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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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H20doctor
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Post by H20doctor »

The call came , the caller ID Seaslave..Yo whats up ? are you avail for Nov 8 to the 12 ? Yep .. where we going ? TAHSIS !!!!!! .. the Call to the North , the drive of All Long drives , its not All the way up to gods pocket , or Campbell river...But id imagine its pretty Much the same ... 2 Hrs Bc ferry ride and them 4.5 Hours to the destination.. The trip up to Tahsis isnt that bad , in fact its pretty good when you have conversation going , topics, and Good tunes to Jam on the radio.. the Longest Part of the stretch is when we hit Gold River, thats when the road turns to gravel and Becomes Loggin road white trucks of death.. these guys drive the road fast , and know ever curve, straight away , and drive it like a rack track.. Very nerve racking .. In fact Jude from Tahtsa Diving was injured from a collision from the Logging crew trucks.. sad stuff..
So It had Been 2 yrs from my First trip Up.. and It was Long over due to get back there, and film .. I was Now Armed with my new camera Set up which allowed me deeper dives and no leaking worries.. Nauticam Baby !! ahhhhh Yeah .. but it Hurt the Bank account Hard to have it .. what was different about this trip vers the last trip was the fact that we had to split the diving with fishing, this trip was 100% dedicated to diving.. Gabe was driving us all up in his truck , and we some How barely fit 4 guys , 12 Tanks , and all the stuff in His Truck Bed..And No we did Not declare tanks for the Bc ferries ..
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Arriving wed Night , we Unloaded the truck , unpacked , and I set up My fire Hazard of chargers , lights, Batteries , and Power strips .. LOL Ben wanted to cook all the meals So he packed Up a Healthy portion of food to be cooked and Ingested buy us . dinner was good that night , washed down by Drinks and we hit the Zzzzzz for the night .

Day 1 We hitched Up Gabes Boat to the truck and drove it into town 2Mins If that , and Into the boat Ramp.. Gabe then ran the Boat over to the dock for Our first trip Out to Mozino.. As soon as I saw the water at the dock I immediately Notice Very Large Moon Jellies!! and Not just one.. they were every where , and I mean EVRYWHERE ... I was like wait !! give me my camera I want to film Now .. quick throw me a snorkle , i want to get in and film them ... Not gonna happen , So off to the site for a 10 am splash time.. Seaslave Does a Killer job of predicting the Slack Here, in fact as we Dove Tahasis we all got a bit better at How the current flows and Behaves Here at the point, and Also in talking with Scott Of tahtsa Dive.. the Current Always Runs South.. and it flows , then cools down and then flows again.. we were Pretty much able to get 2 divers in, then out, then 2 in again at Mozino ... pretty good considering how we have heard that the point can be vicious with current.. Then Plan on day 1 , go deep , get my shots , get the Hell up .. Seaslave And I were in first .. His plan 180 or so , my plan see How i felt at 125, then proceed till I saw a Good Large Red Gargo.. I would Be above Mathue the whole time , and we would Have Visual of each other the whole time until our Max Deco was Reached.. My time was 20mins at depth, and I was ready for a 20 to 25 Min deco Obligation.. I was first in the water , and then Mathue in his doubles ... after we both were ready check this ..Yep.. checked that , Yep.. good to go.. Psssshhhhhhhhhh, deflate .. Down to 15 feet , check the camera , flashing green , lights On !!, camera On ... lets Begin ..
When You dive Here At mozino , and the water Is clear , like Winter Clear it can be Over 100feet !! when i looked out on the underwater landscape it was even better than last time we were here..INSANE ... Mozino Has 2 sites , down to the Left in the Cut , thousands Of feather stars cover every inch of the sea floor , and then the Red GArgos start small at 90 feet, If you take the right Side of the site , you are Greeted with thousand Of strawberry anemones , and then Boot sponges and then at the 100 feet to 125 feet , Intense Cloud Sponges and Life ..
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Im heading down and seeing Thousands Of feather stars in clear , cold Blue water.. Mathue is on my left being a Freight train Bombing down on a mission and Im telling myself .. I can film the feather stars tomorrow ... i can film them Later ,,let it go OCD .. let it go ... we are Heading Left and soon find out the landscape with Depth becomes Very sparse and Nothing is There , So we Turn east and kick into the gentle flow of S water.. Im seeing seaslave Below me and Its so DANG clear I could Prob see him at 200 feet while I was up at 140.. whats Really Insane about diving here Is there is zero fluff, snow, or silt in the water.. its Clear , and for me It doesnt make sense to my brain because when im home diving a great winter viz is like 25 to 35.. but there is Haze in the water.. We started to see the prize now , Red Gargos .. Lovely Red Ferns growing bright red in the dark deep water of Tahsis Bc .. Seaslave is Snapping Pics and His strobe is firing , and Im seeing a cluster of 3 that are really nice.. I keep filming and Seeing what I came here for, My head is good and Im at 135 feet , my Nark is good and I feel normal for being at this depth... But then !! BOOM !! , I see a really , really Large Gargo , and Its just about Mathue .. Im heading down .. Got it , swam around it, filmed it .. done deal Baby ..151 feet.. Very Nice Gypsie .. Very Nice , continued to kick down the wall and slope Until I hit My time , and then Headed up to do My deco.. I did Super Killer on my air and still came Up with 900 psi , and a Full 40cu as my Bail out .. I saw seaslave come up the slope and he finished out his Deco , and we had a Good time... Gabe and Ben did there dive here after Us, and As new divers , they got to explore and see the site also.. That was the end Of day 1 for diving .. I think , cause I cant remember if we did a second dive ? on day 1 ..
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Back to Gabes House and we rinsed Gear , ate Food and then went to bed.. zzzzzzzzz

