Deception Pass

Captain George Vancouver named Deception Pass on 10 June 1792 after concluding that he had been “deceived” about the nature of the inner waterway, Port Gardner, now called Saratoga Passage, and writing “Deception Pass” on his chart. He honored Master Joseph Whidbey, who found the passage while commanding a small boat of explorers, by naming the island Whidbey. Historical data credited to Edmond S. Meany gives the velocity of currents in Deception Pass as 5 to 8 knots per hour, with depths varying from 4 to 37 fathoms; 1 knot equals 6982.66 feet and 1 fathom equals 6 feet.

Washington · United States