Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

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Seaslave
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Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by Seaslave »

It's been a long time since I've shared a dive report here. But this one was just to epic not to share.
I've been fishing in Nootka Sound for many years but never really had time to dive. There's salmon to be caught you know! But last spring I joined a good friend of mine at a family cabin of his in Tahsis for a weekend of shrimping and Halibut fishing. Every day, twice a day, we would pass by Mozino Point and I would recall the post here and the ADM article from John Rawlings and those beautiful Pink Gorgonian Corals and I just had to do it. My buddy was again, heading up to the cabin for the weekend and invited me along. I asked how he felt if I did a little diving and whether there was room for me to bring a dive buddy. He was all for it!
Friday morning Chris(H2Odoc) and I caught the 5:15 ferry headed to the Island and our epic weekend had begun. The weather was beautiful and the tides for Nootka Sound were perfect all weekend!
Strathcona Lake on the way to Gold River.
Strathcona Lake on the way to Gold River.
The gateway to Tahsis!
The gateway to Tahsis!
The rest of the fishing crew had arrived a few days earlier and would be staying one more day so we didn't plan any major diving till Sunday. Just a little light spear and pole fishing and some needed drysuit repairs after a rough neoprene vs. stainless steel screw match up on the boat...
Sunday morning we planned to do our only dive at Mozino Point at the 9:30 slack. After much conversation with Mr. Rawlings and a great dive briefing from Scott Schooner at Tahtsa Dive Charters we had our dive time picked, our entry point nailed down and the route we needed to get to the good stuff! So here we go:
Mozino Point our main dive site for the weekend!
Mozino Point our main dive site for the weekend!
It was easier to gear up one diver at a time and wait in the water for your buddy. The wait isn't bad... ;-)
It was easier to gear up one diver at a time and wait in the water for your buddy. The wait isn't bad... ;-)
And suddenly, there they were...
And suddenly, there they were...
My dive buddy Chris's video light can be seen above me at 130ft. The vis was unbelievable!
My dive buddy Chris's video light can be seen above me at 130ft. The vis was unbelievable!
I was concerned that I would find many corals at 150ft. Those concerns were unfounded. They were everywhere!
I was concerned that I would find many corals at 150ft. Those concerns were unfounded. They were everywhere!
I was shooting with my Canon G1X so macro was out of the question. I wish I brought my Casio as well, the macro life living among the corals was really cool. See the Candy Stripe Shrimp?
I was shooting with my Canon G1X so macro was out of the question. I wish I brought my Casio as well, the macro life living among the corals was really cool. See the Candy Stripe Shrimp?
When we surfaced, between the whooping and the high fives, we decided that we had to dive it again! We did another dive that morning at another site, but it was a total blur. All I could think about was those corals and that wall! Motion Point would be the real gem of this trip! We'd be back for sure!
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by Seaslave »

Our second and third dives at Mozino Point would be a bit shallower. But there were still a remarkable number of good sized corals between 120ft and 130ft. We chose to dive the site the next day at the same slack. It decided to start raining on us through the night and into the morning. No big deal!
While I was waiting, the guys in the boat pointed out the rainbow!
While I was waiting, the guys in the boat pointed out the rainbow!
I was so busy looking at the corals, I didn't even see the huge Puget Sound King Crab in the lower right...
I was so busy looking at the corals, I didn't even see the huge Puget Sound King Crab in the lower right...
The wall at Mozino Point is covered in Strawberry Anemones and there are tons of Chimney Sponges crawling and swimming with life!
The wall at Mozino Point is covered in Strawberry Anemones and there are tons of Chimney Sponges crawling and swimming with life!
The Chimney Sponges were a favorite with the rock fish.
The Chimney Sponges were a favorite with the rock fish.
And the crabs...
And the crabs...
On our third dive, we found all the Cloud Sponges we had been told about!
On our third dive, we found all the Cloud Sponges we had been told about!
Took me a minute to get Chris to pose the way I wanted him to...
Took me a minute to get Chris to pose the way I wanted him to...
The Strawberry Anemones added so much beauty to the wall and I was amazed at the number and size of the Rock Scallops found there!
The Strawberry Anemones added so much beauty to the wall and I was amazed at the number and size of the Rock Scallops found there!
Greenling tend to be shy, but not this one!
Greenling tend to be shy, but not this one!
I saw more Pinto Abalone on these dives than I have seen in 10+ years diving in the San Juans...
I saw more Pinto Abalone on these dives than I have seen in 10+ years diving in the San Juans...
What dive would be complete without a selfie!!!
What dive would be complete without a selfie!!!
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by Seaslave »