Day 2 ... Once Again Back out to Mozino , this time is down and to the right .. I could dive this place every day and never get sick of it.. i found a new Ledge here at 65 feet and its solid Boot sponges covered in strawberries.. :supz: its a Mind overload , and when you can see 85 feet all the way around you !!, you can see the friggin boat about you ??? are you kidding , this doesnt happen in cold water places ? , well maybe it does , but i havent been there yet .. as you get deeper here The cloud sponges are Incredible, and the view of the slope as you take it all in is crazy.. My video didnt even begin to capture it.. I was at 125 feet and i could see Ben and seaslave above me on the right as the swam around.. sponge after sponge, carpets of strawberries..so much i started singing the Beatles... and then Center Island for spearfishing.. Viz at center Island was Hazy and sparse for filming ... there was some stuff to see , but I was being a good dive buddy for gabe as he was spearfishing and I wanted to spot a Ling for him to shoot, But also not film something and then Loose him .. So i pretty much Filmed wide angle Here and There... Ben and seaslave Hit the east side of center Island , and Ben was able to get a ling...
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We did Hit and Find Boulder Alley for the first time Also on this trip !! , Boulder Alley is 2 Massive Rocks that Have an Over hang , and then you can swim under the shelves of the rocks.. This site Has been talked about and is good for Macro, i did not see much macro Here , But i did find a first , a White Flat Worm , that I thought was A NUDI .. Later that Night we did a night dive Looking for a Lost gold wedding ring , and This sis where I got to film the Moon Jellies in the dark.. the video with egg Yolk Jellies was during My SI at boulder alley and I was swimming on the surface...
3 days Of diving .. 3 tanks a day ... great Food , Excellent weather.. furrr Babies basking on the log breakwater.. and we all had Fun , safe Dives.. I am always Blessed to go Here , see this Place , and Experience it ..
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H20doctor
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Re: Return To TAHSIS

Post by H20doctor »

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stphnmartin
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Post by stphnmartin »

Appreciate the finely detailed report to go with the great pics and videos. We'll have to somehow follow in your footsteps and get up there to have the Tahsis experience.

It's interesting how the gorgonias grow in desolate, isolated locations. The deep red against the dark wall is quite beautiful and probably the allure for making the trip.

