Edmonds Underwater Park is a marine protected area in Edmonds, Washington located in the Puget Sound area of the Salish Sea. The City of Edmonds established the park in 1970 with a lease from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. The shoreline land was purchased from a local business owner to become the City’s Founders Park on Puget Sound in honor of George Brackett, Edmonds’ first mayor. When the Edmonds City Council made a dive at the proposed park site, they were struck by the wonderful marine life on a submerged dry dock from the 1930s. The site has since been designated as a no-take zone by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. It is important to devote areas for species recovery and habitat restoration. Edmonds Underwater Park achieves these goals and serves as a recreational area for the community. Volunteers have driven park maintenance since the beginning, working toward diver safety, park development, invasive species removal, and ecosystem surveys. The area is also a bird sanctuary. For this reason, dogs need to be leashed on paths and are not allowed on the beach.
Edmonds Underwater Park is the heart of our Edmonds community. Locals come to walk or run here. Kids and families flock to the beach year round. With over 25,000 visits from scuba divers alone, it is beloved by our community and one of the most popular dive destinations in the entire Pacific Northwest. Our community continues to protect and preserve this area so we may enjoy it for generations to come.
Edmonds Underwater Park celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2020. We are thankful to the volunteers who help maintain the underwater park, and to our community of ocean lovers who help keep our area protected. We look forward to many more years of diving and beachcombing in our backyard.
every New years day hundreds of community members take the Polar Plunge at edmonds
a gem of the pacific northwest
Located in on the Salish Sea, the City of Edmonds is part of the Puget Sound estuarine system. The Coast Salish-speaking peoples have lived in the region that surrounds Puget Sound for thousands of years.
we acknowledge the coast salish peoples, specifically the suquamish, whose land the city of edmonds stands.
The Puget Lobe glacier carved out Puget Sound over 18,000 years ago. After the glacier retreat, the area was abundant with life. Settlement of the area by colonizers led to the exploitation of natural resources. Over time, this has led to drastic impacts on the benthic life, health of the people, salmon, and orcas. These animals are a signature to the culture of the area. Efforts such as the development of marine protected areas have been made to restore Puget Sound’s natural life and beauty including our underwater backyard Edmonds Underwater Park.
awesome park volunteers
The park is maintained and improved by a volunteer diver Park Stewards group led by Bruce Higgins. Major contributors have varied over time and all contributions are valued. Since 1991, Bruce has committed to diving every Saturday and Sunday at 9:00 AM to support the park. The stewards support the City of Edmonds and dive community’s values: safety, security, maintenance, and improvements. Safety includes buoys, underwater trails (2.5 miles of rope and block guides), and signage to help divers navigate. Buoys are placed to help keep boats out of the park and define the boundaries. Security efforts include invasive species management including Didemnum and Ciona tunicates. Maintenance efforts encompass the repair and upkeep of park features for divers and marine life diversity. Improvements include developing rockfish habitat and features to attract divers toward the north side of the park.
Interested in pitching in? The Park Stewards meet every Saturday and Sunday at 9:00 AM for project dives. Show up with sturdy gloves ready to dive.
Underwater sports, our local dive shop, sponsors park volunteers. Together, underwater sports and the park volunteer stewards have helped foster a community of helpful, enthusiastic, and safe divers that enjoy the park all year around.
take care of our park
only 7.66% of the global ocean is protected. our backyard is part of this.
Edmonds Underwater Park is a no-take zone. This means no crabbing, fishing, harvesting or collecting of any kind. Please leave the beautiful shells on the beach!
Please keep four-footed furry friends on the sidewalk and off the beach. Our bird sanctuary status relies on a no-dog policy in order to keep the Federally protected birds safe and present for admiring.
There are no boats of any kind allowed in the park. This is to prevent user conflict with diver safety and to avoid noise pollution and physical destruction to the park’s vulnerable eelgrass ecosystem. This includes motor boats and human-powered boats such as kayaks. Kayakers and paddle boarders may have launch access at other Edmonds beaches, but please consult the rules for each specific park. Use of underwater scooters is not allowed.
The beach is a perfect place to enjoy a picnic. Please reduce the amount of waste you take to the beach, and pack out anything you bring in. Consider taking the 30 day challenge to reduce single-use plastic!
Carpool to the beach whenever possible. This will help reduce carbon emissions and vehicle runoff that finds its way into our ocean. There is limited parking, too.
Join Annie Crawley’s Dive Team to learn how to take action in the community and become a voice for the ocean!