Diving with Nautilus Explorer around Vancouver Island.

Trip report on diving with Nautilus Explorer, circling around
Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada, June 2004.
This was my fourth time on this ship, but my first on going around the
whole Vancouver Island. It was a almost diving opportunity of life
time for me as NE was the only liveaboard that offer diving along the
B.C. coast and it was affordable. From this year onward, NE will be
trying a new diving venture down south at the Los Cabos of Mexico and
only spend a few summer months back in Canada to do the Alaska and the
east coast(Port Hardy) of Vancouver Island.
NE is a beautiful diving ship designed by her owner Mike Lever, on the
back part of the ship, it peggy back a large aluminium skiff which
offer comfortable diving for 22 divers. Once we were boarded, we just
set up our diving gears at this skiffs for the rest of the trip.
Everytime I come on the ship, I always found something new had been
added on. This time, a new large flat panel TV and a computer with
card reader and CD burner were added to the main salon. The computer
was really a big plus because I could review my digital photos after I
shoot it and even edit it with its Photoshop software.
This trip was destinated specially for photographers as Mike had
arranged a professional photographer( Berg White.) onboard to gave
lecture on u/w photography. I am not a serious photo geek, but I found
Berg's lecture was very interesting and he even produced execellent
photo CD(with music, fade in/out affect..)with the photos that he and
the rest of the guests took during the trip for each one of us for
free. One thing that I really like going on this ship, unlike the
cruise ship, is you pay the cost of the trip, and almost everything
is free from there on. Also, unlike the cruise ships, the schedule and
travelling routes are very flexible and depending on the weather
condition. Very often, if we see some interesting places and condition
is good, we could gear up and jump in to check out the place.
Althought not every place is covered with colorful stuffs, but it
really satisfy one's exploration nature. Many time, you know that the
place that you are swimming in it probably have never been touched by
other divers.
Every trip have always included some serious diving geeks with
rebreathers, trimix and nitox stuffs. I am just a lowly a single plain
air tank diver, but in no way that I am less adventurous than these
high tech seals. There are always some non divers onboard and they
also enjoy themself too with kayaks and cameras and listening to geek
talks, actually most of them are quite humourous. Captain Mike always
gave a detail briefing before each dive and from then on, we are on
our own. Unless someone request for a dive master, most divers are on
their own because most of them are photographers and experience
divers. I enjoy diving alone because I like to keep on my eyes only
what is on in front and my depth and air pressure meter. I also know
Mike is in his diving skiff on the surface looking out for us if we
get carry out by the current(have not happened to me yet). One thing
about diving in BC, many sites consiste of high current flow(that is
why we got all kind of beautiful stuffs covering our sites) and
really need an expert captain to interprete the tide changes. As I am
told by other dive charters, every one had their own way to do this
and it is part of the trade secret
Once all the guest were boarded (thank god, no airport security check,
somekind of tax..) in Steveston. The ship steamed up north toward
Texada Island, two hours later, we did our first check up dive in an
area famous for sponges. Sponges it was, the wall was covered nothing
but yellow sponges at the depth of 70 ft and beyond. It is something
new to see for me. After dinner, it was a night dive at the same spot
which I passed. I like to save my energy for later days, it was a
eleven day trip and plenty more diving to come.
Then the ship travelled at night heading further north and we arrived
at Browning Pass at the early afternoon next day. Browning Pass is
famous diving area along BC coast and Browning wall is a signature
dive. It is steep wall(150 ft or so) covered with life from top to
bottom, you will see many things but boulders. It resemble a hugh,hugh
carpeted wall. Browning Pass is a high current pass area, to dive this
area, the timing must done right and it is an exception to hit it
right on the slack, so a little slight drift is to be expected, but
there are a lot of area that has back eddy to keep you from drifting.
I have done Browning wall a few time before and tell you the truth,
was not my favour because I had seen better(I like site with more land
formations, channels, hills...etc). However, this time, when I was
swimming around edge of the wall (30 ft), I saw the kelps was flagging
by the current, underneath it was surround with all kinds beautiful
anemonies which look like sunflowers, of variety brillant colors, with
schools of rock fished swimming between kelps,sunlight coming down
from above and white plumose cover walls in the background. It was
like swimming throught a beautiful garden. I just kept my buoyance and
stay at the same spot for few minuts to absorpt such beautiful image,
even the vis is only 20 to 30 ft or so. I have been in this site
before when vis is in the 80, somehow, this time the image was more
beautiful. This is what I know about diving in BC coast. Unlike the
tropic, the dive sites gets better as you get more experience with it.
Even thought, we had to wear a dry suit and 30 or more lbs of lead,
diving is more exciting here than what I experienced in Cariibean.
Sometimes it is dark and rocky, suddenly, come around the corner, your
eyes would hit with bright white colors of plumose covered wall and
clumps of deep red anemones, yellow sponges and purple colors of star
fishes in between.
