What To See Beneath BC

Rockfish

There are 36 species of rockfish here in BC. Rockfish babies are born swimming and not hatched from eggs. They like to live in little cracks, and cozy caves, on shipwrecks, and sponges. Often living their entire lives very close to home. They can live to over 200 years old, but don't reproduce often, so they are a diminishing species largely due to fishing.

Fried Egg Jelly

A mesmerizing marine creature that bares a striking resemblance to a fried egg. These jellies can have a bell of a few feet diameter, and tentacles over 20 feet long, though their sting is usually quite tame. Underwater, plastic bags can often resemble jellyfish, and marine animals like leatherback sea turtles can mistake these bags as their food, so be sure to recycle!

Humpbacks

BC is well known for it's whale watching, with humpback whales having been seen in reassuring numbers these past few years - though still threatened by increased boat traffic. These incredible marine mammals stop by BC for some sight seeing and feeding during their annual trip between Hawaii and Alaska. Remember, See a blow? Go slow!

Steller Sea Lions

One of our favourite animals in the world, and they live right here in BC. Steller sea lions - named after the naturalist Georg Wilhem Steller, who first described them in 1741 - resides in several places around the BC coast, but most notable in the winter time around Norris Rocks off Hornby Island, and throughout the year on Vivian Island. Sea lions can reach around 10 feet in length, and weigh between 1000 and 2500lbs! Despite their size, and looking a little clumsy on land, underwater they move with speed and the grace of a ballerina. 

Giant Pacific Octopus

BC has the world's largest species of octopus that can reach 16 feet in size. They live 3-5 years, love eating crabs, live in dens that are tiny, and are one of the most intelligent animals around. The females lay about a quarter of a million eggs at one time, not eating whilst caring for them, and die shortly after they hatch. We love our GPOs, they make any visit Beneath BC a wonder!

Wolf Eel

Remember the two grumpy old men from the Muppets? Well, we think that's what a pair of wolf eels look like! Firstly, it's a fish and not an eel, can grow around 7-9 feet in length, and change from orange to grey when they get older. The males and females often pair for life and live in a cave together. One stays behind when the other leaves to feed. They are not aggressive, and have been known to be curious over diver visitors!

Puget Sound King Crab

One of the most beautifully coloured animals in the wild, above or below the water. They are like armoured tanks painted by Banksy. They can grown to a couple of feet in size and are often found walking around with other Puget crabs.

Soft Coral

Cold water corals live throughout the world and BC is no exception. Dive the waters of Browning Pass in Port Hardy and you won't find an inch of bare rock, nope, but you will find a plethora of colour and soft corals teaming with life. 

Lion's Mane Jelly

Another one of BC's incredible residents, and the largest species of jelly in the world! Lions mane's stay near the surface in the top 60 feet of water, and depend mainly on ocean currents to travel. Their tentacles can be up to 100 feet!

Artificial Reefs

Artificial reefs are man made objects purposefully sunk in order to create marine life habitats. British Columbia has one of the most successful artificial reefing legacies in the world. There are over a dozen artificial reefs in BC, 8 of which have been sunk by the Artificial Reef Society of BC, a non profit organization that are experts in reefing. Artificial reefs are normally old ships specially cleaned and held to strict environmental regulations, then sunk. Occasionally, other man made objects are used, like this Boeing 737 near Chemainus, BC.  Once sunk, these huge objects (stripped of all harmful materials) become huge apartment blocks for marine life. Former destroyer class vessels have become marine life hot spots in areas formerly devoid of life. They also offer unique opportunities to observe and research marine life, conduct safe scuba training, and fuel the local dive industry economy. Reefs like this do an enormous amount of good in our ocean, and they are fantastic ways of exploring the life Beneath BC.

Orcas

The largest of the dolphin family! Orcas, or killer whales as they're often known, are year-round residents of British Columbia. They are apex predators, meaning they have no natural predators (except for pesky humans of course). They hunt in packs, and depending on if they're residents or transients (Bigg's),  will happily pick off seals, sea lions, dolphins, and fish, including salmon. Orcas have complex social structures, matriarchs-based, which can include three to fifteen individuals. The Haida regard killer whales as the most powerful animals in the ocean, and their mythology tells of killer whales living in houses and towns under the sea. Killer whales have since become a cultural icon of British Columbia.

