Share Your Saltwater Story

We, the Friends of Saltwater State Park are the eyes and ears of the park. Scuba divers have a unique connection to Saltwater State Park and its marine environment. The area was originally developed in part for fishing and became known as a “fish haven,” which can still be seen on maps. Over time these havens became exciting destinations for recreational divers. Today, the Marine Protected Area represents only a portion of the marine environment associated with Saltwater State Park.

Diver above the artificial reef inside the Marine Protected Area of the park

To the north of the protected area is another quarter mile of artificial reef constructed from discarded tires. Although these reefs were originally intended to create additional habitat for marine life, tires are a slow-degrading and unhealthy material that provides relatively poor habitat. The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is planning to eventually remove tire reefs throughout Puget Sound, which is a positive step toward restoring healthier marine habitat. However, their removal also highlights an important question:

What should replace the habitat function these artificial reefs were intended to Provide?

Tires found north of the Marine Protected Area

The need for healthy marine habitat is greater today than ever. Over the decades, much of our shoreline has been reengineered for human purposes without fully accounting for the needs of marine ecosystems. Increased sedimentation has buried rocky substrate where seaweeds attach, as just one of the contributing factors to declines in seaweeds and reductions in seaweed diversity. These changes affect the marine organisms that depend on seaweeds creating a continuing ecological collapsing cascade effect.

Central Puget Sound has experienced dramatic kelp loss, while restrictions on rockfish fishing reflect broader concerns about the health of Puget Sound's marine ecosystem. Many of the artificial reefs installed in the 1970s, including tire reefs and sunken barges, were created with the goal of providing additional habitat. At Saltwater State Park, only small remnants of the original sunken barge structure remain and 3,000 tires.

The original need for additional marine habitat has not disappeared—it has become even more important.

Our goal is to inform the agencies and decision-makers responsible for our marine environment and encourage continued investment in healthy, sustaining, and ecologically appropriate marine habitat, including the continued protection and stewardship of places such as Saltwater State Park rather than relying on failed or deteriorating artificial structures.

Diver with a Giant Pacific Octopus at the artificial reef inside the Marine Protected Area

Scuba diving provides a unique, recreational, and nature-oriented way for people to experience and observe these underwater environments. As recreational diving continues to grow, divers can also play an important role in observing changes, documenting marine life, and supporting long-term stewardship of our marine resources.

This questionnaire is intended to gather the perspectives and observations of people who care about Saltwater State Park and the health of Puget Sound, helping inform future decisions about marine habitat, recreation, restoration, and stewardship.

Scan the QR code and tell us what makes Saltwater Marine Park special to you!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSePenyfJwExY4wvlcQQDyaYbCyCDd5eCg2dNbcIHzJFwrAQ1g/viewform?

Your story could inspire other divers and support the protection of marine parks.

               Sponsored by Friends of Saltwater State Park – FriendsSaltwater.org and Washington State Parks