Diving

Persons needing to SCUBA dive must contact the Dive Safety Officer (DSO) and are advised to do so well in advance of their arrival at FHL. All diving at UW and FHL is for scientific purposes and conducted according to AAUS standards. SCUBA medical clearance will be required.

FHL does not oversee snorkeling safety. Those who snorkel do so at their own risk. FHL may have some snorkeling gear available to borrow, but we recommend that you bring your own (full 7mm wetsuits required).

Friday Harbor Labs has a dive locker with showers, gear storage, and both air and nitrox fills. Both Shore diving and boat diving from our small boats is possible, however, all divers deploying from a small boat MUST have a boat tender in addition to their dive buddy. Please contact the DSO or BSO to arrange for a boat tender.

Dive Fees

FHL DIVE FACILITY FEE

An annual FHL Dive Facility Fee will be charged of anyone diving on SCUBA based at FHL, with the rare exception of those diving on an organizational MOU with the labs. This fee will be charged regardless of a diver’s status, number of dives at FHL, or duration of visit/residence.

CYLINDER FILLS:

The FHL Dive Fee covers unlimited air cylinders, but there is an additional fee for Nitrox. Divers on an organizational MOU will be charged for air cylinder fills.

Nitrox users will be asked to fill out a form recording use, and submit it to the DSO.

For your convenience, here are pdf and xls versions of a form you can use to log your boat use, fuel use and SCUBA fills.

FHL Log – Boat, Fuel and SCUBA Fill (pdf)
FHL Log – Boat, Fuel and SCUBA Fill (xls)

UW EH&S FEE

In addition to the FHL Dive Facility Fee, University of Washington Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) charges a fee of all divers at FHL. Please check with the UW Dive Officers Will Love or Pema Kitaeff for more information about rates.

Fees listed are for expenses paid by card, check, or cash; they include 14.4% University of Washington overhead, and are subject to an additional 8.5% sales tax. If paying on a UW budget, neither overhead nor sales tax are incurred.

Dive Facility Fee	$105 / year
Air Cylinder Fill for Divers Paying Facility Fee	$0
Nitrox Cylinder Fill	$12/cylinder
Air Cylinder Fill for Divers on Organizational MOU	$20/cylinder
EH&S Fee	Please Contact DSO

USEFUL INFORMATION:

Snorkeling Regulations at FHL
Level III Check-out Form (pdf) – Boat Tender to SCUBA Diver: This form must be filled out by a “lead” diver to the prospective boat-tender prior to the first dive trip, and they may not tend solo the first time.
Dive Equipment Loan Form 2022 (pdf)
UW Dive page and Forms
AAUS website
LOG UW DIVES (requires user login; new users may register at site.)

TIDES & WEATHER:

SAN JUAN ISLANDS MARINE FORECAST
FRIDAY HARBOR LAND WEATHER REPORT
FHL WEATHER STATION
FRIDAY HARBOR TIDE PREDICTIONS
CURRENT PREDICTIONS

CONTACT:

Dive Safety Officer:

Pema Kitaeff pema@uw.edu

The DSO/BSO office is in the dive house at the end of the dock
Phone: 206-543-0876 or 360-378-2165 x18