Headed to Elliot Point tonight for the NDO club dive. Anticipating a shorter, shallower fun dive, I went with single AL80 tank instead of rebreather. We met in the parking lot, and after gearing up with a few o-ring problems we splashed.
From shore (0 fsw) to maybe 15 fsw the visibilty was at most 5 feet, but opened up to maybe 10 feet once we reached the first wall. Shawn, Sarah and I dove as a threesome, with Shawn leading the club dive. Almost immediately we saw tons of life on the small wall. I saw and photographed some type of clingfish (best guess for now - email me if you recognize the fish type). I also saw a juvenile wolf eel, maybe 12 in long, but it zoomed off before I could get a clear photo. Later we saw a fried egg jelly, plus a cluster of eggs. I also took one shot of Sarah, having an awesome dive! Overall an excellent evening dive!
Father's Day dawned with the threat of rain, but that's not a big problem for diving as you are going to get wet anyway! I drove out to Tyee for an early dive to grey skies but otherwise decent weather.
At Tyee, geared up and performed all necessary checks, then splashed to a falling tide about halfway from high to low. Checks at 20fsw, then towards the chute. The vis was decent from surface to 10fsw, then crap from 10fsw to about 45 fsw, making navigation tricky. Managed to miss the chute, heading over the left wall (as looking out from shore). Once down, to the left and over to grandpa, where video and photos were taken. Then photos of the boot sponges and rock fish on the return leg. Once at the seahorses, continued beyond to the right side. Video and photos of more wolf eels, then headed along the right wall to the gravel and returned to the seahorses before heading back in.
Even at depths below 50fsw the vis wasn't great today, although it was a lot better than between 45 and 10 fsw. Still, an overall great day of diving.
Today the NDO club dive was set for Tyee, a spot I love to dive. I arrived at 10:30 and thanks to the light rain decided to gear up immediately. Soon after the other divers arrived, and we all headed out. Vis to 30fsw was almost zero, but opened up to 20ft (though very dark) once at depth. Sean and Keara and I headed to the right, past the first wall to pick up some urchins for the wolf eels. Then I filmed while Sean and Keara fed the wolf eels. All great fun.
Then I headed to the left to see more wolf eels before a nice leisurly return to the entrance. Overall a great dive.
Tyee VideoMother's Day, but I could get in a dive if it was early. So I headed out around 8:30 and arrived at Tyee for 9:30. Geared up and splashed to an almost full tide.
Headed towards the cut, but angled over so I reached the wall to the left of the cut. Over and down to 100fsw and then over to grandpa and his mrs. where I took some stills and video. Then back along the wall to the cut, came up shallower and over to see the wolf eels in the other den. Again, stills and some video.
On the way I took some pictures of boot sponges and smaller rock fish, which seem to enjoy the boot sponges. I also captured other small life just to explore the close-up features of the camera. Then came up the main wall to 30fsw and in along the shallows back to the entry point. Overall a great dive!
Tyee VideoReports indicated that visibility had improved on this side of Vancouver Island, so the plan today was to dive Tyee as the NDO club dive. The day was nice and sunny and fairly warm. I arrived at Tyee to find dozens of divers from the island either coming out or going in.
Once all our divers arrived, we geared up and headed in as two groups - Gord and myself and a few other divers headed left to see grandpa, and Steve and others headed right to view the wall.
Once our bubble checks were done, we headed down and left, eventually arriving at grandpa's den. After some video and photos, most of the divers headed back as they were on single tanks. Gord and I stayed a bit so I could get more video, then we also headed back.
Once back at the cut, I saw a large nudibranch which I videod while Gord found a sea urchin. We then headed over to the other wolf eel den where we fed her and had some nice interaction. After a quick tour of the wall we also headed back in.
Overall a great dive.
Tyee VideoThe vis has been total crap all along the east coast of Vancouver Island since the herring run in March, so it was an easy decision to drive to Port Alberni and dive China Creek this week. The drive was very pleasant, and the day nice and sunny. Upon arrival at the campground, we discovered that all the prime campsites were booked, but the campers gratiously allowed us to park and dive from their sites.
