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Scuba Diving Alaska

DIVE DESTINATION GUIDE

If you want to dive somewhere quite unique (and quite cold), head to Alaska in the winter. The water visibility tends to be much clearer in the winter months. In the summer, the glacier-fed rivers full of silt and nutrients tends to cloud up various areas, as do the whales who churn up the bottom while feasting on invertebrates. That being said, summer diving offers decent chance of swim-by from these massive creatures in the summer. Some fishing lodges are even working with dive professionals, and starting to offer scuba diving tours for salmon sharks, a great way to diversify clientele to divers. Many of whom might also like a combo fishing & diving package.

Almost all of Alaska scuba diving is true wilderness diving. There are relatively quite a few named dive sites, but virtually limitless places to dive. Getting in the water is not as cold as you might think with a good thick wetsuit, or even a drysuit. Facilities are rather limited, but most of the larger cities and port towns at least have a place for scuba air fills, maybe even tanks and weights rental. Simply ask around, but definitely check with and think about simply hiring one of the dive outfitters.

The best scuba diving leaving from Anchorage, which is basically saying, the most accessible, is southwest to Prince William Sound, south to the Kenai Peninsula, and many claim the easiest and best diving is in Resurrection Bay, near Seward, about two hours south. It's all spectacular. It's better than you'd ever believe reading on any website.

Whittier is the closest entry point to Prince William Sound, and less than an hour drive from Anchorage (plan extra time for the tunnel). There are countless bays and islands to explore in the sound. Shore diving is available in Whittier too, so start with a quick dive in Smitty's Cove, a protected area now, with several planes, lots of WWII wreckage, old cranes and building materials, along with NOAA reef installations.