Jorstad Creek

Jorstad Creek sits along the Lilliwaup shoreline north of Hoodsport, on the west side of the fjord. The dive is a wall descending from about 40 feet to over 100, with rock piles set against the main face and a separate north wall reached by a 250 to 300 foot swim from the historical entrance.

For most of the site's history Jorstad Creek was a shore dive. The published directions still describe a US-101 turnout above the beach and a steep, rope-assisted climb down tree roots to the water. That access is no longer legal. The tidelands are posted private, owned by the Hamma Hamma Oyster Company, and the Washington Department of Transportation easement above the road stops well short of the shoreline. Boat access is now the only way in, and the site remains on the working charter rotation because the wall itself has not changed.

The site fits inside a rocky reef biome. The vertical face is punctuated by crevices and small overhangs, and both giant Pacific octopus dens and resident wolf eels are documented along it. Rockfish gather near the structure in the pattern seen across the Hoodsport-area walls. Scuba is the only activity here; the depth and boat-only entry rule out snorkeling, and the marine area closures rule out spearfishing entirely.

Access is boat-only. The nearest launches are the Hoodsport public dock and Hood Canal Marina at Union to the south, and the Triton Cove State Park ramp to the north. YSS Dive Charters runs the site as a regular destination, and other Hood Canal operators put boats on it when currents cooperate. Outgoing tides push water across the wall, so the dive is planned on slack or flood. Take is prohibited under the 2026 Marine Area 12 rules, which close all bottomfish and forage fish in Hood Canal, and both wolf eel and giant Pacific octopus are non-take species throughout Washington.