Location: The Aquarium and Browning Wall in Browning Pass, close to Port Hardy, British Columbia
Dive Day 1 of our first Alaska trip (journey?) of the season, and we are anchored in Browning Pass, close to Port Hardy. I took our divers out for a warmup dive at “the Aquarium” while one of our marine biologists (we have 2 biologists onboard acting as naturalists this summer) took all of our “topsiders” (non-diving guests) out for a shoreline tour in an inflatable and a hike through the rainforest. We get a lot of topsiders on our summer voyages to Alaska and this trip is no exception. The hike went well and they successfully (and respectfully) located the local First Nations burial cave.
Dive 2 was on what I call the Red Wall portion of Browning Wall. The red soft coral (gersemia rubiformis) is so thick and abundant that the entire wall looks red and there is not even a square inch of bare rock on which to push yourself off with your hand! Visibility was spectacular (maybe some of the best of the year?) and we were able to quite nicely enjoy the dive from the deck of the skiff.
–Captain Mike
Weather: Sunny, scattered clouds, air temperatures mid-60’s, light winds.
Water: Water temperature a very brisk 47°F, visibility FANTASTIC!!!
