I filmed this young giant Pacific octopus on our dive today off Vancouver Island. It was quite curious about my presence and we hung around each other for about 15 minutes and then parted ways. On my way back in it was still hanging out on it's ledge and curiously watched me swim by.
Many people are surprised to learn that there's a Boeing 737 resting on the seafloor near Chemainus. The aircraft was intentionally sunk in 2006 as an artificial reef and has become home to an incredible variety of marine life.
On a recent dive, I spent time exploring and filming the aircraft in 4K. It's amazing to see how the plumose anemones, sea stars, and rockfish have transformed the aircraft into a living reef.
This trailer is from a 50-minute ambient dive film I created exploring the wreck in detail. If anyone is interested in the full version, it's available on my YouTube channel, ScubaBC.
This is the Boeing 737 artificial reef near Chemainus on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The aircraft was intentionally sunk in 2006 to create a new marine habitat and dive attraction in the Salish Sea.
At roughly 100 feet (30 m) long, it's an easy wreck to explore on a single recreational dive. The plane lies in about 90 feet of water (depending on tide) and the fuselage is supported about 10 feet off the bottom. The cockpit, cabin, wings, and tail are all accessible from the outside, and over the last few years the wreck has become increasingly covered in plumose anemones, sea stars, and other marine life. Rockfish are common, and it's a fun site to revisit as it continues to mature.
You can dive it from shore with scooters (about a 20 minute run I hear) but most of us dive it from a dive boat.
I recently spent a dive filming the wreck in 4K and turned it into a 50-minute ambient underwater film. If anyone is interested, it's on my YouTube channel (ScubaBC).
Snailfish are a neat but rare little fish we find diving at night in shallow, sandy bays around Vancouver Island. These little ones are only a couple inches long. They can be found at depths from 20 feet (like these) down to 27,000+ feet!
If you look closely at its face, you can see tiny "pores" on its chin. Those aren't blemishes, they are sensory pores! Because many snailfish live in absolute darkness, they use these pores like a built-in radar system to "feel" vibrations and water pressure. Even in shallow water at night, it helps them hunt and navigate in the dark.
If you're interested here is 2 hours of ambient 4K marine life from the Salish Sea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTrQHtj7Px4
Snailfish are a neat but rare little fish we find diving at night in shallow, sandy bays around Vancouver Island. These little ones are only a couple inches long. They can be found at depths from 20 feet (like these) down to 27,000+ feet!
If you look closely at its face, you can see tiny "pores" on its chin. Those aren't blemishes, they are sensory pores! Because many snailfish live in absolute darkness, they use these pores like a built-in radar system to "feel" vibrations and water pressure. Even in shallow water at night, it helps them hunt and navigate in the dark.
If you're interested here is 2 hours of ambient 4K marine life from the Salish Sea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTrQHtj7Px4
We found this very large female wolf eel on our dive today in about 70 feet of water. She was out for a cruise across the sandy bottom. Typically the females are more grey or darker brown, this one however, was a very beautiful orange color.
I film a ton of PNW marine life, if you want to see more underwater footage from our local dives, check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@scubabc6701
Filmed in the Nanoose area at a depth of 100 feet. Giant nudibranchs are mating right now and they are dancing in the water column by the dozens.
More of our marine life here: https://www.youtube.com/@scubabc6701
Happy World Ocean Day!
I put together a short film featuring some of my favorite underwater footage from Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Everything was filmed during real dives over the past several years and includes Giant Pacific Octopus, kelp forests, sea lions, corals, invertebrates, rockfish, and other marine life found along our coast.
Hope you enjoy it. I'm happy to answer questions about the marine life, diving conditions, underwater filming, or the locations featured in the video.
4K Version Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf94EZF8rcM
To celebrate World Ocean Day, I put together a short film featuring some of the marine life and underwater ecosystems I've filmed around Vancouver Island over the past several years.
Most of these scenes were captured during dives in places like Nanoose Bay, Port Hardy, Barkley Sound, and Browning Passage. The video includes Giant Pacific Octopus, kelp forests, sea lions, rockfish, corals, and some of the incredible underwater landscapes that exist just off our coast.
I know many people never get the chance to see what's beneath the surface here, so I thought some of you might enjoy a glimpse into this side of Vancouver Island.
4K Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf94EZF8rcM
I'm also happy to answer questions about local diving, learning to dive, certifications required, costs, underwater videography, gear, dive sites around the Island, marine life encounters, or anything else related to diving in BC.
