dillion rock Archives - Nautilus Adventures

Kermode Bear on the Beach

Post author By Nautilus Staff
Categories Archive
Post date 2008-07-23

By Nautilus Staff on July 23rd, 2008 in Archive

Our morning dive on the wreck of the Transpac was outstanding as usual with visibility estimated at 80 feet or more. The Transpac is without a doubt the most amazing wreck I have ever seen – standing upright as it does with the transom of the 180 foot fish boat plunked down on a ledge at 285 feet with the bow at 110 feet and the wreck aligned almost perfectly upright on the sheer wall. Did a dock dive in the afternoon and those divers who stayed under the pilings had a fabulous dive with giant pacific octopus sightings as well as 20 plus ratfish (aka chimera). We’re off to Shushartie Bay (Dillon Rock) and Browning Wall tonight and then in to Vancouver to finish off this very fine trip.

Tags bc forest service, British Columbia, Browning Wall, Butedale, chimeras, dillion rock, dock dive, ghost town, giant pacific octopus, kermode bear, princess royal island, ratfish, sushartie bay, transpac, vancouver, wreck diving

A BC Classic: Port Hardy Scuba Diving

Post author By Nautilus Staff
Categories Archive
Post date 2008-06-16

By Nautilus Staff on June 16th, 2008 in Archive

The intense invertebrate life on Browning Wall is so thick and prolific and colourful that you cannot see the underlying rock at all. Until you’ve actually seen the brilliant reds, oranges, yellows, whites and all the amazing colours of the soft corals and other inverts, it is almost impossible to imagine how fantastic coldwater diving is. The tiny pinnacle of Dillon Rock is a story onto itself with 6+ wolfeels hiding in cracks and crevices, numerous giant pacific octopus, rarely sighted vermillion rockfish, a lovely kelp forest at the west side of the rock teeming with black rockfish, and dozens of chimera (ratfish in the shark family) cruising around on the sand bottom just off the rock. Great diving and a lovely day was had by all. Even the black bears cooperated with multiple beach appearances.

Tags Black Bears, British Columbia, Browning Pass, Browning Wall, chimera, coldwater diving, dillion rock, giant pacific octopus, Hussar point, invertebrate life, kelp forest, port hardy, queen charlotte strait, ratfish, Rockfish, soft corals, sushartie bay, vermillion rockfish, wolfeels

Our First Alaska Expedition and Dive Trip of 2008

Post author By Nautilus Staff
Categories Archive
Post date 2008-06-14

By Nautilus Staff on June 14th, 2008 in Archive

We are enroute now for 2 days of scuba diving at Port Hardy (Queen Charlotte Strait, Browning Pass and Dillon Rock in Shushartie Bay), 1 day diving the wreck of the Transpac at Butedale and then it’s off to Alaska!

Tags Alaska, Browning Pass, Butedale, dillion rock, port hardy, queen charlotte strait, refit, shushartie bay, steveston, transpac, transport canada, Vancouver Island

Is the Male Sex Organ of a Ratfish on it’s Forehead or Not?

Post author By Nautilus Staff
Categories Archive
Post date 2008-06-08

By Nautilus Staff on June 8th, 2008 in Archive

I have to state for the record that I stand corrected on all the scuba diving briefings that I have given on this site over the years. Ratfish are indeed a member of the shark “family” as I thought. My mistake was in thinking that the sexual organ of the male ratfish is on it’s forehead (which kind of makes sense in a bit of a twisted way). There is definitely “something” that extends and retracts on the forehead of male ratfish but it turns out to be a “third clasper.” Like other sharks and rays, the male ratfish has 2 claspers underneath and close to their stern. Unlike any other cartilaginous fish, the ratfish has a 3rd clasper on it’s forehead that it apparently uses to latch on to the pectoral fin of a female during mating. One of the guests on this trip has the photographic evidence that clearly shows this. I stand corrected – the male ratfish has a clasper used to facilitate sex on it’s forehead. The sharks’ sexual organ is in the regular place.

Tags Black Bears, British Columbia, dillion rock, eagles, giant pacific octopus, kelp forest, octopi, port hardy, rabbit fish, ratfish, Rockfish, sex organ, shushartie bay, vermillion rockfish, wolf eels

The Ratfish of Dillon Rock

Post author By Nautilus Staff
Categories Archive, Captain Mike
Post date 2007-06-16

By Nautilus Staff on June 16th, 2007 in Archive, Captain Mike

Yaayyhhh Shushartie Bay! It’s such a great place to visit. We are usually able to observe lots of black bears on the beach, the shore hiking is great (unless you run into a black bear!) and the kayaking is excellent. Dillon Rock is a famous dive site and is a pinnacle that barely breaks the surface at the entrance to Shushartie Bay. Regardless of the visibility, it is always a crowd-pleasing dive with lots of wolf-eels (7 at last count), lots of giant Pacific octopus (gpd’s to use the local vernacular), a beautiful kelp forest, rare vermillion rock-fish and loads of ratfish swimming around on the flats just off the rock.

Tags Black Bears, dillion rock, giant pacific octopus, hiking, kayaking, kelp forest, port hardy, ratfish, rock fish, shushartie bay, wolf eels

Scuba Dive with the Wolf Eels at Dillon Rock

Post author By Nautilus Staff
Categories Archive, Captain Mike
Post date 2007-06-06

By Nautilus Staff on June 6th, 2007 in Archive, Captain Mike

Dillon Rock is a barely submerged pinnacle marked by a small green light at the entrance to Shushartie Bay and is surely the most famous place in the world to scuba dive with wolf eels. I have personally seen up to 7 wolf eels here on just one dive. This is also the only place that I have ever had the extremely rare experience of been bitten by a wolf eel (a male that I believe to be “alpha” came up behind me and latched onto my leg as I lay on the mud bottom taking a picture of another wolf eel). Being bitten by a wolf eel is virtually unheard of.

Tags British Columbia, dillion rock, port hardy, shushartie bay, wolf eels

Nautilus News