Northwest Dive Club

Valerie (Zen Diver) and I returned yesterday from a week spent up at the Browning Pass Hideaway near Port Hardy, which is at the northern tip of Vancouver Island.

I have dived all over the northwest, all over the Caribbean, all over both coasts of Mexico and Central America, in Thailand, in West Malaysia and the Sea of Japan.....I have never, NEVER, NEVER seen anything that would rival the dive sites that we hit this week. I now have a new "favorite spot in the world" to dive, and it's right here in our little corner of the world.

All of the dive sites were great ones, but sites such as 7-Tree Island, Browning Pass Wall, and the Nakwakto Rapids quite simply took my breath away. I have WELL over 500 images to wade through, but I'll post a few shots in the future.

Here's a link to the "Hideaway": http://www.divevancouverisland.com/s/hideaway.php

It's most certainly NOT for those needing luxury of ANY kind. It's like visiting your Uncle Joe's fishing cabin in the back woods....bunks made of plywood and 2X4's.....no phones....no TV....wood stoves for heat.....no electricity once the generator is turned off at 11:00 PM.....you have to drink bottled water....you need a flashlight to locate the bathroom in the middle of the night.....but the diving and friendship are simply superlative. John deBoeck, also fondly known as "Clavella John", has been leading dive trips for over 27 years up there and has hosted film crews from around the world, including the crew that shot the "Blue Planet" footage in BC. He really knows where the best sites are and when to drop divers off on them to see fantastic sights underwater.....he is an amazing and knowledgeable man that I hope now to number among my friends.

This is some of the absolute finest diving in the world. I'm kicking myself for not going up there sooner in my life, and plan to return again and again. I'm quite certain that Valerie will echo my comments.

- John

Wow. High Praise! And coming from John, I'm in... sight unseen. This will go on my "must go to" spots right now... and probably my "next go to" spot.

Thanks for the report John and I look forward to hearing more and more pics!

-Tom

Yeah, what John said

Port Hardy is simply THE BEST dive destination, bar none, and it's a shame more folks haven't gone. Walls, reefs, big critters, small, color, variety, and more. Not enough superlatives to describe this place.

A teaser; humpback whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, bald eagles, deer, and that was just the topside. Puget Sound King Crabs, warbonnets, huge Ling cod, schools of Yellowtail, Black, Puget Sound rockfish, plus Copper, Quillback, China and my first Dusky Rockfish, Orange Hermit, Gooseneck Barnacles, Bat Star and Blue Topsnail sightings, Basket Stars galore (very cool critters), more sponges and corals than I can remember right now, and color, COLOR, COLOR!!!

I, too, have about 500 photos to sort thro but will post links once they are up.

More later once I've finished unpacking and doing laundry...

-Valerie

Zen Diver 2 wrote: More later once I've finished unpacking and doing laundry...

-Valerie

HA! I had to go to work today....what a let down after our trip!!!! My laundry and dive gear and all the rest of my STUFF is awaiting my arrival back home so that I can deal with it all.

Valerie mentioned the Basket Stars.....it was MORE like the "Land of the Basket Stars". There was one dive up there that had hundreds upon hundreds of basket stars....they were everywhere....so many that I actually grew bored with them!

- John

Wow. Those are some ringing endorsements, for sure! I can't wait for the pictures!

One other thing that I really enjoyed on this trip was that I had the privelege of diving with Valerie on her 1,000th dive!!!!!

With her camera, I took a photo of her holding up a slate with the number 1,000 on it. Perhaps if nudged a bit, she'll post it!

OOOH-RAH! What a milestone!!!!!

- John

Great report, sure sounds like MUST DO place. Looking forward to see your pictures. Starting to save money for that trip

John Rawlings wrote:
With her camera, I took a photo of her holding up a slate with the number 1,000 on it. Perhaps if nudged a bit, she'll post it!

- John

I'm still sorting and editing, but will forward to you for posting since it just doesn't seem to work for me

-Valerie
(who apparently ended up taking WAY more than the estimated 500 pix....)

John Rawlings wrote:One other thing that I really enjoyed on this trip was that I had the privelege of diving with Valerie on her 1,000th dive!!!!! :partyman:

With her camera, I took a photo of her holding up a slate with the number 1,000 on it. Perhaps if nudged a bit, she'll post it!

OOOH-RAH! What a milestone!!!!!

- John

Congratulations Val.

I have dreamed about going to Pt Hardy for years. People have asked me to name my dream dive site, and the northern part of Vancover Island is on the top of the list.

I have seen photos, but I have heard they do not do it justice.

Valerie and John...I am so jealous of your wonderful trip up north!

how long of a drive???

Burntchef wrote:how long of a drive???

About 4 hours from Nanaimo, then there is approximately a 1 hour boat ride out to the Hideaway.

Congrats on #1,000 Val! :wav:

(Yeah, sure, ditch us and head for your awesome, world-class diving to celebrate 1,000. No party for us.... no sir... At least we know where we rank on the totem pole...)

