Extreme Low Tides this Week

May 25, 2021 by Leave a Comment


We have some extreme low tides predicted for Thursday at minus 3.88 at 12:10 pm. Today’s low tide was a minus 2.29 when I took this photo around 10:40 this morning. Friday is also set to have a very low tide… just shy of Thursday’s low at 3.86 around 12:57 pm.

This coincides with the super blood moon and lunar eclipse which will take place tonight (or technically early Wednesday morning). It may be unlikely we’ll be able to view this lunar event from Seattle with the potential cloudy skies…we can dream!

Filed Under: Puget Sound, Weather Tagged With: ,

Exta low tide off Emma Schmitz Viewpoint

April 29, 2021 by Leave a Comment


This pic was taken pretty close to 1:18 pm today with a predicted low tide of -2.98.

Filed Under: Puget Sound

Rain-Zilla? Or…

December 21, 2020 by Leave a Comment


Or is it the all the rain water runoff from Jacobsen and Beach Drive feeding into the overflow system that’s about 150 feet off-shore. In our 15+ years of living here, we have yet to see water spouting out of the storm runoff into the sound…this is a first!


The rainfall has been so intense that it blew off the cover of this manhole on Beach Drive.

EDITORS NOTE: This video was submitted by a neighbor. I promised not to mention who. 😉

Filed Under: Puget Sound, Weather

Rescue off Beach Drive seems fishy to local residents

May 21, 2020 by Leave a Comment

There was a huge rescue call out tonight for a couple of divers off of Emma Schmitz near the rock pile where spear fishing for ling cod is a popular spot.

Neighbors noticed divers with lights surfacing and seeming to submerge when rescue boats were nearby. Eventually two divers appeared and said what was needed to satisfy the officials.


Many neighbors watching this are coming to the same conclusion… it seems a bit fishy. However, fishing for ling cod did open tonight!

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Fishing Season is re-opened

May 5, 2020 by Leave a Comment


Fishing is officially reopened today… perhaps some lucky fishermen and their household will enjoy some ling cod tacos for dinner tonight. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

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Eggcellent Biomass

April 22, 2020 by Leave a Comment
A Fish & Wildlife worker was seen wading into Beach Drive waters yesterday following the movements from the huge flock of Bonaparte’s gulls. He was using a small rake to sample the extent of the rare herring spawn we experienced along the shoreline a few days back. According to an excellent article from the Kitsap Sun, this type of sampling is used to measure the metric tons of biomass (herring eggs) left behind.
Some long term Beach Drive residents that have fished these local water for over 40 years could not recall ever seeing a herring spawn here. From a wider Puget Sound perspective, 2020 may prove to be the largest spawning season on record. Observers north of Bainbridge in Agate Passage spoke to some old timers for their insights
Oleyar said he’s spoken to tribal members who haven’t seen an event of this size: “Some of them have lived here for 60 years or more and they haven’t seen this before. This is pretty historic.”
For the remaining eggs that survive, let’s cross our fingers for a return visit in about 3 years or so.
Scupper, reporting for the BDB
Filed Under: Puget Sound, Scupper, Wildlife Tagged With: , , , ,

What’s with all the Seals and Sea Lions?

April 19, 2020 by 2 Comments

Did you get an early wake up call from the barking seals and sea lions this morning? There is a massive herring spawn taking place right now causing the light, milky patches in the sound and attracting a lot of wildlife, including seals, sea lions and eagles.


We captured this photo at Emma Schmitz Memorial Viewpoint where onlookers watched the packs of seals and sea lions take breaks from their feast. The lighter colored water is not typical. The PT Leader has a great description of what’s taking place:

“The CWI’s Anne Shaffer explained that “white water” is the colloquial term for the milt sprayed by males to fertilize the newly laid eggs.

“Scores of marine mammals and thousands of birds congregate to feed on the thick carpets of eggs laid on eelgrass and Sargassum seaweed along the shore,” Shaffer said. “The eggs are still developing but will soon hatch, marking the beginning the 2020 spring plankton season that, in turn, supports the rest of our Salish Sea food chain.”


It’s an amazing sight and I WISH my better camera was working right now.

We’ve noticed a few paddle boarders trying to get a close look at the sea lions and seals.

 

Filed Under: Puget Sound, Wildlife Tagged With: , , ,

Flood of Debris Hitting our Shores

February 13, 2020 by 3 Comments

UPDATE 2/14/2020: Scroll below for more photos by our Intrepid Reporter, Scupper. We have also added a link to the My Coast app under Swell Links. 

Anyone else noticing the increased amount of wood debris along the shores of Beach Drive lately? I could hardly believe my eyes when I gazed out at the low tide this afternoon…

BDB confirmed with both King County & Washington State Dept of Natural Resources that the main contributor is likely from the recently flooded rivers in the region.

According to a spokesperson for DNR’s Aquatic Restoration, all the clean, non creosote soaked wood will be allowed to settle on our local beaches to help contribute to the natural habitat. The person that I spoke with mentioned that they were just out at West Seattle beaches removing toxic coated wood & debris off the beaches. She encouraged us to help promote their new app named “My Coast” that allows anyone to send a picture of toxic debris floating in the sound for cleanup.

The really big stuff floating out neat the shipping lanes is the responsibility of the Army Corp of Engineers. We spotted them picking logs onto a large barge yesterday morning.

Photos from February 14, 2020

Scupper, reporting for Beach Drive Blog

Filed Under: Breaking News, Puget Sound, Technology Tagged With: ,

Possible Water Spout on Puget Sound

October 9, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Yesterday one of our neighbors captured video of what looks like the beginnings of a water spout off the shores of Alki Point.

Video credit: Barb Howell

Other neighbors contacted us as well inquiring about the water wind wonder on Puget Sound. We don’t have any meteorologist in our household…but this certainly looks spouty to me!

Filed Under: Alki, Puget Sound, Weather Tagged With: , ,

USS Carl Vinson heading to Bremerton

January 20, 2019 by Leave a Comment

The USS Carl Vinson CVN-70 is heading to Bremerton, the ships home-port.

Filed Under: Puget Sound
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