After much chatting and preparing, we finally got into the water around 12:30. We descended throught the halocline until we could see one another, which turned out to be 30fsw and there conducted our bubble checks. Our group consisted of Steve and Shirley, Bill O'Brien and myself. Three megs and one Prism - all rebreathers. We headed out along the wall until we reached 100fsw, then continued along at that depth for a time before turning around. There really wasn't much life evident on the wall today, thought the poor visibility didn't help.
We headed back along the wall until we again met the bottom at 100fsw, then headed up to 80fsw and turned towards the immigrant ship. After a nice leisurly and slightly long swim, we came upon the ship sitting on the bottom. We did a nice swim around the keel, where I saw the empty octopus den. No octo today though. After circumnavigating the ship, we headed up to 50fsw and back towards our entry point. After another nice swim we arrived and exited.
Overall a very nice dive. I took some video today - mostly our group swimming along. No stills, though I did grab a few frames off the video to post.
China Creek VideoToday's NDO club dive was at Maple Bay, which is near Duncan B.C. on Vancouver Island. The day was nice and sunny and fairly warm.
After gearing up in the parking lot near the government wharf, we headed down the beach and into the water and along the left side of the dock (looking out) to the end before dropping down to 30fsw. Bubble checks done, we quickly found the rope guideline to the reef in spite of the pretty awful visibility.
Once at the reef, we started exploring. In a bit of a turn, the visibility was worse at the bottom of the reef (55fsw - 60fsw) that it had been at 30-40fsw. Still, we made our way along the reef to the end, then headed up to 30fsw where the vis was better.
Along the way to 30fsw I spotted a small Stubby Squid, and spent some time filming this favorite little critter. This one was maybe 2in long and just adorable. After some time we headed back along the top of the reef and found the rope to the dock.
Following the rope guideline back to the dock, it quickly became apparent that even though the bearing was correct, this was a second guideline and not the one we followed coming out. The vis was bad, and at about 20fsw I almost collided with a dock piling! After working my way to the shallows, I ascended near the motorboat just under the dock ramp. Best guess is the 'home' guideline terminates at the right side of the dock looking out. Nice to know there are two guidelines for future reference.
Overall, in spite of the crummy visibility it was a great dive!
Stubby Squid - Maple Bay VideoThe seas were picking up a bit after the first dive, so the Sea Dragon headed around Snake Island to moor off Snake Wall for the second dive.
The dive was decent in spite of the poor visibility. Dave Tomblin ran a reel from the mooring block to the wall so that we would be able to return without difficulty in the poor vis. A system of cookies allowed us to ensure all teams were back safe.
Gord and I explored around the 100fsw level until we decided to turn and come back. Pretty uneventful dive, with the huge numbers of anenomes as the only real feature of the wall today. I did take a bit of video but no stills
Overall a pretty good dive
Snake Wall VideoToday the instructors and divemasters from Nanaimo Dive Outfitters (NDO) were treated to a boat dive aboard the Sea Dragon - a vessel that has spent the last many years in Howe Sound off Vancouver. They have a new boat for Howe Sound, so the Sea Dragon came over to Nanaimo to provide a new dive charter service to the wrecks and various sites in the Nanaimo area. Dan Ferris of the Mamro has been brought on as skipper of the Sea Dragon when he's not running Mamro charters, so it was great to connect up with an old friend again. Dan is awesome as a skipper on Vancouver Island.
We got our gear aboard, then headed out to the wrecks. Once there, we tied to the stern buoy of the Saskatchewan and splashed. The visibility wasn't the best, but it was still a very nice dive. Gord and I swam along Burma road, then out the bow and down to the sand. We checked out the tip of the bow in the sand, then along the starboard side aft until we were again at our up line.
Due to the bad vis, I only took a short bit of video and no stills. However, overall it was a very nice dive.
Saskatchewan VideoToday's NDO club dive was Elliot Point (or Coffin Point, or Elliot Park Point depending on who you talk to...).
I was asked to lead today's dive, and elected to go open circuit (single tank). There were two hardy individuals besides myself and Gord ready to dive today. The weather was not unpleasant, but cloudy and not all that warm.
