The state Department of Natural Resources has given approval to install up to 19 mooring buoys at popular dive sites in five counties around Puget Sound and Hood Canal.

The installed buoys will be available for use by the general public on a first come, first served basis and will be prominently marked as such.

Before the buoys were installed, divers arrived and anchored their boats at these sites. The result has been unintentional damage to sensitive nearshore habitats. The damage ranged from uprooting vegetation to reef destruction. Other damage occurred when propellers on vessels anchored in water that was too shallow scoured the bottom.

The Washington Scuba Alliance will install and maintain the buoys at 14 popular recreational diving locations. The alliance hopes to place five buoys before this year’s fish window closes and will place the others as funding becomes available.

The first two buoys are going in at the Pinnacle dive site north of Brinnon in Hood Canal and Sunrise Wall site north of the mouth of Gig Harbor, according to the alliance’s Web site. The next three buoys will go in at KVI Tower of the eastern shore of central Vashon Island, Possession Point Ferry off the south end of Whidbey Island and the Flagpole dive site north of Eldon in Hood Canal.

The News Tribune