On a low-resolution sidescan sonar image (Natural Resources Canada) of the Saxe Point area, I noticed an isolated rocky reef out on the sandy bottom about 50 meters from shore. I've never dove it before so I came here to see what was living on it on Apr. 1, 2016. It was calm out so I climbed down the rocks and entered the water near the tip of the point.
I swam down the rocky slope near shore and followed my compass across the sandy bottom (30' deep) towards where the chart showed the rocky area. Visibility was 15-20'.
I soon saw the rocky area in the distance. I swam around it at its base which was about 30' deep. The rocks were mostly covered with brownish diatomaceous silt, except for one small wall where some red urchins that had grazed away the diatoms.
The top of the rocky reef was about 12' deep:
The reef wasn't that big. It took me 15 minutes to slowly tour the whole thing. I wasn't very impressed. The rocky slope near shore around Saxe Point seems to have more marine life and less silt. I followed my compass back to shore and swam along some rocky fingers that stick out from the point. The tips of them are about 35' deep.
I swam back up to the shallows around the tip of the point. This was a large, somewhat flat area full of surfgrass.
I was feeling quite a bit of surge. I surfaced at the point and noticed that the wind had increased. The waves now made it unsafe to climb out on to the steep rocks at the point so I descended again and swam around the point to get out of the water at the popular exit/entry point (pebble beach).