Lately the herring run has signaled the start of crappy visibility in the area, and today was no exception. We headed out to the wall and then explored along the wall until turn pressure before heading back in. I saw a few empty octo dens today, but no octos.
Overall a pretty good dive.
The NDO club dive was near Port Alberni today, at a dive site called China Creek. The dive site is within a fishing camp that's really nice, especially for diving with the beach just steps from the campsites. After a 1 1/2 hour drive from home to China Creek, with the last 10 km or so on gravel roads, the campsite was welcome even in the pouring rain.
The rebreather divers included Gord Bell, Steve White, Bill O'Brien and myself - 3 megs and a Prism. We elected to do one longer dive instead of two shorter ones as the NDO club was planning. Our plan was to head down the wall (left side when looking out at the ocean) to about 100 fsw or so, then head back up to 70fsw or so and across to the migrant ship artifical reef.
After gearing up, we headed to the water for bubble checks and then headed down the wall. We eventually reached around 110fsw, and just before turning discovered a small octopus clinging to the rock face. After some video and a picture, we headed towards the wreck, moving up to around 70fsw to avoid too large a deco penalty.
After a good swim we reached the wreck, arriving midships. We headed forward to explore the front of the ship, then aft along the starboard side. Once at the stern, we checked our time and deco obligations and decided to head back to the wall at around 30fsw to clear deco and arrive at our entry point. After another good swim we reached the wall and headed in. After removing gear we headed back to Port Alberni for some well deserved nutrition.
Today I also dove a diluent of Tx18/25, with bottom bailout of Tx20/20 (40cf) and EAN40 (80cf). No gear problems or issues.
All in all an excellent dive, coming in just over 90 min.
China Creek VideoToday's NDO Club Dive was at Tyee, one of my favorite dive spots. In addition to the wolf eels (and occasional octopus), there's a great swim from Tyee to the wall at Dolphin and back. The wall at Dolphin is quite deep, and a diver can descent to 150fsw+ if desired.
Today not all the scheduled divers arrived, so three of us decided to head over to the wolf eels halfway to Dolphin. After gearing up, we got wet and headed out with Dayne leading the way. Along the way we spotted a large Cabizon perched on the wall. Soon enough we were at the wolf eel den, where Mrs. Grandpa seemed to want to come out to see us. After some photos, the open circuit divers turned for home.
Heading out and over the ledge, we headed over to the Dolphin wall as we descended. We passed 150fsw before turning the dive, electing to minimize deco today. We headed back along the wall, back up and over near the wolf eel den. This time Mrs. Grandpa really was curious about my camera, and decided to come all the way out to see us. I took some video of her, but was sad that I did not have a treat for her. Next time I'll bring some hard boiled eggs (nice treat and easy to carry in a small zip-loc).
After that it was time to head for the cut at Tyee. Moving along at 75fsw we soon came upon the forlorn sea-horses floating like specres in the gloom. Along the wall to the right of the cut, hoping to see the other wolf eels, but alas it was not to be today. We traversed the entire right wall, then returned to the cut and headed up to do our deco.
All in all a pretty awesome dive today, although the visibiliy ranged from maybe 15 feet down to 10 feet near the end of the dive, partly due to the impending herring run, and partly due to the extreme low tide.
Tyee Wolf Eel Video
Tyee Dayne VideoAlthough Vancouver Island received a good snow dump this past week, Sunday arrived with light showers instead of snow. The drive to Madrona was uneventful, and we geared up under the clouds.
I entered at the big V and headed out at 0deg towards the deep wall. Today althought I could hear the sea lions in the water as I entered, they never came around to see what I was up to. Once at the start of the deep wall, I checked out the octopus that inhabit various nooks and crannies. After traversing the deep wall, I returned about 10-15 ft higher as I continued to look at the wall. Once back at the start of the wall, I headed up and into the maze for a little look around before returning to the big v to exit.
Overall a great 80 minute dive!
Madrona Octopuses VideoToday was pleasant with sunny breaks - a perfect day for diving. I headed back to Madrona Point since last weeks' dive was just so spectacular.