Thanks for sharing!
:popcorn: View dive videos on my youtube channel. GH5, Nauticam housing, Big Blue 9000s, Sola 500, 1200, Scuba Lamp Snoot, Mavic 2 Pro, Osmo, Final Cut Pro X
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YellowEye
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Post by YellowEye »

Woohoo! Very cool!

Love the rockfish with strawberry fields behind them.

Looks like a great area. Love the scenery. Is the shallow diving pretty good?

Question: Does the charter provide housing and your meals?
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H20doctor
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Post by H20doctor »

Well to go diving there you would have to contact Scott and Jude of Tahsta. Diving... and as far as sleeping Arrangements go there is a place called The Lodge but food is not provided and there are a couple of rental houses there that you can rent also
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H20doctor
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Re: Return To TAHSIS

Post by H20doctor »

stphnmartin wrote:Appreciate the finely detailed report to go with the great pics and videos. We'll have to somehow follow in your footsteps and get up there to have the Tahsis experience.

It's interesting how the gorgonias grow in desolate, isolated locations. The deep red against the dark wall is quite beautiful and probably the allure for making the trip.

Thanks for sharing!
Thanks... Need. More white Balance ?
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GearHead
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Post by GearHead »

Looks like a great area for diving! The other places I've seen 80' vis in cold water were at Magnolia Point north of Nanaimo and up around Browning Pass.
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ScubaJess
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Post by ScubaJess »

Nice report!!! :)
Now I want to go up there.
Live Long And Prosper!!!

Stay Warm underwater with the Weezle Extreme Plus undergarment! Please let me know if you would like to order one or have any questions. :luv: :partydance: :eric: :taco:
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H20doctor
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Post by H20doctor »

ScubaJess wrote:Nice report!!! :)
Now I want to go up there.
Thanks ScubaJess
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H20doctor
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Post by H20doctor »

GearHead wrote:Looks like a great area for diving! The other places I've seen 80' vis in cold water were at Magnolia Point north of Nanaimo and up around Browning Pass.
If I think about where I've watched dive trip movies and seen, really, really clear cold water visibility I would say the most spots where that happens is up on Vancouver Island... in the God's Pocket area .Everyone that I've talked to says that's where they experienced amazing visibility, During the right times of the year
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Gdog
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Post by Gdog »

Chris, that is completely awesome. The colors...wow. wow. Overload. Very nicely done. Very fun to watch!
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Jan K
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Post by Jan K »

Chris, that is very nice, it makes me want to load gear and head up again. Your videos sure brought back memories of diving there. I did not dive deep to see the "Red Gargos". Diving solo on Al 80, I just did not have the urge.. :)
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Seaslave
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Post by Seaslave »

It was truly an amazing trip up to Tahsis this year! The weather, the crew, the food the diving and the oh so sweet visibility knocked this one out of the park! Chris is right, easily 80ft of vis and barely a spec of schmutz in the water! The ferry ride and the long drive from Nanaimo to Campbell River to Gold River and then to Tahsis can be grueling, especially in the winter and when the anticipation of one of the top dive sites in the northwest awaits you! We absolutely loaded a 3/4 ton truck bed with gear and food and headed North for what would be an amazing weekend. Here's a few of the photos I was able to capture!
I'd also like to throw out a big Thank You to Scott and Jude at Tahtsa Dive Adventures for keeping our tanks full all weekend and being an invaluable source of knowledge about the area! This trip would not be possible without their help!!!
H20doctor himself and our host, captain and dive buddy Gabe!
H20doctor himself and our host, captain and dive buddy Gabe!
One of the larger gorgonians I saw on my deepest dive of the weekend, 178ft!
One of the larger gorgonians I saw on my deepest dive of the weekend, 178ft!
Me at roughly 60ft on a deco stop, Chris at about 30ft and the shadows above him... the trees on shore above the dive site!!!
Me at roughly 60ft on a deco stop, Chris at about 30ft and the shadows above him... the trees on shore above the dive site!!!
Last time we were here, I only shot wide angle and was angry that I could not get macro shots of the corals close up. This time, I risked it and brought my trusty Casio Z1200 with me. Did not regret that decision! And what do you know, the housing rated for 140ft. did great at 178ft!
Last time we were here, I only shot wide angle and was angry that I could not get macro shots of the corals close up. This time, I risked it and brought my trusty Casio Z1200 with me. Did not regret that decision! And what do you know, the housing rated for 140ft. did great at 178ft!
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Tom Nic
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Post by Tom Nic »

