98198
Redondo Beach, Washington, in Des Moines, is a popular and accessible dive site in the Puget Sound area. It's well-regarded for its ease of access, public facilities, and suitability for divers of all experience levels, from beginners to advanced/technical divers.
Here's what you might encounter when diving Redondo Beach:
Underwater features: An underwater park with sculptures, structures, and artificial reefs enhances the diving experience. Divers can also explore small boat wrecks, a tire reef, PVC pipe reefs, and reef balls.
Marine life: The diverse underwater environment is home to various species, including Giant Pacific Octopus (GPO), wolf eels, rockfish, nudibranchs, crabs, and potentially even six-gill sharks, especially in the late summer.
Dive lines: There's a deep line for advanced divers and a shallow line suitable for both advanced and open water divers.
Visibility: Visibility can vary but is often around 10-15 feet, especially in the upper depths. Visibility might drop at deeper depths, so having flashlights is helpful.
Tides and currents: The site is generally tide tolerant, but during significant tidal exchanges, especially large ebbs, downwellings can occur, and during floods, an unpredictable current known as the "Redondo River" might appear in the shallows. You can check resources like planmydive.com for tidal and current information.
Important considerations:
Parking: A paid public parking lot is available across the street from the beach.
Facilities: Public facilities are available at the site.
Night diving: Redondo Beach is also a popular spot for night diving.
Community dives: Local dive groups like the GUE Seattle Facebook group organize community dives at Redondo Beach, often on Wednesday nights.
Redondo Beach is considered one of the easiest shore diving locations in the Pacific Northwest, making it an excellent starting point for new divers to the area or those looking for a couple of easy dives.
Optimal dive plan for Redondo Beach, Washington (September 13, 2025)
An optimal dive plan for Redondo Beach, WA on September 13, 2025, taking into account the adjusted dive time to coincide with high tide, would be as follows:
Arrival at Redondo Beach: Around 10:00 AM.
High Tide: The first high tide on September 13, 2025, at Redondo Beach will be at 10:52AM PDT, reaching 10.3 feet.
First Entry: Around 11:00 AM, allowing ample time to prepare and capitalize on the incoming tide
Important considerations
Viz (Visibility): Recent reports indicate variable visibility at the Redondo dive site, ranging from 10-15 feet, with shallows around 10 feet.
Tides and currents:
Big floods are generally less concerning than big ebbs at Redondo.
On an ebb tide, downwellings can occur along the drop-off and down to the bottle field.
On a flood tide, watch out for the "Redondo River", an unpredictable current that runs parallel to the shore, particularly in the shallows.
Dive site features:
Redondo is suitable for both beginner and intermediate divers.
The site features a shallow line (around 50 feet) and a deep line (around 100 feet).
Notable features include a carousel horse and the remnants of a VW bug.
Six gill sharks are occasionally sighted along the deep line in August.
Regulations: Be sure to follow all local and general dive regulations.