After gearing up, I headed out the big V again as it seemed to be working for me. With the rebreather, there is no real need to find the shortest route to the big wall, and I do enjoy coming upon the wall from it's very beginning.
As I headed out, I was greeted by a lone sea lion in about 25fsw. He was very friendly and curious. At one point he seemed to want to 'taste' my hand, but I declined the offer. He then stood on his hind feet and proceeded to 'scrub' the bottom, sending up great clouds of silt! Eventually he tired of me, but not before I got a bit of video.
Once on the wall, I managed to find all three octopus from last week's dive. Two were in the same dens, but the one that was out hunting last week was in a different den today. I took some video and some photos of all three.
Today it was very easy to spot the fish guarding egg masses; something it seems most fish were doing. It's that time of year.
As I returned, I photographed a few nudibranchs and some other invertebrates. I ended up surfacing about halfway between the big V and the little V, so elected to exit via the little V.
All in all, an excellent dive.
Madrona Point VideoToday I wanted to dive Madrona Point as I'd heard there was a lot of critters in the area. Reports of octopus and juvenile wolf eels had me anticipating this dive all week.
Arriving early, I geared up quickly and entered the water. The wind and waves were such that it was prudent to enter at the big "V" instead of the little "V", as it was more sheltered. After submerging, I headed out on a zero degree bearing towards the maze and the wall.
The bearing saw me just touch the edge of the maze, and I found the wall where the deep wall just begins. Turning right, I headed along the deep wall, checking out all the nooks and crannies for life. Quite suddenly, I came upon a free-swimming octopus on the wall. I switched on the video and started filming. As I followed the octo, at first I thought it was trying to hide as it entered a crevase, but it quickly emerged and it soon became apparent that it was hunting rather than hiding. I followed it for many minutes, taking video the whole time. Finally it found a larger hole and decided to stay. As I headed off, I almost immediataly found another octopus in another crack some 10 feet away.
When I reached the end of the wall, I felt a disturbance around me. Looking up, I could see I was being buzzed by several sea lions, fishing and just playing on the wall. As I was at the end of the wall, I turned and started heading back, all the while being buzzed by the sea lions. I took a short bit of video of them as I wandered back.
When I again reached the start of the deep wall, I noticed crab shells near a rock, and found a third octo in a den. After taking a few pictures, I headed shallow and started navigating back to the entry point. Eventually I reached my entry point and exited the water after an excellent dive.
In addition to the octopus video and sea lion video, I got some nice pictures of fish eggs and other neat creatures. An absolutely awesome dive!
Madrona Octopus Video
Madrona Sea Lion VideoA group of us decided to dive Shack Island later in the afternoon. Shack Island is just south of Neck Point in Nanaimo. It's a shallow dive, but lots of invertebrates can be found.
We geared up in the boat ramp parking lot, then headed down the boat launch and into the water. Gerald, Shaun and myself were doing the longer dive to Shack Island, while Amber, Ian and Jen were doing a shorter dive around the boat launch. We headed out, reaching a maximum depth of 50 fsw before heading back up to the shallows. Eventually we surfaced at Shack Island, pretty much exactly where we had planned to be. We had noticed the current was getting stronger as we headed out, and the ebbing tide meant we wanted to stay in a more sheltered area to avoid being carried out. We headed back up-current, but once we started back towards our entry point, we found there was another current taking us back in at quite a nice pace. In the end we had a nice drift dive both ways! There was quite a bit of 'stuff' on the bottom - old tire rims, bottles and such, but the current meant I could not really get nice shots of the invertebrates.
Still, a very nice dive!
The day was supposed to be partly cloudy, but remained cloudy throughout. Still, it was above zero and not raining, so a great day to go diving. I met up with Al and Richard and Darin from Victoria at the Tyee parking area. Our plan was for a swim to the wall at Dolphin, maximum depth 150-ish and around 90-100 minutes run time.
