Why is it called Hood Canal?

The Hood Canal was created approximately 13,000 years ago, by the Puget Lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet. It was named by the Royal Navy Captain in honor of Admiral Lord Samuel Hood. Originally the name was written as “Hood's Channel” in a journal, but as “Hood Canal” on the maps and charts.

What makes the Hood Canal unique?

Unlike many fjords with shallow sills, the bottom waters of Hood Canal are not as anoxic as the middle layer because cold, saline, oxygenated ocean water sinks to the bottom as it spills over the sills.

How was Hood Canal formed?

The Hood Canal fjord formed during the Late Pleistocene era approximately 13,000 years ago when the Cordilleran Ice Sheet retreated. The ice sheet excavated the channels of Puget Sound, Lake Washington, Hood Canal, and other long, straight valleys in the Puget Sound area.

Is Hood Canal natural?

Hood Canal is a natural fjord separating the Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas. It stretches 68 miles from the northern tip of the Kitsap peninsula to Lynch Cove, forming an L shape that remains narrow, only one and a half to two miles across.

Is the Hood Canal the ocean?

First, it's the water, or lack thereof. Yes Hood Canal is salt water at sea level… but it's only a mile and a half wide, about the size of a large mid-west river. That's just not enough water to have the same moderating temperature influences of the broader Puget Sound, nor the vast Pacific Ocean.

What Caused The Hood Canal Floating Bridge To Fail? | Massive Engineering Mistakes

Can you swim in the Hood Canal?

It's a 182-acre marine and camping park with over 3000 feet of saltwater shoreline, great for swimming in the relatively warm saltwater of Hood Canal.

Where is the deepest part of the Hood Canal?

The average width of Hood Canal is only a mile and a half, its narrowest point being only half a mile wide and its widest being around four miles. The Canal's deepest depths exceed 600 feet, and average 500 feet in the central channel for much of its length. A vast “sill” exists at the entrance of Hood Canal.

Are there whales in Hood Canal?

WHERE THE WHALES ARE. Resident orcas rarely visit Hood Canal today, but it was an important part of their habitat in the past. In recent years, Hood Canal is more often visited by transient orcas, drawn by the abundant seal population.

How deep is the water below Hood Canal Bridge?

The water depth below the pontoons ranges from 80 to 340 feet (25 to 105 m). In its marine environment, the bridge is exposed to tidal swings of 16.5 feet (5 m).

What type of oysters are in Hood Canal?

One of the only fjords in the United States, Hood Canal is a long, skinny tongue of oyster nirvana tucked inside Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Pacific oysters love it here. They grow wild everywhere, and on farms throughout its length.

Can you walk across the Hood Canal Bridge?

I would love to run/walk across the bridge.” The out basket: I don't know if Bill missed the signs or there just aren't any, but Becky Hixson, the communications manager on the bridge project, says, “For everyone's safety, pedestrians are not allowed on the Hood Canal Bridge.

What town is Hood Canal in?

Along its entire length, Hood Canal separates the Kitsap Peninsula from the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. The U.S. Navy's Naval Base Kitsap, Bangor Annex, is located on the eastern shore of Hood Canal near the town of Silverdale.

Can boats go under Hood Canal Bridge?

Reducing unnecessary draw span openings also means less wear on the bridge's moveable parts. Both ends of the Hood Canal Bridge have elevated sections where boats can travel under.

Why does the Hood Canal Bridge close?

Generally, the Hood Canal Bridge will close to vehicle traffic and may open the draw spans during storms involving wind speeds in excess of 40 mph that are sustained for 15 minutes or longer to relieve pressure on the bridge structure. The bridge may also close to drivers as conditions warrant.

When was Hood Canal built?

According to Wikipedia, “The design and planning process for the Hood Canal Bridge took nearly a decade amid criticism from some engineers throughout that time. (It was built between 1958 and 1961.)

Can you see orcas from Port Angeles?

along the Whale Trail in Port Angeles, Washington. The waters surrounding Port Angeles — only a short drive from Seattle — offer one of North America's finest vantage points for up-close viewing of humpback whales, gray whales, resident and transient orca whales (a.k.a. killer whales), and the elusive minke whale.

What animals live in La Push Washington?

Diverse and abundant marine mammal species are found here, including a thriving population of sea otters. Marine mammals play a key role in Quileute stories, songs, dances, and art. The Whale Trail site is at the north end of First Beach. Gray whales, orcas and other cetaceans are commonly seen.

Can you see orcas in Olympic National Park?

The best place to reliably see orcas near Olympic National Park is in the waters surrounding the San Juan Islands from May through September. Many orca-watching tours depart from Anacortes, Port Angeles, and Seattle.

Why is it called Puget Sound?

Puget Sound, Washington. The sound, called Whulge by the Salish Indians, was explored in 1792 by British navigator George Vancouver and named by him for Peter Puget, a second lieutenant in his expedition, who probed the main channel.

What animals are in the Hood Canal?

The Canal is home to a profusion of marine life: oysters, shrimp, clams, crabs, seabirds, and all eight of the salmon and trout species that have nourished people and animals for thousands of years. The salmonids of Hood Canal give us vital information about the ecosystem's well-being.

How deep is the sound in Seattle?

The deepest part of Puget Sound is off Point Jefferson, five miles northwest of Seattle, where the sea floor drops to 930 feet. Rockfish, on average, are found at depths of around 900 feet—but they've been documented well past 3,500 feet and are adapted for extreme high-pressure, low oxygen environments.

Are there sharks in the Hood Canal?

In the span of just a couple weeks, the team captured two sixgills on camera, both in Hood Canal. “They're not exactly Bigfoot. They're out there, we know for sure they exist, but in many ways we spend hundreds of hours down there and encounter them so rarely, that they're almost mythic,” Lowry said.

Why are there no sharks in Puget Sound?

The risk for shark attacks in Puget Sound is exceedingly low. First, that's because people don't swim in the waters as frequently as people do along the Atlantic. Secondly, the most prevalent sharks in Washington are ones that are small and non-threatening.