Tag: Woahink Lake

Categories
Central Oregon Coast

Woahink Lake West Boat Ramp and Bridge

The west boat ramp by the bridge on Woahink Lake is a dive that just about every one of our SCUBA friends in Oregon has done at least once.  It is a popular place for training dives and a fun place to rinse gear in fresh water after diving at the SCUBA park on the Florence jetty.  While the site is relatively small and visibility can be poor, people keep coming back here because of the quirky things left underwater by other divers.  Everyone always seems to mention the KISS concert whenever they talk about this site.

Site Highlights:

The reason that we come to this site is to see what new things have been added to the treasure trove of random stuff that divers have left underwater.  Someone posed figurines of the band KISS into a mini concert on the north side of the dive site.  There’s a toilet or two with funny things in the bowls.  On the south end, we heard there might be a sunken model submarine.

Nearest Town:

Florence, Oregon is just up the road from the dive site.

GPS Coordinates:

43.929335, -124.102980

Special Directions to Site:

Look for the signs for Jessie M. Honeyman State Park.  Turn east onto Canary Road.  Immediately after the first small bridge, park on the right.

Parking:

There is minimal parking at this site.  One big dive group will take up all the space.  The site is often popular with SCUBA classes for Open Water courses so it’s a good idea to have some backup sites in mind like the East Boat Ramp at Woahink or the SCUBA Park on the North Jetty.

Imagery ©2017 Google, Map data ©2017 Google.
The little SCUBA park that has been made at the old west boat ramp at Woahink Lake is a fun spot to spend a dive or two looking at all of the odd things people have left underwater.

Site Orientation:

The site runs more or less north-south.  There are a few things just north of the bridge but heading further up this finger of Woahink Lake won’t lead to anything interesting other than a few fallen trees.  To the south past the submarine, you will find deeper water but not much else.

Entrances and Exits:

The old boat ramp at the southeast corner of the bridge is an easy entrance.  The last time we were here, there was a bit of a step down from the asphalt to the water but it wasn’t too bad.

Salt/Fresh:

This is a fresh water dive.

Shore/Boat:

This is a shore dive.

Normal Conditions:

Conditions here are usually very benign.  If an open water SCUBA class just got out of the water, visibility will be lousy though.

Normal Visibility:

If no one has gone diving at the site in the last day, we usually get 10-15 feet of viz at the west boat ramp in Woahink Lake.  However, the bottom stirs up very easily and can reduce visibility to less than 5 feet.  This is a good place to practice neutral buoyancy.

Normal Temperature:

Usually it’s between 48 and 56F here although we have seen it a little colder and a little warmer depending on the time of year.

Best Time of Year:

Any time of the year is a good time to go diving at Woahink Lake.

Max Depth:

We’ve hit 30 feet on the south side of this dive site but most of the site is a bit shallower.

Suggested Special Training:

You can dive this site as soon as you have your open water diving certification.

Difficulty of Dive:

This is a pretty easy dive.  There are a few submerged trees that you could get tangled in at the edges of the dive site but otherwise there aren’t any significant hazards that we’re aware of.

Distance of Walk to Entrance:

If you have to park at the farthest parking spot, you might have to walk 200 feet.  At the closest spot, you’ll need to walk about 50 feet.

Surface Swim Length:

No surface swim is needed at this Woahink Lake dive site.

Special Site Notes:

This site gets a LOT of use from regional SCUBA shops.  If a class is using the west boat ramp on Woahink Lake, go try the east boat ramp or the SCUBA park on the north jetty.

[Underwater Map of Dive Site Coming Soon!]

Closest Local Dive Shops to Get Air Fills and SCUBA Gear:

There used to be a fill station in Florence but we recently heard (February 2017) that it is no longer operating.  The closest place to get an air fill or gear service is in Eugene.  Port Orford to the south or Depoe Bay to the north also may still have air fill stations.

Nearby Restaurants We Like:

There are a lot of good places to eat along the old waterfront in Florence.  We usually see river otters playing on the riverbank there, too!

Nearby Places to Camp and Diver-Friendly Hotels:

There are several state campgrounds in the area that are a good place to base yourself for a few days of diving in Florence.  We haven’t tried any of the hotels so please let us know if you have a favorite that is good for divers.

What Other People Have to Say About This Site:

Please write in the comments below your experiences with this dive site!

Categories
Central Oregon Coast

Florence – Woahink Lake East Boat Ramp

The Woahink Lake east boat ramp near Florence, Oregon is a great place to go if you want to use up some air in your tanks after diving the north jetty on the Siulsaw River (either the SCUBA park or further out on the jetty), you want to rinse your gear off in fresh water, you need to test some new equipment out in a forgiving environment, or you want to work on some skills.  The site is used often by local dive shops for open water and rescue diver courses although the site is big enough to accommodate several large groups diving at the same time.  Visibility is usually 20 feet before the water gets stirred up.  The bottom has a lot of silt that is easy to stir up and reduce visibility down to 5-10 feet.  The silt settles quickly though.  The main attractions at this site are a jumble of logs off to the right of the boat ramp and a sunken kayak a few hundred feet in front of the boat ramp.

