God's Pocket

Tell us your tale of coming nose-to-nose with a 6 gill [--this big--], or about your vacation to turquoise warm waters. Share your adventures here!
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YellowEye
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God's Pocket

Post by YellowEye »

Hi
I just got back from God's Pocket. As I mentioned in my other post, our trip got cut a little short due to a fire, plus I had some camera issues, so I only got in about half the photo dives that I wanted to -- but it was a ton of fun. I can't recommend them enough -- there's so much to see on those reefs! We did 7 tree, butter tart, browning, snowfall, northwest passage, hoodie noodie bay, etc

Top side we saw bald eagles, dolphins and even a pair of coastal wolves! We even got to dive with Andy Lamb, critter geek extraordinaire, and he had a lot of interesting stories to tell.

Here were some of the shots:
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LCF
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by LCF »

LOVE that anemone picture with the sun behind it, Eric! They're all good, but that one stands out.
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seattlepaul1975
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by seattlepaul1975 »

Fantastic pictures!
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Gdog
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by Gdog »

Awesome shots Eric! Nice work. I like the Warbonnet, love how it is framed with soft color and pefect depth of field.
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Jan K
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by Jan K »

Great stuff Eric!
You captured the magic of Browning Pass very well :supz:
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camerone
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by camerone »

Nice pix. How'd the light hold up?

-c
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H20doctor
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by H20doctor »

brain overload diving there ...nice pictures
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Tom Nic
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by Tom Nic »

Wonderful pics of an amazing place!
More Pics Than You Have Time To Look AT
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Scubie Doo
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by Scubie Doo »

Nice work Eric, sorry to hear about the fire.
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RenaB
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by RenaB »

OK, I have a question. I am looking at these pictures and seeing great vis. So, I am a little confused, because sound vis is terrible right now from other reports (I'm noticing from other reports). Is the area an exception to that rule? Or did you just make it in under the wire of the bad vis? Or am I just misunderstanding locations for vis? Such as the south area is bad ATM but the north end is always beautiful?
Rena

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GearHead
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by GearHead »

God's Pocket is above the north end of Vancouver Island and gets cold fresh water directly from the Pacific. Vis is usually much better up there; 70 ft is not unusual, though it still has algae blooms.
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RenaB
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by RenaB »

I see
Rena

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KeithBoll
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by KeithBoll »

Great pictures! Makes me want to go back tomorrow! Love that place!
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Diver_C
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by Diver_C »

Great pictures! Thank you for sharing!! Hope the damage at God's Pocket gets repaired quickly. That is a very sweet diving place!!
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RenaB
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by RenaB »

Sorry, another question. This looks like it's technically Canada. How does that work? Do you have to have passports/cards to come back or go over?
Rena

Drink water, breathe air. Never get these mixed up.
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YellowEye
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by YellowEye »

Hi
Glad people like the pics.

Yes, it is in Canada. You'll need a passport to cross the border. It takes about 10-11 hours of driving (including 2 hour ferry ride and wait and border crossing) to get there from Seattle!

-Eric
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Dusty2
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by Dusty2 »

RenaB wrote:Sorry, another question. This looks like it's technically Canada. How does that work? Do you have to have passports/cards to come back or go over?
Yes you will need either a passport or the approved WA drivers license which costs extra to get back in.
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GearHead
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by GearHead »

You need proof of US citizenship or permanent residency to get back into the US. A passport is the easiest document to carry. Others include the enhanced driver's license, or a voter registration in combination with a standard driver's license.

It's a bit of a trip, but the ferry ride from Tswassen to Nanaimo and the drive up Vancouver Is are both very pretty.
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Grateful Diver
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by Grateful Diver »

Rena, as others have said, God's Pocket is just off the very north tip of Vancouver Island. From the Seattle area you make your way across the border, take a ferry ride from either Tsawassan (south of Vancouver) or Horseshoe Bay (north of Vancouver) across the strait to Nanaimo, which is about one third of the way up the east coast of Vancouver Island. Once on the island, it's about a 5-hour drive up the coast and over the mountains to get to Port Hardy, a small town on the north tip of the island. From there a boat will take you out to the resort ... another 1.5 to 2 hours ride.

The best diving is in a place called Browning Pass, which is very close to the two resorts that operate up there ... God's Pocket and Browning Pass Hideaway. The diving is spectacular ... Jacques Cousteau once said it was among his top five favorite places in the world to dive. There are walls, pinnacles, slopes, an old wreck, and some spectacular drift dives. The area isn't just covered with life ... there's life growing on the life! It's totally different and in some ways unique in terms of what you see ... sensory overload in a really good way.

It's very remote, incredibly beautiful both above and below the water, and somewhat expensive (has to be, due to the remoteness of the places you will stay and dive). If you've never been there, I highly recommend it ... it's the apex of Pacific Northwest diving.

On a different note, I learned yesterday that the Swell ... a liveaboard that has been doing summer excursions in Port Hardy for the past few years ... has recently been sold. This is the last year it will be operating as a diving boat. So if you want to see Port Hardy that way, this is your last chance to do so.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
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jpa
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Re: God's Pocket

Post by jpa »

Grateful Diver wrote:On a different note, I learned yesterday that the Swell ... has recently been sold. This is the last year it will be operating as a diving boat. So if you want to see Port Hardy that way, this is your last chance to do so.
This deserves a thread of its own. The Swell has basically been the highlight of my short diving experience.
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