Difficulty
Unrated
Viz (last reported 102332h ago)
Max Depth
Unknown
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Crab Dock
A great site for, what else, CRABS! The Docks have easy access and entry, but you do have watch out for the current. Plan your dive for slack! Exploring under the dock, lost items, from the landlubbers above, are there for the taking!
Take the nearest exit from the South side of the Newport Bridge. Head down the hill toward the water, and find the parking lot close to the bay just to the East of the bridge. You won't see the dock until you start to walk toward the water.
Access
shore
Nearby Shops
Tide Report
5
4
3
2
1
(6)
Zentacle
Sep 21, 2021, 1:04 AM
scuba
Looking North, the dock is just a short hike down the path.
Carefully transverse the rocky jetty to the beach, and head out to end of the dock, where it falls off to about 45 feet.
Looking toward the South end of the bridge, you'll find plenty of parking here.
6
Ben & Stacey Pelster
Jan 18, 2013, 12:00 AM
scuba
Went with my husband diving at the dock two different occasions. The main point of our dive was to have fun and recover lost crab pots. Best to go in just before slack tide because the current can get very strong after slack, which pretty much ends the dive. Strong winds made for choppy surf on our third dive. Dove to about 30-35 feet at the deepest. Not too much to see down there, lots of little crabs. This was a fun dive to find crab pots, though! We came up with four rings the first dive, which I later sold. Came back with a couple box traps and a couple more rings the second dive, as well as some bait boxes. Sold one to a guy walking on the shore. It was a lot of fun and the people on the dock/shore had fun watching and talking with us. One downside to this dive. There's a looong walk with your gear to get to a good entry point. We staged our gear up above in the picnicking area next to the Rogue brewery (grab a beer and a bite afterward!), then hiked down the rocks and across the little beach front east of the dock, took a break and then entered the water. Snorkeled a ways out before submerging. For that reason, give your self plenty of time before slack to enter.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Mark Mills
May 27, 2008, 12:00 AM
scuba
This was a dive we did and won't do again. There is a long walk to get in the water. Then a climb down the rocks followed by a long surface swim. There was very little life at crab dock. The only crab we saw were about 5, 3-4in. Red Rocks just before high slack. Current was pretty strong so we didn't go out to the end of the dock. We just drift dived back to shore. We did find a crab pot, 3 bait boxes, and a chocolate bar so, if you wanted to get some treasures, people drop things off the dock! One jerk dropped a pot right next to us so be careful while diving.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Jjeff
Nov 1, 2006, 12:00 AM
scuba
I dove this once with a local diver. We walked out the dock and climbed over the rail (he has jumped before) which gives the dry people a chance to ask questions and assures them that we are looking for lost pots, not their crabs. I surfaced swam back to the jetty/shore, since I didn't want to climb up the pilings. I will do it again.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Mark Schneider
Feb 12, 2003, 12:00 AM
scuba
This is not really much of a dive. Entry down rocks on west is okay but then you have a long surface swim. Entry from jetty on east allows less swimming but bottom is really mucky. Surprisingly little life around pilings. Crabbers on dock can be highly suspicious. I actually wanted to review the OSU research vessel dock which is a much better dive but was not listed. You just follow the road about another 1/2 mile to a large dead end turn around. You can see the dock from there. Not a great dive but much better than crab dock. There is a sunken tree, a large tire, a number of other items and a rock jetty. Lots more life and if you dive on the high after a minus tide the crabs can be numerous.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Steve Frisbie
Jun 13, 2002, 12:00 AM
scuba
Did this dive once before moving away from the area years ago. It's a bit of a swim out to depth. Kind of a mildly interesting dive, going from pier post to pier post in low viz. It was the first time I'd done that, kinda neat. Occasional crab, garbage and sometimes a free crab-pot can be found (there was one the day we dove with no rope attached). There are crab fishermen on the pier who will give you stink-eye because they think you are after their crabs in their pots, so I wouldn't crab here. Little do they know that you'll see more crabs outside the pots than inside...help them out if you find any by putting them in the pots. Lots of Geoducks can be found here. Pick up a razor clam shell and fan deeply (helps if there is a tide to carry away the silt) around the necks which stick an inch or two above the surface of the muck and you might be able to get yourself a 3-5 lb supply of clam chowder meat.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Other Locations Nearby