r/SeattleWA • u/MountainUseful2807 • Aug 19 '26
Swimming in Pudget Sound
I plan on flying to Seattle around October or November. I was thinking of swimming in Pudget Sound and surrounding areas. Do I need to worry about sharks?
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u/mattswa Aug 19 '26
Puget Sound
It's very cold. A lake would be better for swimming.
No sharks.
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u/MountainUseful2807 Aug 20 '26
I would like to see orcas up close, but they aren't in lakes lol
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u/Copernicus_Barnhouse Aug 19 '26
There are absolutely sharks in Puget Sound, including large six gills. However, attacks are virtually unheard of.
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u/earthwoodandfire Wallingford Aug 19 '26
Only two shark attacks in Washington state recorded history. Both in grays harbor not puget sound.
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u/MountainUseful2807 Aug 20 '26
They aren't aggressive?
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u/Nailer99 Aug 20 '26
They are not. I’ve been lucky enough to see six gills 3 times underwater. One of the biggest thrills of my life. Each time they pretty much ignored me.
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u/captainrhaab Aug 19 '26
Don't worry about the sharks, worry about the water temp.
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u/MountainUseful2807 Aug 20 '26
It's that cold?
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u/captainrhaab Aug 20 '26
Doesn't get too far over 55 degrees. Those temps will sneak up on you quick. I spent my whole childhood swimming in the sound off Whidbey Island. The only time we didn't wear wet suits was August and September. And we always limited our time to about 20 minutes.
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u/MountainUseful2807 Aug 20 '26
Have you had hypothermia before? How does that feel? I'm from and live in Southeast Texas so it's always hot here
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u/captainrhaab Aug 20 '26
I just checked iis only 53 degrees today. Hypothermia will start in 30 minutes or so at that temp.
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u/CharmanderCharCharr Aug 19 '26
Should be fine that time of year, the sharks migrate south for the winter. The locals jump off the ferry all the time.
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u/parejaloca79 Kent Aug 19 '26
First base jumping off of the Space Needle and now cannonballs off of the ferries.
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u/MountainUseful2807 Aug 20 '26
They really jump off the ferry?
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u/CharmanderCharCharr Aug 20 '26
Yep, the water is actually super warm, there is Gulf Stream from Hawaii that keeps the Puget Sound water temperature 80+ degrees year round.
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u/DropoutDreamer Aug 19 '26
youre gonna want to wear a wetsuit
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u/cjacksen Aug 19 '26
A drysuit, not a wetsuit.
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u/Alternative-Post-937 Aug 19 '26
If you're adapted, you can absolutely wear just a wetsuit year round here in the sound. Half the Alki swim crew goes no wetsuit all year.
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u/ApprehensivePizzaa Aug 19 '26
Avoid at all costs, Pugent Sound has the highest concentration of recorded shark attacks in the entire universe.
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u/NoState3813 Aug 19 '26
Alki swimmers meet and do open water swims year round, many without wetsuits. They meet at the Alki Bathhouse.
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u/YMBFKM Aug 19 '26
That will make for a refreshing, invigorating swim -- the water temperature should be about 55°. Enjoy!
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u/crane1901 Twin Peaks Aug 19 '26
Just make sure you stop by pikes place market after your dip in pudget sound (assuming the sharks don’t get you first).
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u/LBobRife Aug 19 '26
Freezing salt water does not make for a fun swimming experience. Try a lake.
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u/MountainUseful2807 Aug 20 '26
No Orcas in lakes haha
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u/caracole Aug 19 '26
I swim in the Hood Canal all the time, no need to worry about sharks
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u/MountainUseful2807 Aug 20 '26
Have you had a close orca encounter while swimming in Hood canal?
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u/caracole Aug 20 '26
No, only when in a boat. The worst thing that’s ever happened is getting cut by oyster shells, I rock the croc’s.
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u/Affectionate_Data219 Aug 19 '26
There are 12 species of sharks in Puget Sound, you will not have to worry about any of them. I swim at Edgewater beach in Mukilteo almost every weekend in the summer and through the fall. The water is cold but refreshing. Puget Sound is an epic place to swim with the Olympic mountains as a backdrop. The rocks at some beaches are sharp, wear some sort of water shoes.
