Story & Photos by Alan Doyle
12 Hour Lure
Every day, fishermen make their way down to the Edmonds Fishing Pier, hoping to hook into that next big salmon, catch a few squid, or maybe bring home a nice Dungeness crab.
But there's something going on beneath the surface that most people never get to see.
Every year, countless fishing lines are broken, hooks get snagged, crab traps are lost, and all kinds of fishing equipment find their way to the bottom of Puget Sound.
And unfortunately, that stuff doesn't just disappear.
It collects around the pilings, gets tangled in underwater structures, and creates hazards for fish, marine life, and even the fishermen trying their luck from above.
But twice a year, a dedicated group of volunteer scuba divers does something pretty remarkable about it.
They go down there and clean up our mess!
On Saturday, October 24, 2026 the Edmonds Fishing Pier became the center of another underwater cleanup operation, organized by the Emerald Sea Dive Club, with help from members of several local diving groups, including Marker Buoys and Moss Bay.
The operation is coordinated by Matthew, with assistance from Gabe and other volunteers who donate their time, equipment, and diving skills to make it happen.
And here's the best part.
These people aren't getting paid to do this.
They're doing it because they enjoy diving, care about the environment, and want to help keep the Edmonds waterfront a cleaner and safer place for everybody.
The cleanup is conducted with permission from the City of Edmonds, which also supports the event through its Parks Department.
The city provides tables, chairs, a canopy, access to facilities, and assistance with volunteer registration.
But the real work happens beneath the water.
And that's where things get interesting.
The divers assemble in the morning for a safety briefing before entering the water for their first dive.
Working at depths that can reach approximately 60 feet, they search the bottom for abandoned fishing equipment, tangled lines, lost crab traps, and whatever else has accumulated beneath the pier.
And believe me, there's no telling what they might find!
If you'd like to see how this underwater cleanup actually takes place, what these divers bring back to the surface, and how the entire operation turns out, you can watch the video of this event on the
12 Hour Lure YouTube channel at YouTube.com.Previous cleanups have turned up everything from fishing tackle and crab pots to bicycles, cell phones, plastic debris, and even gold rings.
That's right. Somebody actually found Dentures down there!
But as entertaining as some of those discoveries might be, there's a serious purpose behind all this.
Lost fishing line and abandoned gear can continue trapping and entangling marine life long after the original fisherman has gone home.
Crab traps can become ghost gear, continuing to catch crabs and other animals without anybody tending them.
And all that tangled fishing line creates even more opportunities for the next unlucky fisherman to lose another lure.
It's a never-ending cycle.
By removing these underwater hazards, the divers are helping protect marine life while making the fishing grounds a little better for the rest of us.
And this isn't exactly an easy job.
Visibility underwater can be poor. Currents can change. Fishing line can become tangled around diving equipment, and sharp hooks and other objects present additional hazards.
These volunteers have to be careful, work together, and follow proper diving safety procedures while carrying out the cleanup.
After the first dive, the crews return to the surface, take a break, refill their tanks, and prepare for another trip to the bottom.
Meanwhile, volunteers on shore help sort through the recovered debris.
And this is where the whole operation takes on a rather interesting twist.
Some of that lost fishing gear gets a second chance at life!
As Gabe explained during our interview, the volunteers who help with the cleanup get an opportunity to look through the recovered fishing equipment and keep something they might be able to use.
Whatever usable gear remains can be left available for others to take home.
So those fishing lures, weights, and other pieces of tackle that somebody lost months or even years ago might just end up back in somebody else's tackle box.
Talk about recycling!
Of course, nobody's getting rich recovering old fishing tackle. The real reward is knowing that another pile of junk has been removed from the water.
And that's something every fisherman should appreciate.
The City of Edmonds has also expressed its appreciation for the Emerald Sea Dive Club and the volunteers who continue to support the health and cleanliness of our waterfront.
The public can participate, too, by helping collect litter on land or assisting with sorting the recovered equipment.
It's a community effort that brings together divers, fishermen, city employees, and local residents for one common purpose.
Taking care of a place that means a lot to all of us.
And you know, standing up here on the Edmonds Fishing Pier, watching these people work, it really makes you think.
We fishermen spend countless hours casting lines into the water, hoping to bring something home.
But these divers are doing just the opposite.
They're going down there and bringing back the things we left behind.
And in doing so, they're making this a better place for the fish, the crabs, the marine environment, and all the people who enjoy this beautiful stretch of Puget Sound.
So, to Matthew, Gabe, the Emerald Sea Dive Club, Marker Buoys, Moss Bay, and every volunteer who helped make this cleanup possible:
From all of us who fish the Edmonds Pier, thank you!
We appreciate your time, your hard work, and your willingness to dive down into the cold waters of Puget Sound to clean up after the rest of us.
And to my fellow fishermen, maybe the next time we lose a lure, break off a line, or snag something on the bottom, we'll remember that somebody eventually has to go down there and deal with it.
Let's do our part to keep this place clean.
And if you happen to see these divers working beneath the pier, give them a wave and a thank-you.
They've certainly earned it.
And if you're curious about what really happened during this cleanup, don't just take my word for it!
I was there with my camera, documenting the event, talking with the volunteers, and recording the work that went into cleaning up beneath the Edmonds Fishing Pier.
You can watch the actual footage, see the recovered fishing gear, hear from the people involved, and follow the cleanup from start to finish.
Just visit YouTube.com, search for "12 Hour Lure," and look for our
Edmonds Fishing Pier underwater cleanup video from October 25, 2026.See for yourself what these dedicated volunteers accomplished and just how much work goes into keeping our fishing pier clean.
This is Alan with 12 Hour Lure, reporting from the Edmonds Fishing Pier.
Don't forget to like, share, comment, and subscribe.
And as always...
Tight lines, everybody!
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