Diving in Vancouver - Part I
Posted By Christopher Chin on 16 August 2005
After the hike down to the water, I was anxious to get in and cool off. Much to my surprise (and disappointment), the surface temperature was about 70F, and seemed balmy compared to the Monterey waters to which I’m accustomed. We swam out on the surface towards the marker, and once we were about halfway there, we began our descent. The first 12-14 feet were warm and murky, but once we got below the layer of plankton basking in the sun, the water cooled down a few degrees and the visibility opened up a bit. Littered on the floor were mussel shells by the millions, and scouring over them was an army of huge sunflower stars. One star I measured was nearly four feet across (measured from fingertip to opposite shoulder).*
*Yes, they grow ‘em big up here, and lest one suspect my observations were skewed by nitrogen narcosis or refraction through the mask, I always use some sort of empirical or comparative measurement when sizing up a critter.
As we descended along the bottom, sunflower stars crowded the gentle slopes like skiers do neighboring mountains after the first big winter storm. Once we reached 59 feet, we descended through a visible thermocline. With the temperature drop of at least 8F degrees, I was glad to be in my drysuit. Strangely enough, the scenery seemed to change around the same time. Replacing the ubiquitous sunflower stars was a loose blanket of brittle stars, each animated by and repulsed by my light. The wall was now speckled with giant white plumose anemones, reminiscent of Monterey’s famous Metridium Fields – only vertical and larger. Meandering among the anemones and along the wall’s ledges were numerous crinoid stars, large California Sea Cucumbers, and an occasional leopard dorid.
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