Back when I started diving in the 90's, I never thought I'd be keeping a dive spot secret. Back then, there was this charming idea that it was a diver's duty to share what was down there with the non-diving public since this spreading awareness would make them want to protect the marine environment. Of course now, that idea is considered to be pretty naive. Spreading awareness just makes everyone aware how much stuff there is that would be fun to kill. Scuba diving with its conservation "take only pictures, leave only bubbles" ethic is being replaced by the cheaper and simpler freediving/snorkeling. For some reason, the culture in freediving seems to revolve around killing the marine life. Since it started to become popular around 2014, most of the Victoria waterfront has been cleaned out of spearable fish in the top 30'. The most obvious example of this is Clover Point which was almost completely emptied between 2014-2016. Pretty much the only place you can see lingcod, rockfish and cabezon in shallow water around Victoria now is Ogden Point where spearfishing is banned.
Since this spot in Sooke Basin is within easy freediving depths and has an unusually high amount and variety of rockfish, it would be quickly wiped out if I "spread awareness" of its location.
I came here on June 25, 2021. Visibility was a bright 15-20' with lots of particles floating around. The site is a slope of solid rocky reefs, small walls and boulders all mostly covered with lightbulb tunicates. The rockfish species I saw were brown (many of them pregnant), black, yellowtail, vermilion, Puget Sound and copper. I also saw some of the invasive European Green crabs up in the shallows. They are supposed to be common in Sooke Basin, but I've never seen them before. I think that's because they are so small (2-4") and so shallow (less than 10' deep). They are supposed to out-compete other crabs, but they must not be doing a very good job of being invasive since there were lots of other kinds of crabs all over the place.
With the bright and reasonably clear visibility, this was probably one of the prettiest spots I've been to in Sooke Basin. Hopefully by keeping the location secret, the fish will be protected from the kind of people who prefer their marine life dead.
