Olivia is the creator of the brand Fully Submerged on social media and also has a swimwear line, but her day job scheduled her for six weeks of work on the West Coast. The trip provided the perfect excuse to properly reconnect with drysuit diving.

I met Olivia through Instagram a few years ago and we bonded through our experiences of being women divers on the internet. We met in person a little over a year ago at DEMA and have stayed in touch ever since. When she said she’d be in Washington for this trip, I connected her to PADI Instructor Atina and the dive shop Underwater Sports to get her sorted with a drysuit orientation. She was already drysuit certified, but didn’t have much experience so it was time to set up her own drysuit and get some practice in.

In a drysuit course, as with most other courses, spending a few hours in the pool is a good idea to get a grip on the new equipment or skill techniques. It can also be a fun time to just be silly and play with your friends because, after all, we are primarily in this sport for the fun of it. I have to admit I don’t do this much, which is one of the reasons I don’t have any of the silly skills like being able to consistently blow a perfect bubble ring.

Olivia handled her drysuit orientation and skills like a champ and we all felt good about moving forward with some ocean dives. If you’re looking for more resources on drysuit diving, she recently made a video about choosing the right drysuit and I’ve made several videos about my journey with drysuit diving. 

We decided on Redondo for our first dive with Olivia because it’s a pretty simple dive site close to her Airbnb. Redondo is in Des Moines and has been featured on my channel previously because of the six-gill shark diving that can happen here during the summertime. Now, in the colder months, we’re getting the benefit of better visibility, and it’s totally worth the drop in temperature.

We all got in the water and checked weighting. It’s dives like these that make me appreciate being in the water with friends instead of solo diving. When I was learning dry suit, I didn’t know anyone in the area and I was figuring out almost everything on my own.

When I think back to that time, I laugh because a lot of headaches could’ve been avoided by diving with knowledgeable dive buddies or instructors, but it’s not always easy to get connected to other divers. That’s the main reason why I make these videos and work so hard to create an open and supportive community. We all need a little help on our journeys with the sport.

After a successful first couple of dives, Olivia and I made a trip to the Hood Canal, stopping first at my favorite shore diving site, Sund Rock. 

This day was a beautifully moody example of diving in the Pacific Northwest.

I’ve spent several days exploring dive sites around this area and this is one of my favorites because of the sea life, the ease and comfort of the dive site, and of course, the hot showers.

If you only have one day of diving in the Hood Canal, this spot is worth a visit. Just make sure to go online to make a reservation before your dive day. There’s no need to stress about navigation here. Sund Rock is very simple to explore thanks to the topography and detailed dive map located in the parking lot.

After our rainy dives, we stayed the night at an Airbnb owned by a couple who run a small dive operation off their 1969 36-foot Grand Banks trawler. I had never been boat diving in the Hood Canal, but it’s high on my list for exploring with my boat next year, so we decided to check it out. 

The owners Katherine and Kelley took great care of us throughout our stay. Katherine not only prepared the food, but was also our dive guide on the boat. She said the boat wasn’t really designed for dive charters but because it’s her passion, they run a dive operation from it and I totally relate. When I look around different boats, I can see why my boat and many sailboats are not the preferred vessels for dive operations, but I’m in the same mindset, I’ll make it work.

Boat diving in the Hood Canal, Washington, offers a unique gateway to explore one of the Pacific Northwest’s most vibrant underwater ecosystems while enjoying majestic views of the mountains while topside. This fjord-like waterway is home to stunning marine life, and offers a wide range of dive sites. The calm waters and decent visibility in the winter months make it ideal for divers of all levels.

We had two stunning dives and throughout the day I was taking notes on how boating works there. Are there tricky navigational spots? Where are the day-use buoys? Where could I anchor or dock for a few nights? I have spent many days on boats throughout my career, but now that I’m actually learning to drive and live on a boat, I watch captains and deck hands with a deeper understanding. Even things that I’ve seen a million times like docking and mooring. It always looked so simple until I got behind the helm. Every time I’m on a boat, I’m learning new techniques for how to deal with different situations and I’m taking notes on how to set up my boat to be as safe as possible out here.

Having this experience with Pallin’ Around makes me optimistic about my plans to explore further away from my marina next year. I have moments where I severely doubt my abilities to do what I have in mind so every little glimmer of hope reignites the spark.

See what trips are coming up. I always give my community first dibs on spots, so you can sign up for Patreon (and get trip discounts) or my email list to be the first to know about new expeditions in the future.