Nootka Sound ... in pictures ...

[jjblomquist]

Great report, sounds like a very nice place Thanks

 

[Soakedlontra]

Here's the trip report with a few more pictures ... it explains about Shark Point ...

Our first day of diving was a "shakedown" ... to get us acclimated to local waters. Scott was concerned about visibility, due to the fact that a storm had passed through the few days prior to our arrival. But although the runoff had left a murky halocline on the upper layers, once below the halocline, vis was consistently 50 feet or better. Our initial dive was at a place called "Boulder Alley" ... so named because of a rather impressive rock slide. The cliffs topside showed clear evidence of where the house-sized boulders we'd be diving on came from. Dropping down, we immediately found a giant dendronotid nudibranch feeding on some zoanthids ...

Further down, the boulders were covered in boot sponges and crinoids. Peering inito a boot sponge, I noticed a decorated warbonnet peering back out at me.

As the dive progressed, a current caught us and took Valerie and me for a ride along a particularly steep section of the boulder field. Motion caught my eye as I noticed a dancing dentronotid riding along beside us ...

A few minutes later the current dumped us into a sheltered inlet, where we completed our dive in calm, relatively clear water.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Amazing dives and, as usual, great pictures! Sam and I just have just come back from Port Hardy/Port McNeill. Our dives were far less spectacular than yours, the gorgonians are totally out of reach for us for the obvious reasons that we are not tech divers and trained to dive to 120/130 ft with trimix.I hope to make it there one day.

What if that current did not dump you and your buddy in a sheltered inlet but rather dragged you further along that boulder field? What would you have done? How would you have ended the dive?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Amazing dives and, as usual, great pictures! Sam and I just have just come back from Port Hardy/Port McNeill. Our dives were far less spectacular than yours, the gorgonians are totally out of reach for us for the obvious reasons that we are not tech divers and trained to dive to 120/130 ft with trimix.I hope to make it there one day.

What if that current did not dump you and your buddy in a sheltered inlet but rather dragged you further along that boulder field? What would you have done? How would you have ended the dive?

We would have continued to go with the flow, gradually ascending until we surfaced. In our case, we were in relatively calm water, in clear weather, with a live boat following along and tracking our bubbles. So we could have drifted quite far without worrying about it. Conditions were about as ideal as it gets for such a dive.

Had I been the least bit concerned, I would have shot a bag ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[cjfox]

Tahsis is definitely on my list to return to. Scott and Jude treated us wonderfully, and the diving was spectacular. Even for us Island folks it's a long drive.

YouTube - Tahsis short version.mp4

 

[DryGear]

Awesome trip report with awesome photos, thanks for sharing.

Going to have to add Tahsis to the dive-getaway wishlist. Were you able to get nitrox & trimix fills there locally or would you be carting it all up there with you?