West Coast Shootout #3 10 Mile Point

The third installment of Pacific Marine Imaging’s monthly photo extravaganza took place at one of the most popular shore diving locations on Southern Vancouver Island. We all met at Ten Mile Point in the hopes of finding some octopus and exploring areas away from the main wall that are not usually accessible due to the strong currents. The slack on Sunday was almost two hours long, which would give us a large window of opportunity to dive and explore these areas.

When we arrived, we found that the weather conditions were just as favourable as the currents. However, once we descended, the visibility was definitely not a refection of what was happening on the surface! The deeper we dropped, the darker it became, and by the time we reached the base of the wall it was as dark a night dive with the particulate clouding the visibility to only about ten feet. This created some challenging shooting conditions except for those photographers with macro lenses. Most of us stuck close to the wall while one group ventured off to take advantage of the slack and get some images of whatever may be lurking in the darkness.

As I swam along the base of the wall, it was apparent that even in the darkness this area was teeming with life.  We could definitely tell that it is spring time on the west coast: nudibranchs and snails are laying eggs, while Cabazons and lingcod stand guard protecting their clutches against all that intrude.  Just hatched tiny rockfish dart about fearful of what seems to be even their own shadow. The way that the current feeds this area with nutrients allows for a plethora of creatures to thrive and provides lucky divers like ourselves with the chance to enjoy the greatness of their world. Although this shootout didn’t provide me with the best of photographic opportunities due to the fact that I was shooting with my wide angle lens (macro would have been a much better choice), it did give me some time to reflect on how wonderful our marine areas are and why I am so passionate about protecting and cherishing them. I only managed to capture a few images in the end, but the day was well worth it: diving with friends and remembering why I love the ocean so much.

Thank you to everyone who came out and I am looking forward to the next shootout in April.

Scott

     

Out of Sight Out of Mind

I love to dive and photograph all the wonders of the sea, however every once in a while I come across something that is disturbing, and it’s a shame to see things like this in the water. People need to remember that just because they can't see something doesn't mean it can't affect them and the world around them. These images of batteries were taken at Deep Cove near the marina in North Saanich BC.


Scott

Diving of a different kind

Last year I took a little trip to the Bahamas for some rest and relaxation. I had a little point and shoot with me and decided to do some video with it. The video isn't the best but every once in a while I like to get out of my comfort zone and try something a little different.

Scott

Adventure #3

Ten Mile Point, Victoria BC

 

Date: Sunday March 27, 2011

Time: 8:30 am

Ten Mile Point is one of the best shore diving sites on Southern Vancouver Island. The tidal exchanges and current flow provide an adundance of food for the amazing amount of marine life that inhabits this area. The tidal exchange is favourable on March 27^th and should be an excellent day to dive this site. Thank you to everyone who came out for the last two shootouts and I am really looking forward to this one.

Read more at www.8arm.com

Spring has Sprung

Motivation to get in the water has never been a problem for me, and the only thing that usually stops me is bad weather, namely wind and snow. Unfortunately both of these conditions have been quite common over the last little while around Southern Vancouver Island. Now that the snow had disappeared, it was time to get back in the water. Chris and I headed to Ogden Point to find some Diamondback Nudibranchs, as we had seen them on the Stubby Squid dive last month but didn’t get any images due to the fact that I was too busy photographing the squid. This time however, we not only found the Diamondback Nudibranchs, but we also found several other species, and a number of juvenile Grunt Sculpin. We ended up counting eleven of these cute little creatures on the dive. These oddities of the ocean resemble a misshapen seahorse and walk around on their pectoral fins. Grunt Sculpin’s colouration and camouflage make them excellent photographic subjects and I was exstatic to see so many on one dive.

Scott

     

   

  

Read more about Pacific Marine Imaging at www.8arm.com

Off the Beaten Path

It was time for something new, a different challenge and a different dive site. Over the last month I have been searching everywhere for Stubby Squid eggs. Since my wonderful encounter last month at the Ogden Point Breakwater, these little critter’s eggs have been on my ‘must photograph list’. Chris and I decided to take a trip up to Maple Bay. This little town West of Duncan is right on the water and directly across from Salt Spring Island. Chris had driven through the area a number of months back and had seen a beach access that might lead to a good dive site. The entrance to the water was at the end of a very steep, moss-covered road, and the trek with dive gear on our back was definitely not for the faint of heart! Once we reached the water and dropped down, the bottom was a sheer drop off far beyond diveable depths. We were only 20 ft. (7 m.) from shore and swimming in about 95 ft. (30 m.) of water. The wall was on a 70⁰ slope and covered with crushed shells and sediment. The marine life was pretty sparse for most of the dive, and the majority of the life consisted of brittle stars, Black-eyed Goby’s, and a few Plumose Anemones. We did manage to find two Lingcod guarding clutches of eggs, however the rockfish population was almost zero. The highlight of this dive was the Stubby Squid eggs we discovered stuck to the underside of a rock. The eggs resembled little white Hershey’s Kisses and were still opaque so I was not able to see the size of the baby squids inside. I was using my wide-angle lens on the dive and did my best to capture a few images of these eggs and where they were nestled.

It was great to explore a new dive site and to find something that has been on my list to photograph for a long time. I hope to return to this site in the near future to try and photograph the squid as they hatch.

Scott

read more about Pacific Marine Imaging at www.8arm.com

West Coast Shootout #2 Ogden Point Beakwater

I planned the second West Coast Shootout for the Ogden Point Breakwater and really wanted to showcase the marine life of this amazing dive site to everyone who came out. We were very lucky and had a warm, sunny day with light wind, which made for great conditions both above and below the water. I would like to thank everyone who came out, as once again, it was a great turn out. As a group we decided to trek down the breakwater to the second bend. Our goal was to find the resident Wolf eels and possibly get some images of them along with the numerous schooling rockfish that reside at the breakwater. After a warm walk we hit the water and within a couple of minutes we had found one of the wolf eels. Unfortunately for us, he was hiding in his den and there was no way to get any decent images. Not far from that Wolf eel, we came across a second one and found the same issue as this one was even further back in its den and getting images was impossible. There are times when these creatures are very inquisitive and playful and others when they want nothing to do with divers.
Our swim back from the second bend was filled with encounters with schools of Puget Sound and Yellowtail Rockfish, large Lingcod, and a juvenile Cabazon. We even came across an octopus hidden in the rocks around Flag 2! The most exciting find of the day was a Cabazon guarding a large clutch of beautiful purple eggs. Cabazons are known for their aggressive and territorial behavior, however this one was very protective of her eggs and would not budge from atop her rocky nest. This made for a great photographic opportunity, and having Ken provide some great modeling skills really helped create some awesome images.
Once again, thank you to everyone who came out for this West Coast Shootout and I am really looking forward to the next ones to come.

Scott