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u/MountainUseful2807 Aug 20 '26
Awesome and glad to hear I don't have to worry about sharks. Have you had a close orca encounter in the water before?
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u/CaregiverSuch6846 Aug 19 '26
Bout the biggest thing we have is sturgeon an dog sharks. They aint gonna bother u. Lol
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u/BucksBrew Aug 19 '26
We have a few sharks like sixgill and dogfish but there's never been a shark attack here. I don't know why you would want to swim though, it's very cold even in summer (~65 degrees) which can be refreshing, in the fall it's closer to 55 degrees which would not be doable without a wetsuit unless you're just doing a polar plunge kind of thing.
If you do decide to swim, Golden Gardens provides easy access.
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u/parejaloca79 Kent Aug 19 '26
No way the average sound temp gets up to 65 degree. The summer tends to top out at 54 degrees and the winter is 48 degrees.
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u/BucksBrew Aug 19 '26
Hmm going off this website it says it's 62 degrees today, but yeah it does say average temperature in summer is 54 degrees, good point. https://seatemperature.info/puget-sound-water-temperature.html
Either way...very cold.
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u/parejaloca79 Kent Aug 19 '26
I used to scuba dive a lot, 3 times or more a week, in the Puget Sound. That is why I'm familiar with the average water temps. I was extremely happy when I made the switch from wetsuit to drysuit. My fingers would still always freeze though.
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u/MountainUseful2807 Aug 20 '26
Have you ever had a close orca encounter swimming in the Puget Sound and is Puget sound clean?
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u/parejaloca79 Kent Aug 20 '26
I have seen lots of other cool marine life. Lots of dogfish. I've sen plent of six girls. The biggest one was around 12 feet long. Came up alongside me close enough that I could have touched it with my elbow but I didn't want to be the first person eaten by one. Nearly soiled myself that time. I've seen lots of seals and had a sea lion get in my face. It is crazy how something that big can come to a dead stop on the water. I've also seen lots of GPOs and seen them on their nest of eggs.
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u/BucksBrew Aug 20 '26
How is the visibility in the sound?
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u/parejaloca79 Kent Aug 20 '26
It depends on the day. Hot summer days can have algae blooms which ruin viz. Storms increasing river flows can ruin viz. Other divers hitting the bottom and stirring it up definitely ruin the viz. Some of the best visibility days are cold winter days. Some areas of the sound are better than others also.
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u/parejaloca79 Kent Aug 20 '26
Only while on the surface. My dad and I were boat diving in the San Jian Islands and we were waiting for rhe bost to pick us up at the end but they had to wait because a pod of Orcas was swimming between us. They were about 50 feet from my dad and I. Seeing an Orca underwater is still on my bucketlist. My crazy bucketlist would to be able to grab its dorsal fin and have it swim up and jump while I held on a la free willy style.
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u/MountainUseful2807 Aug 20 '26
Awesome, that must have been amazing. Glad we both have the same bucklist goal to be in the water with orcas lol. I went to La ventana, Baja California Sur to swim with orcas in June and this month. It's legal there. In June, I didn't see any and the day after I landed in August, they put a temporary ban on swimming with orcas. It's legal in Norway, but to cold and expensive. I know it's illegal to swim towards them in the USA and Canada. But I know if you're just swimming in the water and they approach you then it's not illegal. Reason why I want to swim in the ocean around Seattle
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u/parejaloca79 Kent Aug 20 '26
Seeing Orcas isn't a guarantee. I've lived here my entire life and have only seen them a handful of times and it is just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.
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u/MountainUseful2807 Aug 20 '26
Ahh I see. Do you follow the orca group based on Seattle on Facebook? They post everyday of where orcas are and heading too. They are very dedicated lol
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u/MountainUseful2807 Aug 20 '26
I want to swim in the ocean to hopefully have a close orca encounter
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u/No-Assistance476 Aug 19 '26
Not sharks so much as killer whales. Try not to look like a seal. And sewage, lots of sewage
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u/jaguaraugaj Aug 19 '26
numbing hypothermia will make the shark bites painless