It was a calm day off East Sooke Park (Aug. 14, 2010), so I came out for a dive in a new spot. It wasn't a good day for current so I avoided any obvious "points" that stuck out too far into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Cheannu Marina in Becher Bay was busier than I've ever seen it. Since the Pacific Lions Marina launch ramp doesn't allow non-members anymore, all the local salmon-fishing traffic is funneled through Cheannu. The water off East Sooke Park looked like a mall parking lot on Boxing Day. I threaded my way through all the trolling boats along the coast and tied up to the rocks a bit past my "spot #1" site. I swam down through the kelp which ended 40 feet deep. Visibility was about 30 feet. Below the kelp layer, the slope of rocks and reefs looked silty. There were some urchins, fish-eating anemones and plumose anemones scattered around, but not the colour I was hoping for in this area. I didn't see many fish. I swam West at the base of the slope about 60 feet deep. A small wall started up and eventually there were areas covered with colourful tunicates, hydroids, plumose and crimson anemones, etc. There still weren't many fish. I saw a small quillback and 3 or 4 vermilion rockfish. I wanted to swim out along this wall further (my maximum depth was 75 feet), but I could feel about a 1/2-knot current and I didn't want to push it. Back up in the bull kelp, I saw a school of black rockfish. When I surfaced, the wind had increased and it was a chore to paddle my boat out past the floating kelp so I could lower my outboard.
