Port Hardy: Scuba Diving Pictures

Links to photographs
Braemar Avenue in North Saanich, B.C.
Breakwater Island near Gabriola Pass, B.C.
Deep Cove near Sidney, B.C.
Dolphin Beach near Nanoose Bay, B.C.
Elliot's Beach Park in Ladysmith, B.C.
GB Church near Sidney, B.C.
Henderson Point near Sidney, B.C.
Madrona Point in Nanaimo, B.C.
McKenzie Bight near Victoria, B.C.
Neck Point in Nanaimo, B.C.
Ogden Point in Victoria, B.C.
Porteau Cove Marine Park, B.C.
Port Hardy, B.C.
Port McNeil, B.C.
Rocky Point in Nanaimo, B.C.
Saltery Bay near Powell River, B.C.
Saxe Point in Esquimalt, B.C.
Sidney, B.C.
Ten Mile Point in Victoria, B.C.
Wall Beach near Nanoose Bay, B.C.
Whytecliff Park in Vancouver, B.C.
Willis Point near Sidney, B.C.

Scuba Diving Pictures from Port Hardy of northern Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada. These were just taken at the main boat launch.
These are medium quality jpegs. But I have the RAW images as well.
Email tjfidler@telus.net
Directions to this dive site can be found at the bottom of this page.
Type of dive: shore dive
Rating for this dive site: 7.5/10 for the abundance of life
Parking: Not much parking at boat launch, but there is plenty of parking at the park only about 200 feet [60 metres] away.
Boat ramp: Yes
Ease of entry: 9/10 due to the boat launch. [Wheel chair access: You can certainly use the boat launch to do so.]
Abundance of life: 7.5/10
Attractions: A variety of life, and I've seen thousands of Hooded Nudibranchs here in the fall.
Bottom and depth:
Facilities: Washroom in park nearby. Picnic tables.
Hazards/Obstacles: Boat traffic. But current is not an issue here.
Sensitivity to tide/current: Current is not an issue here.
Terrain: A combination of rock, sandy bottoms, and some solid rock out croppings.

The following images are thumbnails. If you click on them a larger image will open up and the picture will take up most of your screen. Again these are medium qualifty jpegs. Higher quality images can be purchased directly from me via paypal using my email address tjfidler@telus.net And many of these photos can be found for sale on Cafepress through the Calendar link and Photo CD link.

A few people have already asked me about "What is that pink stuff on the rocks in some of the pictures?" Well, they're usually Pink Rock Crust (aka Encrusting Coralline Algae) or in some cases might even be Encrusting Hydrocorals. They're eaten by a variety of animals - apparently as a good source of calcium.

Unfortunately the water quality was not very good on July 8, 2006. But instead of not showing most of the images as they were below the quality I normally would post I decide to post at least one shot of each type of animal.

Port Hardy boat launch near the B.C. Government Ferry Terminal

Crustaceans


Northern Kelp Crab ~ 8 inches [20 cm] wide for the arms. (July 8, 2006)	Sharp Nosed Crab (July 8, 2006)


Irish Lord ~ about 16 inches [40 cm] long. ( July 8, 2006)	Irish Lord - note that its left eye is missing. ( July 8, 2006)

Goby of some kind ~ about 4 inches [10 cm] long. ( July 8, 2006)	Goby of some kind ( July 8, 2006)

Quillback Rockfish ~ 12 inches [30 cm] long. ( July 8, 2006)	Copper Rockfish ~ 12 inches [30 cm] long. (July 8, 2006)

Quillback Rockfish (~ 8 inches [20cm] long) and Clown Dorid (July 8, 2006)


Clown Dorid ~ about 6 inches [15 cm] long ( July 8, 2006)	Clown Dorid ( July 8, 2006)

Opalescent Nudibranch on Lettuce Kelp. ( July 8, 2006) This image also appears on the ocean-life calendar 2008 for Mollusks Life of the Pacific Northwest. North America 2008 Calendar v01	Opalescent Nudibranchs ~ each about 2 inches [5 cm] long. When I came up to them they appeared to be using thier orange appendages to fight each other. But once they sensed me they stoppped fighting and separated. ( July 8, 2006)

Giant Dendronotid (July 8, 2006)	Spotted Aglaja, a nudibranch about an inch long (July 8, 2006)

Striped Dogwinkle ? (July 8, 2006)	Two Hairy Tritons laying eggs - about 5 inches in length (July 8, 2006)


Sand Rose Anemone ( July 8, 2006)	Buried Anemone ? ( July 8, 2006)

Sand Rose Anemone (July 8, 2006)	White Spotted Rose Anemone ~ 16 inches [40 cm] wide. ( July 8, 2006)

Tube Dwelling Anemone (July 8, 2006)	Tube Dwelling Anemone - first time I've seen them this colour (July 8, 2006)

Columbia Sand Anemone ~ 12 inches [30 cm] wide. (July 8, 2006)	Clinging Jellyfish (July 8, 2006)

Zoanthids (July 8, 2006)	Red-Eye Medusa (July 8, 2006)


Sea Cucumber (July 8, 2006)	Sunflower Starfish - about 2 feet across (July 8, 2006)

Sunflower Star - about 3 feet [1 metre] across ( July 8, 2006)	Sunflower Star - regrown from fragment? Its arms seem to be of the wrong sizes given the size of the sunflower star - about 10 inches across ( July 8, 2006)

Juvenile Sunflower Star - about 6 inches across (July 8, 2006)	False Ochre Star - about 16 inches across (July 8, 2006)

Spiny Pink Star - about 3 feet across (July 8, 2006)	Sunflower Star - over 3 feet across (July 8, 2006)

Purple Starfish - about 12 inches [30 cm] across (July 8, 2006)	Orange and Brown Sea Cucumbers (July 8, 2006)

Painted Star (July 8, 2006)	Orange Sea Cucumber (July 8, 2006)

Hybrid of Orange and Brown Sea Cucumbers (July 8, 2006)	Brown Sea Cucumber (July 8, 2006)