We were 43 minutes into our dive and on our way back to shore when I saw a large arm with suckers swing out and over the kelp.
A few nights ago I was able to film perhaps the largest giant Pacific octopus I've ever found out in the open. I was fortunate enough to spend about 30 minutes with it as it calmly made its way along the reef.
This octopus is a true survivor. I think it only had 1 or 2 complete arms as most had been bitten off into stumps. It had scars all over its body, missing suckers, and clear injuries to its arms.
This octopus has seen some things, that is for sure. Such an amazing encounter.
Want more Octopus?
2 hours with music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzkNu1PMK_0
2 hours with deep sea bubbles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qiztsIcqWo
We were 43 minutes into our dive and on our way back to shore when I saw a large arm with suckers swing out and over the kelp.
Last night I was able to film perhaps the largest giant Pacific octopus I've ever found out in the open. I was fortunate enough to spend about 30 minutes with it as it calmly made its way along the reef.
This octopus is a true survivor. I think it only had 1 or 2 complete arms as most had been bitten off into stumps. It had scars all over its body, missing suckers, and clear injuries to its arms.
This octopus has seen some things, that is for sure. Such an amazing encounter.
Want more Octopus?
2 hours with music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzkNu1PMK_0
2 hours with deep sea bubbles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qiztsIcqWo
We were 43 minutes into our dive and on our way back to shore when I saw a large arm with suckers swing out and over the kelp.
Last night I was able to film perhaps the largest giant Pacific octopus I've ever found out in the open. I was fortunate enough to spend about 30 minutes with it as it calmly made its way along the reef.
This octopus is a true survivor. I think it only had 1 or 2 complete arms as most had been bitten off into stumps. It had scars all over its body, missing suckers, and clear injuries to its arms.
This octopus has seen some things, that is for sure. Such an amazing encounter.
Want more Octopus?
2 hours with music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzkNu1PMK_0
2 hours with deep sea bubbles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qiztsIcqWo
The Giant Nudibranch is one of the most incredible predators in the Pacific Northwest.
They start as tiny planktonic drifters (Clip 1) before settling down and growing into the size of a football. This sequence shows their unique "swimming" flex, a macro look at their cerata (the bushy structures they use to breathe), and a final close-up of the rhinophores and mouth parts they use to hunt tube anemones.
More of my Salish Sea footage here: https://www.youtube.com/@scubabc6701
I found this juvenile giant Pacific octopus yesterday on a solo dive just chilling on a ledge 96 feet below the surface. I filmed it for a few minutes and then curiosity got the better of it and it had to explore my camera, reaching out and placing suckers all over my hands, my dome port, and my camera rig. I've been having some good luck with our local octopus lately.
More of my octopus encounters here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzkNu1PMK_0
I stumbled across this juvenile giant Pacific octopus yesterday on a solo dive in 96 feet of water. It was just hanging out on a ledge. I filmed it for a few minutes and then curiosity got the better of it and it had to explore my camera. I've been having some good octo luck lately!
More of my octopus encounters here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzkNu1PMK_0
Found this tiny ruby octopus during a night dive off Vancouver Island. It was only about the size of a pea and spent a few minutes exploring the sandy bottom around me. Easily one of the smallest octopus encounters I’ve ever filmed.
This is just one clip from my 2 hour octopus compilation filmed in the Pacific Northwest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzkNu1PMK_0
I found this tiny ruby octopus during a night dive in a shallow sandy bay off Vancouver Island. It was only about the size of a pea. It's so cool to find them like this and so incredibly difficult to film with their sporadic and unpredictable movements.
Filmed off Vancouver Island. This stubby squid (bobtail squid) buries itself in the sand, leaving just its eyes exposed to stay hidden.
We usually find them on night dives over sandy bottom.
More from the Salish Sea:
https://www.youtube.com/@scubabc6701
Filmed over several hundred dives around Vancouver Island, mainly Nanoose Bay and Browning Passage. Mostly lion’s mane, fried egg jellies, and moon jellies drifting in current and light.
I’ve been filming underwater around Vancouver Island for the past few years and put this together from several hundred dives around Nanoose Bay and Browning Passage.
Mostly lion’s mane, fried egg jellies, and moon jellies drifting in current and light. They’re pretty mesmerizing up close and so beautiful when the light hits just right!
Trailer above, full film here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AisbFqn8nDQ