Ezee Breathers Dive Trip to Bamfield October 2002

By Dave Colwell

Feel stressed , love adventure, enjoy good company? Then pack up your diving gear and head for Bamfield on the west coast of Vancouver Island for a few days with a few friends.

This is just what I did last weekend. Six members of the Ezee Breathers SCUBA club (Don, Dick, Laurie, Roger, Trevor and myself) took two vehicles and gear to "Broken Island Adventures" charter resort in Bamfield, Berkeley Sound.

Roger, Trevor and myself travelled in Rogers Ford Explorer with the gear; Don, Dick and Laurie went in Laurie's car. The ferry had been prebooked from Horseshoe Bay. However the Explorer found itself on a different ferry ; this precipitated some anxiety for Don who envisioned the gear ending up in Langdale on the Sechelt penninsula instead of Nanaimo. No worries; we had just got put on an earlier extra ferry to the correct destination.

We had an uneventful, relatively smooth journey even on the unpaved road from Port Alberni to Bamfield, though the vehicles did both look like they had had a new light brown paint job when we arrived!

There was a rumour that my navigation skills had lapsed on the road but this proved to be an absolute myth. In any case, I was complimented on the afore-said skills by the dive charter operator because of my ability to recognize practically every island in the Broken group...so there! You want to find your way? Just ask Dave.

At 10 pm we were picked up from the dock by the vessel "Grunt Sculpin" and whisked to the Dive Charter Resort, run by John and Sheryl Mass. We were soon asleep and snoring , mostly all protected by the latest earplug technology.

Next morning...up and at 'em, following a delicious breakfast. The first dive was Seapool Rock. in Trevor Channel. The vis. was superb with the usual copious varied sea life. There were the specials of large octopus and, of course, wolf eels. There is no dearth of fish on this reef; a great meeting place for a multitude of species. Roger got his introduction to surge ( often mistaken for current by those who feel it for the first time).The general rule for this is to 'go with the flow and don't sweat it". It is a good idea to warn your buddy of any new conditions ahead of time. This I learnt from this dive as Roger was not too happy with me for a while!

The next dive after lunch was "Renata's Reef" in Imperial Eagle Channel. This was a beautiful area with many caves and fissures. Roger and I played with a large wolf eel. I was seen following Roger like a puppy dog as if in penance for exposing him to the ravages of the Seapool swirls. Don and Dick had a long relaxing swim. Laurie and Trevor saw lots of wolf eels.

We all returned pleasantly tired and enjoyed a great supper with a variety of liquid refreshment before and after. Some had a hot tub to iron out stiffness before retiring to the "sack".

Sunday showed us Satellite reef between Helby and Sandford island in the Deer group also Weibe Island in the broken group. Each were superlative but different in subtle ways. In between dives we were taken to a large sea lion colony between Howell and Wouwer island. Don fed them and other marine life with his leftovers from breakfast (sort of chopped-up sausages and pancakes). His relief in providing this service enabled him to enjoy the second dive.

The rest is a "downer' because the day was nearing a close and we would have to return to Squamish. Of course this is a measure of our enjoyment and quality of this trip; the dives, the excellent food and the great hospitality of John and Sheryl.

"I (we) shall return" but for longer next year.