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Wonder Beneath the Waves:
Scuba Diving in BC
by Paula Kebarle and Rachel Saraga, Photos courtesy of BC Dive Adventures
British Columbia’s reputation as a playground for outdoor adventurers and naturalists is well known among travellers. A unique combination of climate and topography shape the flora and fauna along the coastline drawing scores of international visitors to explore the beauty of the rugged west coast. A lessor known attraction is that beneath the waves awaits a rich and varied marine environment that is quickly becoming a world class dive destination. While some may shiver at the thought of jumping in to the North Pacific in winter, the excellent water clarity suggests this is the best season to dive. So on a cool rainy night in September, this is precisely what I did….
The rain tapers to a light drizzle as we load the equipment onto our chartered 32 ft. dive boat, the "Adventure II". We set up our tanks on the back deck as darkness falls. The water is calm and serene as the boat pulls away from the dock at Sunset Marina, leaving the lights of Vancouver behind. It is a quick boat ride from the Marina near Horsehoe Bay to Bowyer Island in Howe Sound.
Our boat’s strobe light cuts through the darkness, illuminating a steep wall on the east side of the island which slops down several hundred feet underwater. James and I grin at each other, excited about the dive. We watch the others jump in, the glow of their dive lights gradually disappearing as they descend into the emerald depths. We jump off the dive platform, swim the few meters to the wall and signal to each other to begin our descent.
As I slip below the water’s surface all is quiet and peaceful. I hear only my slow, rhythmic breathing and the sound of my bubbles. I follow James as we drop slowly and weightlessly alongside the wall until we reach our planned depth of 75 feet.
My dive light breaks through the night’s darkness, illuminating the
colourful underwater world before us. Shrimp jump along the rocks, their
red eyes glowing in the dark. Orange crabs nestle among white anemones,
reaching their claws out, picking food from the nutrient-rich waters. James
signals to me with his light. He has found a Sailfin Sculpin, a small fish
resting quietly on the bottom with its beautiful sail-like dorsal fin
rippling in the current. We both spot a large ling cod. James eyes it hungrily,
as if sizing it up for dinner! It stands its ground, guarding its
territory until the last minute, darting away only when we are almost
nose to nose. James points out a Cabezon, a colourful foot-long fish with a
large head and a thick body. It is well camouflaged in mauve and brown and
seems to hope that we can’t see it. It lays very still and doesn’t even
move when James gently strokes its head. We leave it resting quietly, secure
in its disguise.
We continue to swim along the wall, looking into each crack and
crevice only to find all kinds of creatures hiding there, peering back out at
us. We peek inside tube-shaped chimney sponges to see who is making their
homes there. Inside one sponge I find a rare grunt sculpin. This cute two
inch long fish actually makes a grunting sound as it jumps along the bottom
on its tiny pectoral fins. I signal madly to James, who has never seen
one. He tries to coax it out of its home but with no luck. We contiinue our search for other elusive creatures.
A few minutes later I turn upside down to look under a ledge and see the tell-tale pink suction cups of an octopus. One large eye stares back at me.
B.C.’s Giant Pacific Octopuses are the world’s largest, weighing up to 70
kg. with an arm span of up to 7 metres. I am relieved that this one
isn’t nearly that big! I motion excitedly for James to come over. He takes off his glove and offers a warm hand to the octopus. Often octopuses will respond to the
heat and give divers a surprisingly powerful and unique handshake, but this
one is more interested in staying in the comfort of his den.
Soon after that we come across another octopus. This time it is just a
baby, no bigger than my hand. It is not as shy and is out and about
hunting for prey. At first it is a deep red colour with tinges of bright
green, but its colour changes constantly like a kaleidoscope to match
its surroundings and mood as it moves along the bottom. When I take off my
glove to play it shoots off in a cloud of ink.
We continue our dive, marvelling at the colours and creatures, some which
we have never seen before. We swim through clouds of tiny shrimp and schools
of small sea perch as we gradually ascend into the shallows. We level
out at 15 feet for our safety stop. James turns off his light and I
follow suit. Without our lights it suddenly feels like we are immersed in
a sea of black ink. Then with a sweep of my hand I am surrounded by a
universe of tiny stars, like hundreds of tiny fireflies floating around me.
These pinpoints of light are tiny creatures called dinoflagellates which,
when disturbed by movement, light up in an impressive display of
bioluminescence. After our 3-minute stop we turn our lights back on and
shining them upward swim to the surface.
As we break the surface I let my regulator fall out of my mouth and start
talking excitedly with James about our amazing experience. I am so busy
talking that the boat captain has to gently remind me to hurry up and climb
back on board!
On the trip back to the marina we sit in the cozy warmth of the cabin and
share stories with the other divers. They tell us of their own octopus
discoveries, new types of fish, colourful invertebrates and a friendly seal
who swam along with them. As we pull up to the dock the sky has cleared
and the stars are twinkling above. We sleep well that night, dreaming we
were are underwater, floating weightlessly in the blackness.
What lurks beneath the waves…
British Columbia’s waters in particular are rich with life, with over 5,000
species of colourful invertebrates and 400 species of fish. This is unknown
to most people who see our waters as cold, dark and murky. They are unaware that a kaleidoscope of colors- red, yellow and blue, mauve, hot pink, purple and white- covers the ocean floor.
BC’s topography plays a tremendous role in supporting the vast array
of invertebrates that live in our waters. Annual precipitation of up to 1100
mm strips the acidic mountain soil of nutrients. The hardpan layer beneath
the soil then acts like a giant waterslide, delivering a nutrient-rich soup
to the many hungry organisms in the coastal waters. These protozoans form
the very basis of the food chain, providing a steady supply of food for
higher marine invertebrates like sponges, anemones and jellyfish. These in
turn provide food to crabs, fish and so on up the food chain to the marine
mammals. Our 4 daily tidal exchanges (rather than the usual 2) help
distribute these nutrients.
These unique conditions help B.C. earn the honour of having the best scuba
diving in North America and the best cold-water diving in the world. One can
dive in B.C. year-round. In fact the visibility is best in winter when
the plankton dies off and visibility can be more than 100 feet. Unlike many
tropical sites there are no creatures here that can do serious harm and
many, such as seals, sea lions, and wolf-eels, that appear to truly enjoy
interacting with divers.
Aside from the rich and diverse marine life, British Columbia is
world-famous for wreck diving. The Artificial Reef Society of B.C. has
prepared and sunk 5 large ex-naval ships at various locations along the
coast. These are especially designed to be easily accessible and safe for
wreck divers. As each year passes they become more beautiful as new marine
creatures make their homes there. The most recent addition is the
HMCS Cape Breton, which was sunk near Nanaimo on Oct. 20, 2001. At over 400 ft. in length it is the world’s largest artificial reef.
Training to experience this world-famous diving is easier than
you might think. Basic certification takes only 2 weekends to complete. Lessons cater to all levels from beginner to instructor, in addition to covering specialties such as underwater photography, cavern diving, and wreck
diving.. For more information on lessons and charters, or any questions about diving in B.C. contact B.C.
Dive Adventures by phone at 604-983-2232 or 1-866-322-3483, by email at
bcda@bcdive.com or check out their
website
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