Late last night, I returned from a trip to "The Hideaway" at Nigei Island/Browning pass. I am still piecing together the memories of the blur that was arguably the best trip of my life. We spent four days cleaning, cooking, building, organizing, and of course, DIVING! We were blessed with great weather and a wealth of wildlife sightings throughout the trip. Baby Salmon agressively feeding on a ball of panicked juvenile Sandlances at the surface, right next to the Hideaway. Eagles soaring overhead or sitting atop trees; vigilant sentinels scanning the water for their next meal. Twitchy little hummingbirds cruising around the feeders, fighting amongst one another for access to the plastic flowers(I got one to eat from my mouth using those plastic flowers and some sugar). Calm deer nibbling on seaweed at the shoreline. Elk and bears feeding at the side of the road during the drive to and from. Seals and Sea Lions milling around, constantly popping above and below the water's surface. At the very end, a special finale in the form of a pod of Dall's Porpoises passing through the boat's wake on the way back to port, and Home... All that without even getting in the water.
Below the surface, I witnessed what I can only describe as nature's magic at work in full force.
Browning wall: a shear drop, 100% covered in life.
7 Tree Island: A sweet mix of Kelp and reef structure.
Rock of life: Reefy Pinnacle of Perfection.
Nigei's North wall: Mini-Browning.
Croker Rock/Wrech of the Themis: Lunker Metropolis.
Eagle Rock: Sub-surface serenity.
Highlights
---------
Being at depth next to Browning wall and looking up. Cascades of bubbles and schools of small rockfish next to a vertical mass of anemones. The vivid array of colors framed by the turquoise backdrop and glints of filtered sunlight. It doesn't get any better.
My first solo Ascent. Chilling in open water during my safety stop, with no good reference of depth except for my gauges. It allowed me to improve my skills and confidence in scuba diving. Aside from that, it was liberating being alone underwater, thinking about the amazing forms of life I had just seen during the dive.
John, the Hideaway's owner/operator/master captain. Great conversation at the campfire or dinnertable, surgical precision whilst driving the skiff and legendary wit and sense of humor. If you are the gullable type, like me, and ever meet him, be wary of everything he says. There is a very good chance he's messing with you. Not only was he hilarious, but hearing him explain his position on conservation speaks volumes about his knowledge and passion in regards to the water. Thank you so very much, John, for the opportunity to experience life at the Hidaway.
Darwyn's culinary and photography skills. At the start of the trip, he was a friend of a friend. By the end, I think I can say, he is a friend of my own. "Gypsy" as Xander affectionately names him, produced incredible meals for the group. This guy really knows his way around the kitchen, especially at the hideaway, because he has worked for John in the past. Thanks for preparing all the delicious food. Thanks, as well, for documenting our trip. Looking over the pics and video in our cabin with you and Xander was awesome fun. You've got a real talent with those cameras and I hope you keep doing it. I can't wait to see the edited shots!
The Wreck of the Themis. While Xander dove with Christie to complete his photography course, the gypsy and I explored this wonderful wreck and met some of its residents. I knew, from what John told us in the skiff, that this dive would be special, but I could not have expected what was about to happen. We moved along the bottom which was covered with scattered pieces of the ship and everywhere we looked, there was either a big beautiful Lingcod(one of which was MASSIVE, at least by my standards), Fat bellied Rockfish of all varieties, and wary greenlings, alert to the dangers posed by the aforementioned Lingcod. Not only did we see a tonne of big fish, we met one of the trip's three octopi there, and my personal favorite, a male wolf eel that we tricked into coming out to play. Using an urchin shell, we lured the big guy out from under a piece of the wreck. Once he was in the open, we had a little less than 30 seconds to stroke his sides and pet him as he swam around between us. Eventually, he had enough and swam off. Adrenaline High to the max! Unforgettable.
Thank you for inviting me, Xander. I hope this write-up gives you some idea of how much I appreciate the opportunity. Then again, I get the feeling that having seen the look on my face underwater, you already knew that.
So.... same time next year?
Below the surface, I witnessed what I can only describe as nature's magic at work in full force.
Browning wall: a shear drop, 100% covered in life.
7 Tree Island: A sweet mix of Kelp and reef structure.
Rock of life: Reefy Pinnacle of Perfection.
Nigei's North wall: Mini-Browning.
Croker Rock/Wrech of the Themis: Lunker Metropolis.
Eagle Rock: Sub-surface serenity.
Highlights
---------
Being at depth next to Browning wall and looking up. Cascades of bubbles and schools of small rockfish next to a vertical mass of anemones. The vivid array of colors framed by the turquoise backdrop and glints of filtered sunlight. It doesn't get any better.
My first solo Ascent. Chilling in open water during my safety stop, with no good reference of depth except for my gauges. It allowed me to improve my skills and confidence in scuba diving. Aside from that, it was liberating being alone underwater, thinking about the amazing forms of life I had just seen during the dive.
John, the Hideaway's owner/operator/master captain. Great conversation at the campfire or dinnertable, surgical precision whilst driving the skiff and legendary wit and sense of humor. If you are the gullable type, like me, and ever meet him, be wary of everything he says. There is a very good chance he's messing with you. Not only was he hilarious, but hearing him explain his position on conservation speaks volumes about his knowledge and passion in regards to the water. Thank you so very much, John, for the opportunity to experience life at the Hidaway.
Darwyn's culinary and photography skills. At the start of the trip, he was a friend of a friend. By the end, I think I can say, he is a friend of my own. "Gypsy" as Xander affectionately names him, produced incredible meals for the group. This guy really knows his way around the kitchen, especially at the hideaway, because he has worked for John in the past. Thanks for preparing all the delicious food. Thanks, as well, for documenting our trip. Looking over the pics and video in our cabin with you and Xander was awesome fun. You've got a real talent with those cameras and I hope you keep doing it. I can't wait to see the edited shots!
The Wreck of the Themis. While Xander dove with Christie to complete his photography course, the gypsy and I explored this wonderful wreck and met some of its residents. I knew, from what John told us in the skiff, that this dive would be special, but I could not have expected what was about to happen. We moved along the bottom which was covered with scattered pieces of the ship and everywhere we looked, there was either a big beautiful Lingcod(one of which was MASSIVE, at least by my standards), Fat bellied Rockfish of all varieties, and wary greenlings, alert to the dangers posed by the aforementioned Lingcod. Not only did we see a tonne of big fish, we met one of the trip's three octopi there, and my personal favorite, a male wolf eel that we tricked into coming out to play. Using an urchin shell, we lured the big guy out from under a piece of the wreck. Once he was in the open, we had a little less than 30 seconds to stroke his sides and pet him as he swam around between us. Eventually, he had enough and swam off. Adrenaline High to the max! Unforgettable.
Thank you for inviting me, Xander. I hope this write-up gives you some idea of how much I appreciate the opportunity. Then again, I get the feeling that having seen the look on my face underwater, you already knew that.
So.... same time next year?
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