Going Under

August-September 2003

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD

by Bryan Nichols

Wolf eels look frightening, but actually are gentle creatures.
Bryan Nichols photo.

One of the main reasons marine protected areas are a century behind parks on land is a simple bit of folk wisdom— out of sight, out of mind. To about 99% of the people in the Northwest, anything below one meter deep is a dark, murky mystery—or a few dots on a depth-sounder. That’s why it’s so easy to dump garbage, discharge pollutants and fish till the fishes are no more. We can’t see what we’re doing.

Once in a while a few of us can, though. Take some basic snorkeling gear, add a few thousand dollars worth of exposure protection and breathing technology, and you can explore some of the wide world below the waves (equipment costs considerably less if you buy secondhand). With proper SCUBA training, most folks are capable of safely venturing about forty meters under the sea. Once you’ve slipped below the surface, gravity is controllable and the rewards are many. You know those big, scenic cliffs on land? Ever want to just float up or down one? Northwest divers do it all the time, hanging weightless on some amazing rock walls with nothing but dark undivable depths below.

Sound a bit too dramatic for you? How about bright sandy bottoms and the riot of life in a nearby kelp forest? Perhaps you’d prefer drifting with the tides along rocks that are covered in colourful invertebrates. Or visiting ships that were wrecked a hundred years ago. The urge to explore, to literally visit another world, is what lures many of us into diving.

It’s the critters that keep us going back under. While our terrestrial friends are admiring trees and bugs on their walks in the park, our underwater minds are boggling at representatives of all of the major groups of animal life, and many of the more obscure ones. We see ancient glass sponges, giant anemones and colonies of colourful tunicates. We see bold sea lions, curious rockfish and shy giant octopuses. Many divers can spend their underwater hour watching all the remarkablelife in one small area. After this parade of the colorful and bizarre, a squirrel in the park just doesn’t cut it anymore.

A little inter-species communication. Bryan Nichols photo.

Since the Orca Pass area encompasses a passel of passes, islands, reefs and bottoms of all types, there are oodles of critters to meet and plenty of underwater exploring to be done. For those on a budget, shore dives are possible off Victoria and Sidney as well as Pender, Saltspring, San Juan and many of the other islands. For those who prefer the versatility and comfort of diving from a boat, there are dive shops and charter operators on both sides of the border that regularly dive the Orca Pass area. Check in Victoria, Sidney and Friday Harbor.

Charters, courses or buddying up with knowledgeable locals are great ways to introduce yourself to new dive sites. Another option is a guidebook—two relevant choices are Betty Pratt-Johnson’s 99 Dives (covers the San Juans up to Port Hardy), and Greg Dombowsky’s Vancouver Island South Diver’s Guide which provides some good maps and tips for dives on the Canadian side.

If you’ve never tried diving, look up your local dive shop and pop in—they’ll be happy to show you how to get started. Technology keeps making it easier and more comfortable (I’m a complete cold wimp, but my drysuit keeps me warm). It’s a privilege to be able to explore places and see critters most people are clueless about—places that are just around the corner, just offshore.

ORCA PASS DIVE HIGHLIGHTS

• Turn Point, Limekiln Point—these cliffs on the U.S. side of Haro Strait keep right on going below the water and are popular with advanced divers for the walls of life that grow in the current.

• Enterprise Reef, North Cod Reef— speaking of advanced, these rocks (south end of Active Pass, west end of Gooch Is) are an exciting combination of current, critters, and underwater walls.

• Tilly Point—South Pender has some fascinating conglomerate cliffs, and below the waves there are even shallow caves decorated with anemones and framed by bright sand.

ORCA PASS ENDORSERS

Organizational & Business (July 2003)

• Affirmative Computer Solutions • Aquatic Techniques Consulting • Bandito Charters • Blue Moon Expeditions • Brooks Wetsuits • Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society • Center for the Study of Coast Salish Environments (Samish Indian Nation) • Clean Water Alliance • Deer Harbor Charters • Ecomarine Ocean Kayak Centre • Energy Alternatives • Evergreen Islands • Friends of Ecological Reserves • Friends of Miller Peninsula State Park • Friends of the San Juans • Galiano Conservancy Association • Georgia Strait Alliance • Georgia Strait Crossing Concerned Citizens Coalition Society • Gulf Islands Kayaking • Highlander Inn of San Juan Island • Island Escapades • Islands Trust • John Ronald & Associates • Johns Islanders, Inc. • Kitsap Audubon Society • Kitsap Diving Association • Lifeforce Foundation • Living Oceans Society • Marine Mammal Connection Society • Mayne Island Naturalists • Oceans Blue Foundation • Ocean River Sports • ORCA: Orca Recovery Campaign (Earth Island Inst) • Orca Conservancy • Orca Network • Outdoor Odysseys • Pender Island Conservancy Association • People For Puget Sound • Planet Ocean • PrivateBoatTours.Com • Raincoast Conservation Society • Rainforest Kayak Adventures • Rainier Audubon Society • ReSources • Rivershed Society of British Columbia • Rogue Folk Club • San Juan County • Sea Otter Kayaking • SeaChange Marine Conservation Society • Sierra Club of British Columbia • Skagit Audubon Society • Skagit Valley College Environmental Club • Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC) • Spiritdiver Inc. • Surfrider Foundation • Tahoma Audubon Society • Taiwanese Green Club (Vancouver) •The Mosquito Fleet • The Whale Museum/Soundwatch • Underwater Council of BC • Voodoo Kayaks • Washington Kayak Club • Washington Scuba Alliance • Washington Toxics Coalition • WaveLength Magazine • West Coast Expeditions • Whale Watch Operators Association Northwest • Wildways Adventure Sports • World Wildlife Fund US/US Forest Conservation Campaign.
Join at www.georgiastrait.org/OrcaPass/endorsers.php