Illahee State Park

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Photo: Joe (Mydivingsites Actual)

Illahee State Park is a shore dive in Bremerton, WA, US, from 0–16 m (0–52 ft). Illahee is an excellent dive site for practicing skills, featuring a gently sloping sandy bottom, and divers can find a long-lost shopping cart and a concrete anchor block near the end of the dock, which also hosts barnacles, anemones, and crabs. To dive, descend via the concrete stairs, surface swim to the dock, and be sure to deploy a diver down flag and check currents before entering the water.

Site details

Entry
Beach/Shore
Depth
0–16 m (0–52 ft)
Environment
Ocean/Sea
Entry effort
Easy (5 of 5)
Surface swim
60 m (197 ft)
Coordinates
47.59962, -122.59533

Site briefing

As far as diving locations go, Illahee is a wonderful place to learn and practice skills. The sea bed is sandy and gently sloping out to the middle of the passage. Drop your diver down flag by the end of the dock. There is no structure to speak of, and very few creatures. There are stories of a shopping cart that's been there for 20+ years near the end of the dock, and a maybe a bathtub. It works on a high and a low. Be sure to check the current direction as the tides change, because it could go north toward Agate pass, or south towards Rich passage - depending on which end the moon is closer too.

Entry and route

Descend to the beach using the concrete stairs near the sign board. Take the surface swim out to the dock and descend. The shopping cart is near the end of the dock. Near the piling you'll also find a rope that can guide you on the outside of the dock to a large concrete block that anchors the dock. There are barnacles and anemones on the piling, and you might see some large crabs too.

Tides and currents

  • Nearest NOAA tide station: Bremerton, Sinclair Inlet, Port Orchard (9445958)
  • Nearest NOAA current station: Port Orchard, southwest of Waterman (PCT1711)

MyDivingSites forecasts tide, current, swell, and weather for Illahee State Park hour by hour.

Dive reports from Illahee State Park

9 logged dives, average rating 2.8 out of 5, average visibility 1.8 m (6 ft).

  • Aug 5, 2026 · Joe · visibility 1 m (3 ft) — Illahee is such a good place to learn! Had a refresher diver today. Noticeable current after the high tide, to the south. The water was snotty on top and silty on the bottom. Max of ok viz was about 5'. Water was warm. Seen: Pacific Herring, Red Rock Crab, Moon Snail, Pipefish.
  • Oct 19, 2025 · Joe · visibility 3 m (10 ft) — Open water class with Mike - Dive 2 on day 2, where the students create their own tour and we go along to provide guidance, support and safety. Headed out on an 80degree heading from the inside of the dock. Stayed at < 10' for a while and checked out everything in the kelp. Got out to 38 feet, saw some crab fights and came back in. Seen: Leather Star, Red Rock Crab, Sugar Kelp, Flounder.
  • Oct 18, 2025 · Joe · visibility 2 m (7 ft) — Diving with Mike's OW class today - Dive 2 on Day 1, so it's a tour out to 40' and back, for 20 mins. Went out at 80deg heading toward the pier on Bainbridge island. There's a TON more out here to see today - viz much cleaned up. 25' or so. Also saw horse clam, tube worms, a bunch of prawns, tiny hermit crabs. Particularly entertaining were the crab fights among the midsize rock crabs. Seen: Mottled Star, Leather Star, Kelp Crab, Moon Snail, Moon Jellyfish, Large Anemones, Rock Crab, Pipefish.
  • Aug 23, 2025 · Joe · visibility 1 m (3 ft) — Working with Jason's class today, and it was HOT - Air was in the 80's, and the water was almost 60. Only wore a base layer under my drysuit today - no insulation. Viz was terrible down to 15', thermocline at 16', and viz got only a tiny bet better by 25'. < 5' viz higher up in the water column, max of 10' lower down. Seen: Buffalo Sculpin, Ochre Star, Leather Star, Red Rock Crab, Kelp Crab, Moon Snail, Moon Jellyfish, Sugar Kelp, Flounder, Pipefish.
  • Jun 22, 2025 · Joe · visibility 1 m (3 ft) — Working with Sound Dive Center supporting Mike's basic OW class, and working on my DM checklist. Vis was better than a month ago; tide was super low. Buuuut, saw a ton on this dive. Head out from the center of the shore/pier area on a heading of 110 degrees - it's way better than heading around the docks. Seen: Buffalo Sculpin, Mottled Star, Red Rock Crab, Kelp Crab, Sea Pen, Moon Snail, Nudibranch, Decorator Crab, Plumose Anemone (White Variety), Moon Jellyfish, Lion's Mane Jellyfish, California Sea Cucumber, Piddock Clam.

Marine life seen here

  • Kelp Crab (Pugettia producta) — seen on 5 dives
  • Red Rock Crab (Cancer productus) — seen on 5 dives
  • Moon Snail (Euspira lewisii) — seen on 4 dives
  • Leather Star (Dermasterias imbricata) — seen on 3 dives
  • Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) — seen on 3 dives
  • Pipefish (Syngnathus fuscus) — seen on 3 dives
  • Buffalo Sculpin (Enophrys bison) — seen on 2 dives
  • Flounder (Platichthys stellatus) — seen on 2 dives
  • Mottled Star (Evasterias troschelii) — seen on 2 dives
  • Nudibranch (Various Species) — seen on 2 dives
  • Plumose Anemone (White Variety) (Metridium dianthus) — seen on 2 dives
  • Rock Crab (Cancer productus) — seen on 2 dives
  • Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissima) — seen on 2 dives
  • Bamboo Coral (Isidella spp.) — seen on 1 dive
  • Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus) — seen on 1 dive

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