LOVE. THIS. SO. MUCH!!!!
More Pics Than You Have Time To Look AT
"Anyone who thinks this place is over moderated is bat-crazy anarchist." -Ben, Airsix
"Warning: No dive masters are going to be there, Just a bunch of old fat guys taking pictures of fish." -Bassman
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Post by Tangfish »

Pssssst.... Tom Nic,




BOULDER ALLEY!!!!
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YellowEye
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Post by YellowEye »

Nice job SeaSlave! Great job on pic #2 and 3 especially, and I like the macro in there too!

OMG I just watched Chris' video with audio on for the first time. Too funny! Geddy Lee, the bacon song, two adult men serenading each other with Chicago. What a riot!

Probably a large portion of NWDC is wanting to get up there now... How shallow do those strawberry fields go?
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Seaslave
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Post by Seaslave »

YellowEye wrote:Probably a large portion of NWDC is wanting to get up there now... How shallow do those strawberry fields go?
Thanks YellowEye! The trip was a blast! As you can tell, we ate well and listened to some very inspiring music. The Strawberry's start around 20ft in some spots and go all the way down to 130ishft. They tended to be thicker the farther west of the point we went. They tended to be more patchy the shallower you went. From probably 60ft to 90ft it was pretty solid.
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ScubaJess
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Post by ScubaJess »

Wow fantastic pics Seaslave! Good info on strawberry field!! Thanks!! :-)

I agree bacon song is awesome!!
Super cute seal shot!!
Live Long And Prosper!!!

Stay Warm underwater with the Weezle Extreme Plus undergarment! Please let me know if you would like to order one or have any questions. :luv: :partydance: :eric: :taco:
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Seaslave
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Post by Seaslave »

ScubaJess wrote:Wow fantastic pics Seaslave! Good info on strawberry field!! Thanks!! :-)

I agree bacon song is awesome!!
Super cute seal shot!!
Thanks Jess!!!
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Tom Nic
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Post by Tom Nic »

Tangfish wrote:Pssssst.... Tom Nic,




BOULDER ALLEY!!!!
Miss diving with your crazy :bootyshake: Calvin!
More Pics Than You Have Time To Look AT
"Anyone who thinks this place is over moderated is bat-crazy anarchist." -Ben, Airsix
"Warning: No dive masters are going to be there, Just a bunch of old fat guys taking pictures of fish." -Bassman
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Diverdave68
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Post by Diverdave68 »

Nice pictures, and story. Looks like I need to test the water.
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Gdog
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Post by Gdog »

Take off you hosers. Great shots, great reports!
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Post by Tangfish »

Tom Nic wrote:
Tangfish wrote:Pssssst.... Tom Nic,




BOULDER ALLEY!!!!
Miss diving with your crazy :bootyshake: Calvin!
Let’s go for a dive! I got one in with Bassman last summer, but he left his laser pointer at home so we didn’t see any sixgills.
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Vjw
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Post by Vjw »

Wow - you set a really high bar for pictures, videos, and travel log!!!

Looks like an amazing place I’m going to have to visit eventually...
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H20doctor
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Re: Return To TAHSIS

Post by H20doctor »

Vjw wrote:Wow - you set a really high bar for pictures, videos, and travel log!!!

Looks like an amazing place I’m going to have to visit eventually...
thank you ... cant wait to dive with you again .. my hand healed up really good.. thanks Val
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