Due to a weather front coming at the north tip of the Island, we had
to stay a day at Browning Pass. So, we were taken to different areas
of the Pass to dive. One at the opening of the Pass, one at the island
across from Browning wall. All of them were unique, which gave us a
varieties of diving. Next day, we headed toward Dillion Rock, which
famous for its Wolf eels. It is a small pinnacle with small light
tower sitting on the peak. I have done this rock before a few time, it
is a beautiful dive site, specially at a night dive, and I have seen
everything else but I had only saw one little baby wolfee with his
head stuck out of his den. The first dive was the same thing, I did
not see any of the famous wolfee, but the dive is still quite
beautiful. However, on my second dive, I across 4 wolfees and 2 out in
the opening. Now I could belong to the Dillion Rock wolfee sighting
committee. We had to wait out the storm to pass the tip of the Island,
a third dive to the rock was scheduled. Instead, a few of us went to
shore area to dive and it was quite good. It has a lot of different
life that I had never seen before and probably one of the rarely few
divers that dove this site.
Then, at 4 am morning the ship started heading toward Cape Scott, NW
tip of the island. After we passed the Cape, the coastal scenery was
even more beautiful. We docked at the Quatsino Sound and did a dive on
a pinnacle nearby. It was a site that was never dive before and
probably won't be for awhile. The pinnacle was totally submerge in the
ocean and shape like a tooth molar with 4 or five peaks between 20 to
40 ft below. The wall of the pinnacle was covered with little life,
but it consisted a lot of channel and cervices to explore,
unfortunately, they were located below 90 ft. I did a short bit
looking at those channels and then went up to different peak, the vis
was only 20 or so and was not able to see one peak from the other.
The second dive was an nearby island and was doved before by our 2nd
captain ,El. It was high current drift dive pass a life covered wall
and saw some of biggest anameoneis(3 ft in diameter).
Then, the ship headed toward a place called Bunsby Island to do a Kelp
dive. The dive was nice, but it was the tour to a nearby old ancient
native village that was remarkable. It was a beautiful beach
protected by many small islands, channels and rocks. Captain Mike gave
us a detail history of the place while the skiff took us to the shore.
He also show us some of the ruin of their habitat and told to
becareful where we are stepping so we could keep the place as natural
as possible. I found it interesting because it is not a commercial
tourist place. One felt like an explorer after a visit like this.
Next, we head toward Tahsis and did some drift dive thru the Tahsis
channel, this was where I saw and touch an octopus in the open(I
forgot to wear my gloves into the dive, surprisely, the water was not
that cold.) Then we stopped a night at Tahsis, a water front
communites surrounded with mountains.
Next day, we did a shore dive to look for 6 grill shark, but no one
saw any. after that, we headed toward Hot Spring cove. We did a dive
at a place inside Hayen Pass, again, it was a high current area
similar to Browning Pass, the vis was only 20 of so, but one of the
diver(very experienced) saw a shark which he think is a blue shark.
Hot spring cove as the name said it, has a beautiful hot spring. It
was a one km walk from dock and the trail is well covered by wooden
planks to protect the vegetation. The Spring was hot and relaxing.
Cold water diving and a half hour walk in the wood and soaking in the
hot spring afterward go very well together.
Next day morning, we did a dive at a nearby pinnacle which has been
known to be one of best pinnacle dive around the coast. Even thought
the vis is only 20 or so and was dark(almost like a night dive), the
rock was covered with life and many school of fishes of different
variety swimming everywhere(El said that this is the one of few
pinnacles that fish life has not been changed in the last 20 years). I
came across two wolfee during the diving. It was a great dive. It
would had been an exceptional dive if the vis was 60 or better.
Next, the ship took us to Friendly Cove. A beautiful beach cove that
look like somekind of South tropical island. After spending a few hour
there, we head toward Berkley Sound, the lower south side of the
island. Our first dive there was to a well known wreck called Varlene,
a freighter from Japan that carrier a bunch cars and crashed into the
rocks and sunk in 1972. Then a visit to Bamfield and a bonfire party
at a nearby island.
Next day, we arrive at Victoria did a dive at Odgen Point which I
found it exciting because, for the first time, a wolfee found me and
want to play, he wrap himself around my body and wanted to be padded.
I stroked his head and blow his neck and I swam away. Appearanly, he
did the same thing to every diver on our group.
I walked around the harbor afterward. Next day morning, our last day,
we finished the dive to a wreck called G.B. Church in the morning and
docked in Steveston at noon.
I would like to finish here with the thanks to the crews of the
Nautilus Explorer: El, Colby, Donny, Tom, Karen, Kat, and
Coreen(excellent cook) for their excellent service. Thank you for all
those hot chocolates and homemade cinnamon buns meeting us right after
our dives. Beside all those beautiful images we came across above and
below the ocean, my memory are also fill with the sound of laughters
which were heard everywhere on the ship.

Have a safe dive and please respect our ocean.