28' aluminum custom welded Cabin cruiser - heated cabin, 8 diver max.

 

26' aluminum custom welded Cabin cruiser - heated cabin, 5 divers max

Dive Sites

Browning Wall   

This is the "awe" of cold water wall dives. The wall is shear, and actually starts about 100 feet above the water line. The wall is about 300 yards long, and its the depth varies from about 180 to 230 feet.This wall is covered with a conglomeration of some of the most beautiful invertebrate marine life you will ever see. Sponges, anemones, soft corals, nudibranchs, urchins, crabs, starfish, bryozoans, and other life forms cover the wall and come in almost every shade of the rainbow, although brilliant reds, oranges, yellows, purples, and white are the most common colors. On the wall, you will often encounter Longfin Sculpins, Red Irish Lords, King Crabs, the occasional octopus, and various varieties of rockfish (Yellowtail, China, and Quillback to name a few). Large Orange Peel Nudibranchs, Giant Barnacles, and large sprawling Basket Stars are common. Deadman's Finger Sponges and large scallops stick out form the wall at different locations. An occasional Lingcod can sometimes be found resting on ledges. Small crabs of seemingly unlimited variety can be found if you look closely. The marine life here just seems to go on and on. Take some time to examine the small life here. Find an interesting looking patch and spend five minutes just admiring the microcosm of life that every square foot of this wall hosts. You will be amazed at what you find. - Thanks, Keith and Jon.

 

Wreck of the "SS Themes"

This dive site is actually located just outside of the northeast end of Browning Pass, in the Queen Charlotte Strait. It is located in some big water, and can be very exposed to certain winds, surge, and currents. The Themes was a large ore freighter that hit an offshore reef (Croker Rocks) just after the turn of the century. This is a very cool dive site. The wreck lies in about 70 fsw, has completely collapsed, and is impenetrable. Other than some old ribs and steel plates, you wouldn't know that this was a ship. Nature has reclaimed this wreck and transformed her into a modern Wolf-Eel and Lingcod condo. Some of the friendly Wolf-Eels live here. These creatures will let you handle them if you are gentle. However, please remember to never impose your will on any wild creature. The Lingcod here are also a spectacle, and amongst the biggest I have ever seen. They are readily found resting under collapsed parts of the old ship. Some of them must be 5 feet long. However, there is much more to see than the wreck. After all the ship sunk here for a reason, and that reason is a rocky reef. There is plenty of interesting structure around the reef covered in the usual Browning Pass ecology - colorful anemones, hoards of starfish, bountiful sponges, and vivid soft corals. Cruising the reef area you will find Copper, Quillback, and China Rockfish, Red Irish Lords, octopus , the occasional King Crab, and darting Kelp Greenling. In the shallower depths, expect to find Bull Kelp creating a sanctuary for schooling Black and Yellowtail Rockfish. -Thanks Keith and Jon.

 

 

Hunt Rock

Hunt Rock is probably one of the best known dive sites in the Port Hardy area. It is right up there with Browning Wall. However, it is a very different dive than Browning Wall, and the conditions can be more challenging. Hunt Rock is located in some fairly big water, and is subjected to nasty weather and swells, especially from the northwest. It is not always diveable, and should only be done on slack water, preferable slack before flood. The nice thing about being out in the open is that vis sometimes runs a bit better than normal at this site. The "rock" is actually comprised of two pinnacles that rise from depths of over 200 feet to close to the surface. The southern pinnacle sports a shear face on the western side, and tapers down more gradually to the east. One descends the 25 feet or so to the top of the pinnacle, then follow a "channel" cut through the rock that heads to the west. Where this channel ends is where the wall begins! The wall here is simply awesome, and just brimming with life. To round out the rockfish collection, there are Tiger, Quilback, China, Puget Sound, and Yellow-eye rockfish that make Hunt Rock their home as well.The first dive I did here, I did a quick tour of the wall, then headed around the side of the wall to the south. In addition to the rockfish and Wolf-eels, expect to see countless invertebrates, Lingcod, KelpGreenling, small sculpins, the occasional Giant Pacific Octopus, and most other species that make this place so great. This is serious diving out here. With an experience captain, the right currents, and cooperative weather, it is a pleasant dive. However, it would not take much to make this dive a real challenge. Conditions can change very quickly in exposed sites such as this one. -Thanks Keith and Jon.

 

 

5 fathom Rock

The variety of marine life here is overwhelming. Absolutely beautiful soft corals, anemones, and sponges line the pinnace. You can find Giant Pacific Octopus hiding in their dens. Schools of Yellowtail and Copper Rockfish can be found loitering around and in the kelp. Irish Lords lie in blankets of anemones and soft corals and are easily found if you look closely. Large Orange Peel Nudibranch, giant scallops, and volleyball sized Red and Purple Sea Urchin add even more vivid color to the seascape. Schools of Black Rockfish and darting Kelp Greenlings grace the kelp beds. Quillback and China Rockfish, Lingcod, and Wolf Eels can be found in abundance on both sides of the rock, as can colorful Puget Sound King Crabs, Basket Stars, etc, etc, etc. This dive just ROCKS! Words or pics do NOT do it justice.

 

Other common dives sites, yet with no pics or description:

Turret Rock (Nakwakto Rapids)

Weck of the " SS Suwannee"

7 Tree Island

Hussar Point

Dillon Rock

Thornton Reef

Berry Islet

Mary Rock

Lucan Shute

Wreck of the " SS Dora"

Slave Island

Harlequin Rock

Tribune Rock

Boy Toy

Willes Island

 

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