MUKILTEO, Washington (18 Mar 2009) — John Rawlings got the unpleasant surprise of his decades-long diving career while flipping through an issue of Northwest Dive magazine recently. The tiny, one-line item, easily missed, was like a bolt from the blue: his favorite dive location, Mukilteo's Lighthouse Park, had been closed to diving by a unanimous council vote in August. "We thought it had to have been a mistake," he said. "When you're doing something and cops pass by with waves and friendly greetings, you have to figure you aren't doing anything wrong." Recreation and Cultural Services Manager Jennifer Berner said banning diving was a safety issue. Having divers near the always-busy boat launch didn't make sense, particularly with the ongoing renovations that will bring even more visitors to Lighthouse Park, she said. "We will go back and re-evaluate; if we were off the mark and should look at permitting scuba diving there, we will certainly take a look at that," she said. Right now, the beach north of the Silver Cloud Inn is a legal scuba diving area, Berner said. Rawlings said divers use that beach as well, but it contains entirely different habitat than the area off of Lighthouse Park. The council appeared equally surprised when some 30-plus divers converged on the March 2 meeting to voice their protest. The divers asked the city to reconsider its ban. "I am all for it," said council president Randy Lord, the only councilmember absent for the dive ban vote. "I was frankly surprised when it happened. "I am hopeful that city staff's research will bring a reasonable solution." "Your message was loud and clear," Mayor Joe Marine told the divers. "Many of you came from a long distance. "Quite frankly, this is one of those things that I don't think anyone questioned or realized just how many divers were out there," he said. Berner was equally surprised at the number of divers that use – and treasure – Lighthouse Park, she said. Lord said that regardless of city feedback, he plans to make a motion to reverse the ban at an upcoming council meeting. Berner said that the Parks and Arts Commission will discuss the issue at its April 2 meeting and forward their input to the City Council. The scuba divers are invited to come speak at that meeting, she said. The dive community feels targeted by the new rule, which apparently only applies to them. "Kayaking, sail boarding, swimming, snorkeling – we're the only sport that got whacked," Rawlings said. It wasn't personal, and it wasn't the city's intent to target divers, Berner said. Scuba diving was the only water sport specified in the park rules when staff revised them in light of the ongoing park renovations. There are all kinds of reasons not to ban diving, according to Rawlings. | | Scuba diving at Lighthouse Point in Mukilteo was banned in August last year due to safety concerns. "Environmental, scientific, recreational – just the pleasure for local inhabitants," he said. "I can't tell you how much it would break my heart to lose that." Diver Jenna Nichols told the council she'd traveled four hours to speak in support of reversing the ban. "Lighthouse Park is accessible by shore – most divers don't have boats," she said. "We would love to do the data collection we've done for the past 10 years." "The world underwater is a compelling place," Mike Racine, president of Washington Scuba Alliance, testified. "The most important part is getting access to the water." That's getting more and more challenging as dive locations are eliminated for various reasons, he said. "Your city is on the water; you have a strong vested interest in the future of Puget Sound," he told the council. "We're already here: please don't ask us to leave." Mike Wilson of Mukilteo's Dive Xtras spoke about how his company relies on the long stretch of beach at Lighthouse Park to test its dive scooters. "The future of that dive site is in your hands," he told the council. "Once it's gone, it's gone forever – for us, our children and our grandchildren." Think about that, he implored. Right now the divers who are aware of the ban are respecting it despite their disappointment, Rawlings said. "The divers have been a great group to work with," Berner said. "They had the right to come speak to us at the meeting and voice their concerns. This is what the public process is all about." If the city got it wrong, or the council wants to reverse the ban, then that's what will happen, she said. "I look at it as, we're humans like everyone else," Berner said. "We try to make the best decisions we can. "If we get more information that causes us to change our minds, we can certainly do that." by Rebecca Carr |