After introductions, we geared up and splashed. We headed down the shute, but Richard was unable to clear and did not join us. I guess a few divers in Victoria are suffering from colds right now. At the sea horses, we turned left and headed over to the Dolphin wall. We swam the entire length of the wall, turning around at about the 45 minute mark. Our maximum depth on the wall was around 170fsw. As we headed back, we also headed up. We all had considerable deco obligations as we started back, but thanks to the long swim and ability to enjoy the wall at various depths, much of the deco obligation was gone by the time we reached grandpa wolf eel's den, and even more by the time we reached the chute.
For some reason, I find the chute easy to miss on the return trip. It always seems as if we're 'not there yet'. As a result, we ususally overshoot and end up behind the rocks that peep out of the water during lower tides. Still, we managed to find our way back without problem once our deco obligations were clear.
Didn't get many pictures or video at all today. Grandpa wasn't in, although there was a nice fancy crab in the shallows. Still, it was a great dive. Thanks to Darin, Richard and Al for a super day!
Tyee VideoIt was a light rain as I pulled into the parking area at Tyee, but still preferable to the predicted snow that did not arrive. Gord and I geared up quickly, then headed down to the beach and into the water for our bubble checks.
We headed down the cut, then left and over to the wall at Dolphin. Rebreathers sure make these longer dives enjoyable as gas supply is much less of a consideration. Once at the wall, we headed deep - spending a full 15 minutes below 130fsw, with 4 minutes below 160fsw to a maximum depth of 177fsw.
On the way I spotted not one, but two Puget Sound king crabs. The first was just over a foot in diameter, with the second being about 3/4 that size. On the wall, not much to see this week except the usual boot sponges.
At about the 50 minute mark, we headed up to 80fsw and started our swim back. After what seemed like a long time, we came upon the wolf eel den housing 'grandpa'. He was not about, but the female was evident and fairly curious about us. She came out of the den not quite two feet, so I spent several minutes videotaping her before we headed up the wall and back towards our entrance.
On recent dives I have been getting extremely cold towards the end of the dive. Granted, these this was after the one hour mark, but still - being hypothermic at the end is no fun, and not very prudent. This dive I added a PolarTec fleece undershirt under my wheezles. This proved most effective in keeping me nice and warm for well over an hour. I really only started to feel the cold in the last 20 minutes or so of the 95 minute dive, which was a great improvement. The buoyance affect of the shirt was noticable, but not significant, so I think I'll be wearing this until the water warms up in spring.
Overall, and excellent dive!
Tyee VideoNew Years Day 2011! The day was sunny but cold with -6C overnight warming to maybe 3 by afternoon. Nanaimo Dive Outfitters planned a New Year's dive at Neck Point / Finn Beach for the day. Many divers would dive Neck Point, others would dive Finn Beach. Those diving rebreathers elected to dive both sites - starting at Neck Point and swimming around a peninsula to exit at Finn Beach.
The dive site is a beautiful park located on Departure Bay Road in Nanaimo. Finn Beach is the main site beside the main parking lot. It's a shallow bay frequently used for open water certification dives due to the sandy bottom and easy entry. Neck Point is located in the same park, but about 1/4 mile away over a hill. There is a road, but the gate is usually locked. Today we had a key and so those diving Neck Point could drive to a second parking lot to gear up and enter.
After gearing up, the rebreather divers including myself (Prism), Dave, Al, Gord and Steve (all on Megs) walked to the water and headed out. Bubble checks done, we followed Steve as we descended to our max depth of 75fsw and explored the wall along Neck Point, gradually ascending as we worked our way around towards Finn Beach. After about 45 minutes the series of walls ended and we headed 150degrees around the point. Near the boat launch we had ascended to 20fsw before descending to 50fsw again on the other side. After a long swim of over 100 minutes, we surfaced at Finn Beach to find hot coffee, hot dogs and chips waiting for the cold divers. There was even a draw, and I won a very nice T-shirt!
A most excellent dive for the first day of 2011! No leaks, no gear problems, just a fantastic dive. Along the way I managed to see and photograph some very nice starfish, an octopus, lots of sea urchins and one unusual fish I have yet to identify.
Neck Point - Octopus Video
Neck Point - Rebreathers Video