Blown Away by a Humpback Whale in Browning Pass

Location: Lucan Chute / Snowfall / 7 Tree Island, Browning Pass, Port Hardy, British Columbia

Comments: Day 2 in Browning Pass, Port Hardy and the diving is mighty fine. The visibility in the pass has been variable between 20 and 40 feet in a plankton bloom but the incredible biodiversity of invertebrate life basically makes the visibility inconsequential. One of our highly experienced divers and avid photographer hasn’t been traversing more than a 5 – 6ft on each of her hour-long dives as there is so much to observe and shoot.

The thrill of the day was when a humpback whale came down the middle of Browning Pass just as we were wrapping up a dive at  Snowfall. A couple of divers with “code yellows” made the heroic decision to “hold on” and let us drift down the pass and observe the humpback. We were all “blown away” (pun intended) when the humpback surfaced 20ft away from the skiff after a 6 – 8 minute dive. Emily and Charlie were on the skiff with me and it was awesome to see their excitement. Having the kids onboard has made this an especially and exceptionally enjoyable trip for me. Charlie has been practising throwing a heaving line to divers while Emily has been acting as a spotter and signalling each diver that they are “OK.”

–Captain Mike

 

Weather: Overcast, raining in the morning and clearing in the afternoon, temperature 15°C, calm in the morning with 15 knot westerly in the afternoon, exceptionally smooth seas.

Water: Water temperature 46-48˚F,

By Nautilus Staff

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