Judyo99, I to would suggest Garmin, either the E-trex or even better the 76/map76, a couple features the 76's have going for them is 1)bigger screen then the E-trex line, 2)they float, don't know of any other handheld that floats 3)they have a built in tide table 4)they have a better antenna then the E-trex and process a little faster 5)they're buttons are on the front where as the E-trex's are on the side, making it easier to operate.
One other thing to take into consideration is the download capabilities, the map76 will hold 8 megs (1 meg for the 76)which basically means you could buy the Garmin cd roms and download most if not all of Puget Sound into it. The E-trex Legend and Vista's will also hold 8 megs, the Venture and Summit hold 1 meg (way points only)and the basic yellow E-trex is not downloadable. Hope this helps a little, good luck.