I love the beauty, ruggedness and isolation of Nootka Sound. I look forward to every trip I take there whether diving or fishing. One place I'd rather be than anywhere else!
The Sea Otters are a cool little critter. Shy, but curious at the same time.
The Sea Otters are a cool little critter. Shy, but curious at the same time.
My dive buddy for the weekend, Chris with Mozino Point and Esperanza Inlet behind him.
My dive buddy for the weekend, Chris with Mozino Point and Esperanza Inlet behind him.
Otters hanging out near a kelp bed that we dove on this weekend.
Otters hanging out near a kelp bed that we dove on this weekend.
I recently got a new Canon DSLR for doing astrophotography and was practicing my manual skills on the surface.
I recently got a new Canon DSLR for doing astrophotography and was practicing my manual skills on the surface.
This dude was hanging out above our dive site on our last day. He must have known we had fish...
This dude was hanging out above our dive site on our last day. He must have known we had fish...
"What are you looking at?"
"What are you looking at?"
Regal and Majestic!!!
Regal and Majestic!!!
I'm already planning and dreaming about my next dive trip in October or November. Fishing there in August and not diving may be sure torture. Hopefully the salmon are even bigger than usual!!!
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Gdog
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by Gdog »

Epic report! Outstanding!!!!
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YellowEye
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by YellowEye »

Nice snaps! Looks like a great trip!

I've been wanting to get up there. How long did it take you to get there?
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spatman
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by spatman »

Great report. Tahsis was one of my favorite dive trips ever. Scott and Jude are wonderful folks and hosts.
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Tom Nic
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by Tom Nic »

Thanks for the report!

Nootka Sound and Tahsis are the best cold water diving I've done to date. Period.

There may be mo beta cold water diving somewhere, but I haven't done it yet.
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by ScubaJess »

Fantastic pictures! It looks like great diving! :)
Glad you had a fun trip!
Live Long And Prosper!!!

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Scubie Doo
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by Scubie Doo »

Holy smokes! Awesome post and pics. The eagle is badass.
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Seaslave
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by Seaslave »

YellowEye wrote:Nice snaps! Looks like a great trip!

I've been wanting to get up there. How long did it take you to get there?
We caught the 5:15am ferry from Tsawwassen to Nanaimo and then rolled into Tahsis around 12:45pm. For as remote as it is, it's not to bad of a trip.
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by Seaslave »

Thanks everybody for the comments!
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Jan K
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by Jan K »

Great photos and report, sure brings back good memories, thanks for sharing ...
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by Grateful Diver »

Great photos and report. Mozino Point is one of my all-time favorite dives ... I was on that trip with John Rawlings and the ADM team. Really need to get back up there ...

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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by John Rawlings »

Glad you finally decided to dive there! I'm so happy for you....that area is one of my favorite spots on Earth, both topside and underwater.
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by H20doctor »

Gargo club... Epic diving on the wall !!! Video coming soon
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by H20doctor »

