Snake Wall Nanimo

[loanwolf]

Who all here has dove Snake Wall in Nanimo? If you have not you need to go up and dive it what a great wall.

[Gooch]

I have----it was a blast! I really enjoyed the Dodd's Narrows and of, course, the wrecks

[Joshua Smith]

How deep does that one go? Anything cool to see?

[loanwolf]

How deep does that one go? Anything cool to see?

200' to the bottom of it if you go further south it bottom's out at around 340'. It is a strange wall for in water like many in Canada. It is broken rock with sharp corners and strait smooth surfaces. As you work your way back up form the 200' part you will come onto a series of roofs that are 40'-50' or so at around 150' and up. totally cool to lay on your back and just rise very slowly shining your light above you. When the small amount of bubbles from venting on CCR are moving on the roof it looks like mercury in the lights. It was rad. I have never dove that particular wall until last weekend when Curt, Bruce, Lynn and I spent the weekend in Nanimo.

[gcbryan]

I think it's an interesting wall regarding the wall structure and the cloud sponges but in between the cloud sponges there's not a lot growing on the wall as compared to Quadra or some place like that. I was expecting a little more after all the good things I'd heard about Snake Wall. Maybe I need to check it out again!

I was more impressed by Dodd Narrows.

[loanwolf]

I think it's an interesting wall regarding the wall structure and the cloud sponges but in between the cloud sponges there's not a lot growing on the wall as compared to Quadra or some place like that. I was expecting a little more after all the good things I'd heard about Snake Wall. Maybe I need to check it out again!

I was more impressed by Dodd Narrows.

No you are right their is not a lot of growth on the wall. it is so smooth that not much growth is their. But what their is is very nice. As a climber it was like flying up a wall on my back looking at the roof then stopping inches from it and slowly moving to the edge then drifting up to the next roof. Most of the life is on the roofs i noticed. Dodd Narrows has much more life. but drifting up slowly from several hundred feet and taking the time to look at all the rock features was cool. Our walls are much more rounded and worn by current. This one is smooth and jagged just like it was just submerged. That is what I found cool about it.

[gcbryan]

I'm a climber as well, but I'm not able to do it on my back yet! :biggrin:

[loanwolf]

I'm a climber as well, but I'm not able to do it on my back yet! :biggrin:

yea that is what was soo cool. You can only do it in the water baby just lay back and spread your arms and legs and slowly float up without moving try it some time. On OC you have to watch out for water in the reg when you do it. On CCR no problem and no bubbles to interfere with the view. It is noiseless and motionless totally relaxing.

[Waynne Fowler]

How deep does that one go? Anything cool to see?

depends on which way you go. 190ish - 340 ish... but you can pretty much pick up any depth you want.. but structures gone after about 2.5.... but theres all kinds of cool stuff to look at, especially if you dig structure... it's sorta barren but not totally.

---- oh just noticed how old this post was?.... better watch the dates more carefully

[loanwolf]

---- oh just noticed how old this post was?.... better watch the dates more carefully

This thread was from yesterday. the tread date is under the title. the date joined is the one you are probably looking at under the name. I that all the time as well.

[Waynne Fowler]

yeah.... I did see that's what I did right after i posted but i really was hoping no one else would notice

[mattwave]

I did a mix dive at Gabriola bulffs a few weeks ago (Skip that one unless only option), original plan was Orelebar (Still have not made that one), going back again this Thursday, maybe weather will permit, anyone have experience diving Orelebar?

[loanwolf]

I did a mix dive at Gabriola bulffs a few weeks ago (Skip that one unless only option), original plan was Orelebar (Still have not made that one), going back again this Thursday, maybe weather will permit, anyone have experience diving Orelebar?

That is what we were supposed to do but the wind started blowing so we wound up on snake. I really want to do Orelebar with the scooter.

[BDub]

We did it about 5 or 6 years ago. I remember being more impressed by the topography than the life.

I do remember the shelfs and the undercuts and thinking it was a dive worth doing again.

I'm hoping to go back to Nanaimo again soon, maybe we'll do that one again.

[dlh]

I dove on Snake Island Wall about three weeks ago. It's my favorite dive in Nanaimo, even better than the wrecks sometimes.

We saw some great stuff there this trip. Half a dozen Decorated Warbonnets, swimming nudibranchs, boot sponges in the deep dark, and the usual massive fields of white plumus anemonies. Didn't have a chance to make it into the shallows for the Sealions this time, but I usually try to save some time at the end to pay them a visit.

The overhangs are really cool, and sometimes harbor some intersting creatures. Ton's of bright red anemonies this time.

The last dozen shots is this photo gallery are all from Snake Island Wall last month:

[Gooch]

The coolest thing I saw on the wall was zillions of little brittle stars. They were all laid out arm-to-arm so each had its own space and their arm tips just touched....it looked like somebody had made wallpaper or tiles that looked like that. Suddenly, I saw this one move and he got onto the star next to him; that star actually flipped him completely off with his leg and the offender hit another star and got flipped again, and again, and again....I finally quit watching. But it looked like a wave at the stadium. It was pretty neat; we were at ~120' and there were two other groups from our boat- one at 150' and one at 200' and when you looked down you could see all their lights shining on the wall. It made me want to dive doubles pretty bad. Very cool place.