Woahink Lake East Boat Ramp Area.
There are several conveniently located picnic tables next to the parking lot where you can assemble your equipment and gear up. If you have a larger group, part of the group can stay on shore here cooking lunch or heating up water for hot chocolate while the rest of your group is diving.

Site Highlights:

The main highlights of this site are the pickup sticks pile of sunken logs on the south side of the dive site and the intentionally sunken kayak out at the eastern edge of the dive site.  There is a variety of life that you might see such as crayfish, trout, the occasional freshwater shrimp, and loads of newts and salamanders.  If you dive around the boat ramp, you might find some gear dropped overboard from boaters.

Nearest Town:

Florence, Oregon

GPS Coordinates:

43.927329 N, -124.097511 W

 

Special Directions to Site:

The road to the dive site is clearly signed from US101.  If you are driving south on US101 from Florence, there is a center turn lane that makes turning left across traffic easier.  If you’re driving south on US101 and you see a lake off to your left, you’ve gone too far.  If you’re driving north on US101 and you see a light commercial/industrial park on your right, you’ve gone too far.

Look for signs for the Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park and Canary Road.  Once you’re heading east on Canary Road, you will cross two small bridges.  After the second small bridge, take the first right.  If you cross a third larger bridge, you’ve gone too far.  You will drive down into a parking area.  Stay to the left where the road forks.  There is car parking along the eastern side of the lot (closest to the boat ramp).  We usually park under the trees next to the picnic tables.

Parking:

In the fall, winter, and spring we have never had trouble finding ample parking on the weekends.  We have not gone diving in the summer at this site so we can’t report on how packed it gets on hot summer days.  Day use parking is $5/vehicle.

Woahink Lake East Boat Ramp Site Overview.
Imagery © 2017 Google, Map data © 2017 Google.

Site Orientation:

The dive site is roughly oriented on N-S-E-W compass bearings.  When in doubt, head west and you will find the shore.  The jumble of sunken logs is due west of the big tree circled in orange in the image above.

Entrances and Exits:

The entrances and exits that we normally use require some careful foot placement to step up and down from the bank to the small beaches at each entrance point.  For those who have trouble with the big steps, you can enter and exit at the boat ramp assuming that there is no boater traffic.  It would be worthwhile to talk with a State Parks employee to ask for permission if you are using the boat ramp as an entrance and exit.

Salt/Fresh:

This is a fresh water dive and is perfect for rinsing your gear after diving at the jetty in Florence.

Shore/Boat:

This is a shore dive although you could practice your boat diving skills here if you wanted.

Normal Conditions:

The lake is usually calm and quiet.  Boaters can add a level of complexity and you should post a dive flag .

Normal Visibility:

Usually you get 10-20 feet of visibility, depending on if it’s been raining lately and if sediment has washed in from the surrounding streams.  If you stir up the silt on the bottom, things can go down to 1-3 feet pretty quickly.  However, all you need to do is swim a little bit in any direction and you’ll be back in clearer water.  The silt settles back down to 5-10 feet of visibility after a few minutes and the visibility goes back to normal after a half hour or so.

Normal Temperature:

We have seen water temperatures here as low as 43F and as high as 52F.  Very occasionally you might experience a thermocline in the top foot or two of the water column if it has been heavily raining.  Diving in a dry suit with proper thermals or a 7mm farmer john-style wet suit is appropriate at this site.  We know a guy who used to dive here without a hood but we’d recommend full neoprene protection from the cold.

Best Time of Year:

Fall, winter, and spring are all great times of year to dive this site.  The park is quiet and you often will have the place to yourself.  If a SCUBA class is at this site, try the Woahink Lake west boat ramp or the Woahink sunken train wreck.

Max Depth:

If you really search for it, you can hit 40 feet by burying your gauge in the muck in a couple places at this dive site.  Normally you will hit between 25 and 35 feet depending on what part of the site you visit.

Suggested Special Training:

This site is appropriate for open water divers after they have completed their checkout dives and have been certified.

Difficulty of Dive:

This dive site is easy to dive.  Woahink Lake provides an excellent place for SCUBA divers of any physical ability.

Distance of Walk to Entrance:

From the parking lot to the entrance, you have about 150 to 200 feet to walk.  You descend down a gentle hill.  There is a big step down from the bank to the beach although you can use the boat ramp to enter if the step is too much for you.

Surface Swim Length:

You can wade out about 20 feet from shore to start your dive or kick out another 50 feet to descend down to about 15-20 feet deep.

Special Site Notes:

Watch for boat traffic especially in the summer.  A dive flashlight could be useful to look under logs for newts and salamanders.

[Underwater Map of Dive Site Coming Soon!]

Closest Local Dive Shops to Get Air Fills and SCUBA Gear:

There used to be a shop in Florence although we can’t confirm at this point if it is still open for business.  Please contact us if you know of any local shops for air fills and SCUBA gear!

Nearby Restaurants We Like:

The old town area of Florence has several good seafood restaurants.  Along the riverfront you can sometimes spot a group of river otters playing on the banks.

Nearby Places to Camp and Diver-Friendly Hotels:

There are several state park campgrounds near the dive site.  We have not tried any of the hotels in Florence yet.  If you know of a good place to stay, please contact us.

What Other People Have to Say About This Site:

Please write in the comments below your experiences with this dive site!