Deadman's Bay

Deadman's Bay on the northwest end of San Juan Island is a sheltered kelp-walled cove where the current is reduced compared to the exposed west shore. Rocky reefs step down to 20 m through bull kelp forests thick with school of black rockfish and copper rockfish. Giant Pacific octopus are abundant — this site has one of the highest encounter rates in the San Juan Islands. Wolf eels share the boulder fields at depth. The protected aspect makes it one of the more forgiving entry points on the island, though a drysuit is still essential.