I had gotten a text message from seaslave to the fact of " Hey im going up fishing with my friends , but we might be able to get some diving in also " ... I was like Hmmmmmmm ok ... where at ? He says Tahsis... I have Never heard of this place , sounds Lame.... where is this place ? He says vancouver island ...7 hr drive... Im like ..ummmmm doesnt sound very exciting to me.. He then text me .. have you every seen Red Gorgonians ? Im like No but there on my bucket list !!! Hot diggy dam ... He then says ... the ADM team dove there, and they are at mozino Point .. 20 Min boat ride from the dock.... I then replied ... WHEN DO WE LEAVE ?!!!!??!!!!?!!!! He says 3 weeks ...
I went online after that and started reading and watching the ADM video of John rawlings, Curt, Bob , and others diving mozino point... I was completely excited to see these Red Gargos, and experience this place first hand.. I got my gear ready and loaded up both my 119 tanks , and the camera gear , checked , and double checked to make sure i had everything... I would drive up thursday night to seaslaves Place then we would leave early friday Morning at 530am, to catch the ferry... There was 1 lingering problem, i had become sick with a cold.. a nasty cough, nose boogers and congestion.. i had been taking massive amounts of stuff to kick it butt during the week, but it was still holding on to me tightly..
friday Morning crack of Doom we leave birch Bay to canada, get there early for the ferry boat , and we leave ..up stairs on the ferry we grab some breakfast , and the sausage , or what ever it is taste funky, like funky wrong , so i dont eat it ... back to the car, and i slept most of the way until we hit campbell river , get some grub and then off we go to Tahsis.... Now the last Leg of this road is gravel logging road Hell, and the loggers in their trucks dont give a dang about you , or where they are driving 65mph..on the road, and they are Heading straight at you way Over a safe speed Limit, we almost get taken out going in , and leaving ...
We are staying at Gabes Place , which is located 4 houses down from Scott and his wife Of tahtsa dive..NICE , we call and make plans for him to fill our tanks, and thank Goodness He had aquaseal Cause seaslave tore a nice Hole in his suit on day 1 of diving, which would have been game over for him all weekend... Day 1 was fishing .. Day 2 would be Mozino Point, day 3 mozino Point again and another site..
Now I was feeling pretty spooked about Mozino , and weirded out heavily ... why ? 1st thing that bothered me was the way this point is set up, 2 interconnecting flows of water meeting, and a deep channel that bring in nutrients and current.. So i knew there would be a Possibility of some current, cause I read the reports of the site.. 2nd issue ... Ken passed Here last sept , and they never found him, 3 days of under water rovers , and no sign of him.. I was sad very sad, that he passed here, but the other thought was , what if we find him ? how will i handle that underwater ... So i was feeling kinda uneasy about Mozino , and what to expect...
day of 1st dive ... we are diving a Mid morning slack, the game plan Is to dive together and have each other in sight the whole time, I will be above at 135 feet... Mathue below me at 160.. im planning for deco , so Is He ... My MOD is 135 only because my camera Housing is rated for that , and i cant drop deeper with out a risk of flooding and ruining what i have came here for to film.... Boat is loaded and we head out, Im still dealing with the cold , and feeling like crap , But if I have an issue as i start to get at depth, i will call the dive and head up.. But im dam determined to do this dive , because there arnt many divers I know who have been here and seen the gorgonians.. So its hell or high water for me , im committed... we are On the site gear up and we swim to the shore... Mathue is waiting on the rocks for me , and Im trying to calm myself, and get my mind settled, find my Zen .. after a few Mins i Look at him , he looks at me and says " Lets do it " ... Down we drop to 15 feet , and i Set my lens , turn on my lights , we start to kick down.. 35 .. 50 ..70 ... My mind Is blown .. there are hundreds , and I mean Hundreds of feather stars covering the rocks and floor, They are everywhere , and every square inch.. And the Viz , is Insane clear ... it was 80 feet or better , i could see forever Here, and the Other amazing thing about this dive is i have never seen cold , black clear , water , with No sediment in it ... it was that good.. We swam down and to the Left , We were In a Huge trench Cut between the rocks, Feather stars Like an underwater carpet.. at 95 feet I see the first small Red Gorgonian, but Im not here for little , i want Big , so I keep going down and as I get deeper , they just get bigger.. Im on a sloping rock and it just drops into the black depths.. I hit my max Now 135 feet and I start filming, Im feeling good , my head is a little fuzzy , but I know thats just the effect of narky Nark.. Mathue is below Me and he is snapping Photos ..
After I film , i look down to where Mathue is , and there is a nice group Of large Gargos !!! And I want to film them !! , But I cant ... Now never have I had a dive that was so freeking amazing , that I wanted to Go deeper.. " I wanted to go Deeper ", and it would be very easy for me to just bounce down , just bounce on down to 160 get the shot and come back... I really had a inner battle with my brain to violate and break My Mod plan... It was a first for me , and I needed to go deeper .. But I knew i couldnt !!! and it sucked , and I talked myself out of it cause i knew it wouldnt have been worth the risk, and racking up more of a deco obligation... So i signal Mathue that Im heading Left to explore and He decides to shallow up and explore also.. This is when I find cloud sponges , and a color explosion of strawberry anemones .. it started slowly , just a couple of sponges on the wall , ok no biggy , but when i got around the corner , It was Game on for both .... full on color explosion , and everything is covered with strawberries, It was truly a visual overload ... I film what i could , and head back up to the shallows and re join mathue , and we finish the dive ... Now He didnt see any of the sponges , So for the 2nd mozino dive the next day we both bounced back to the Gargos, and then I had mathue follow me to the eye candy of the sponges and wonder....
From what I have read here at Mozino point from rebreather Divers is when you reach the bottom, here on the floor , the Gargos are thick Like ferns covering the bottom, and they are a sight to see... we plan On going Back next winter , and I plan on experiencing this incredible site once again, because its truly a wonder to see... this Movie is Both dives combined as one, I have a 2nd Movie coming of a different site we did on saturday .. it wasnt Boulder alley, but it was near that site... I hope to find a tri color Nudi also next trip as we may venture out to the Nootka side...

ADM write up

http://www.advanceddivermagazine.com/ar ... ahsis.html
m eon the wall.JPG
And Here Is the video ....

phpBB [video]
Last edited by H20doctor on Tue May 10, 2016 12:10 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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YellowEye
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by YellowEye »

Nice Vid! I need to go check that place out!
Cool music too!
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by ScubaJess »

Wow beautiful!! I love how pink it is and all those millions of feather stars are great! The viz looks spectacular!

I agree with EY really nice music too!
You're just so multi talented!!! :)
I can't wait till we head back up to Victoria!
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Gdog
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by Gdog »

Great vid Doc! Loved it!
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by stphnmartin »

Very cool and deep but worth the effort. Really like the colors.

Awesome you create your own music! I didn't know that till I saw the credits!
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Scubie Doo
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by Scubie Doo »

Nice work H2O. I really enjoyed your video :)
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mpenders
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by mpenders »

Big like on the vid, Doc! Great report, too.
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ljjames
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by ljjames »

Fantastic Music!! Admittedly a bit jelly of your talents, so cool to be able to utilize your own compositions...
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H20doctor
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by H20doctor »

ljjames wrote:Fantastic Music!! Admittedly a bit jelly of your talents, so cool to be able to utilize your own compositions...

well Ive learned a ton from you Laura James since 2007... So you are also a great film maker
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Re: Tahsis, BC April 1st thru 4th (Long Winded)

Post by Tangfish »

I think it's about time to pay Scott and Jude a visit, John!
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