[Tom sits at his computer and sulks at missing the party and dreams about diving up north.]

John Rawlings wrote:

Burntchef wrote:how long of a drive???

About 4 hours from Nanaimo, then there is approximately a 1 hour boat ride out to the Hideaway.

Each time we have gone it has taken us 2 full days to get there. Leave Duvall, get through the border, wait for and take the ferry across, drive to Nanaimo - stay the night. Get up and drive to Port Hardy with a couple stops along the way.

You could get to Fiji faster!

Its all worth it!

Tom Nic wrote:Congrats on #1,000 Val! :wav:

(Yeah, sure, ditch us and head for your awesome, world-class diving to celebrate 1,000. No party for us.... no sir... At least we know where we rank on the totem pole...)

[Tom sits at his computer and sulks at missing the party and dreams about diving up north.]

Well, actually, it just kind of worked out that way, no planning on my part really.... really!

But, if it will make you feel any better, I was thinking of celebrating, say, 1010, just to be odd. Life is short, you never know what can happen, and anyone can have a party for an even number like 1000. So, how setting a date for a Random Dive Number Celebration?

-Valerie

Zen Diver 2 wrote:

Tom Nic wrote:Congrats on #1,000 Val! :wav:

(Yeah, sure, ditch us and head for your awesome, world-class diving to celebrate 1,000. No party for us.... no sir... At least we know where we rank on the totem pole...)

[Tom sits at his computer and sulks at missing the party and dreams about diving up north.]

Well, actually, it just kind of worked out that way, no planning on my part really.... really!

But, if it will make you feel any better, I was thinking of celebrating, say, 1010, just to be odd. Life is short, you never know what can happen, and anyone can have a party for an even number like 1000. So, how setting a date for a Random Dive Number Celebration?

-Valerie

(pouting and whining) ...and I was going to carry your gear and meet you with a cold beer as you exited the water.

Zen Diver 2 wrote: I was thinking of celebrating, say, 1010, just to be odd. Life is short, you never know what can happen, and anyone can have a party for an even number like 1000. So, how setting a date for a Random Dive Number Celebration?

-Valerie

I LOVE this idea! Especially since I couldn't be there for your 1000th. Of course, you couldn't make it to my 500th so I guess we're even.
Anyway, let me know when you'll be doing your RDN Celebration and I'll be there, pal!

Well, I guess I can too (still a little pouty though )... I'm quickly approaching a milestone but I could celebrate 204 just as easily!

John Rawlings wrote:One other thing that I really enjoyed on this trip was that I had the privelege of diving with Valerie on her 1,000th dive!!!!!

With her camera, I took a photo of her holding up a slate with the number 1,000 on it. Perhaps if nudged a bit, she'll post it!

OOOH-RAH! What a milestone!!!!!

- John

Ah ... I was just mentioning to someone last week that Valerie probably went to PH to do her 1,000th. Can't think of a finer, more memorable place to do it.

Congrats Valerie ... now to start working on the next thousand ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Sounder wrote:

(pouting and whining) ...and I was going to carry your gear and meet you with a cold beer as you exited the water.

Doug, Doug, Doug... you can STILL carry my gear and greet me with a cold one (since I don't drink, how about Lipton's Green Tea? Starbuck's? Frappucino?) afterward. If it makes you feel any better, I was truly conflicted as to my plans for this one, I wanted friends around but I wanted it to be someplace cool too. This way I'll have had the best of both; a spectacular place for the actual dive, along with a terrific friend and buddy, PLUS a belated celebration with a multitude of friends.



-Valerie

Hi
I just got back from Port hardy about 2 weeks ago, loved the place!

We did the trip on the Nautilus Explorer live aboard(http://www.nautilusexplorer.com), that's doing it in style...

They picked us up just south of vancouver, making the trip a bit more relaxing, but still long... about 18 hr commute from vancouver to port hardy (mostly overnight)

Zen Diver 2 wrote:

Tom Nic wrote:Congrats on #1,000 Val! :wav:

(Yeah, sure, ditch us and head for your awesome, world-class diving to celebrate 1,000. No party for us.... no sir... At least we know where we rank on the totem pole...)

[Tom sits at his computer and sulks at missing the party and dreams about diving up north.]

Well, actually, it just kind of worked out that way, no planning on my part really.... really!

But, if it will make you feel any better, I was thinking of celebrating, say, 1010, just to be odd. Life is short, you never know what can happen, and anyone can have a party for an even number like 1000. So, how setting a date for a Random Dive Number Celebration?

-Valerie

I am SO in! When & Where? Perhaps we can make this a NW Diveclub event! Doug, have you lost your organizing skills from disuse? :rr:

Tom Nic wrote:[ Perhaps we can make this a NW Diveclub event! Doug, have you lost your organizing skills from disuse? :rr:

I'll second that!

Doug Start Planning...

Keith.

congrats, val! wow!!!

and thanks, john, for posting about how much you loved port hardy. i really, really want to go now!