Ancient Sponges

Glass sponges were thought to have gone extinct 40 million years ago, until in 1987 they were discovered in Hecate Strait, BC. The sponge reefs found there date back 9000 years and cover hundreds of square kilometres, reaching the height of an 8 story building. They are some of the simplest animals on Earth. Glass sponges build intricate skeletons of silica (glass), and provide other animals with homes whilst filtering vast quantities of bacteria from surrounding sea water. Though a lot of the sponge bioherms are too deep for recreational divers, there are sponges scattered over the BC coastline that can be reached at depths of 70+ feet. They are incredible marine life habitats, and are in much need of protection. Learn more here.  

Shipwrecks

​Shipwrecks, unlike artificial reefs, are sat on the bottom of the ocean against their will. Certified scuba divers can explore some of these wrecks, and the marine life that now call them home. One of our favourite wrecks is the SS Capilano (above). Found in waters off of Comox, the old steam ship sank over one hundred years ago, but has since become home to some very old and large lingcod, lots of plumose anemones, and the occasional octopus. Exploring an old shipwreck like this is one the coolest things a diver can do. The Capilano even has some old shoe soles on the deck that used to belong to her crew, over 100 years ago! 

Nudibranchs

Divers from all over the world will flock to tropical locations to photograph teeny "nudis", not realizing that some of the smallest and largest most beautiful nudibranchs reside here in BC. Think of them as "sea slugs", except in the case above - colourful and crazy looking! The giant nudibranch crawl, swim, and can hunt sea anemones, raising up then striking super fast. Incredible to watch, they come in all shapes and colours! Other species also eat sponges, coral, hydroids, barnacles, fish eggs, and other nudibranchs.

Seals

One of the cutest marine animals around, and often mistaken for sea lions, these little ones are small, lack external ear flaps as well as the ability to move more effortlessly on land! Adults can be about 6 feet long, and weigh up to 300lbs. They can be quite curious of snorkellers and divers.

Finger Sponge

These tan coloured sponges are normally found in places of high current, such as Browning Pass near Port Hardy. Named for obvious reasons they are often accompanied by soft coral, lots of anemones, and a ton of little critters using them all as rich place to set up home! 

Red Irish Lord

We refer to these as 'Bart Simpson fish!' They are ambush predators, which means they stay very still, making them very photogenic - they have speckled eyes that look like little galaxies. They're incredibly colourful and can grow up to half a meter in length. "Ay caramba!"

Shrimp

Shrimp seem to have so much personality, they're like little Pixar characters jumping around with their big googly eyes! They make for especially fun night diving when they seem to be attracted to a divers lights and look like comedians at an open mic night. 

Sea Stars

Once one of the most common and iconic sea creatures of BC, species of sea stars have been experiencing a mass die off called "Sea Star Wasting Disease". Sunflower sea stars have almost been wiped out, whilst some, like the purple or leather sea stars (above) have survived. The underlying cause is still unknown. 

Anemones

They may look like colourful flowers or trees, but these little guys have tentacles and a mouth, which is also it's butt. The painted anemone (seen above) can actually detach from rock and flex itself in a free swimming movement to escape predators. The most common in BC is the giant plumose anemone - which looks like giant cauliflower! 

Ratfish

If we could pick a favourite fish, this would probably be it. Part Frankenstein's monster, part Disney creation. Ratfish are Chimaeras, closely related to sharks and can live in shallow water, or down as deep as 3000 feet. It's not often you see them on a dive, but they can sometimes be found gliding effortlessly near the sand.

Underwater Mountains

Whether you're near North America's largest glacial fjord known as Howe Sound, the Copper Cliffs of Quadra, or one of the thousands of islands that are scattered throughout BC waters - one thing they all have in common is that that don't stop at the waterline. These mountains, cliffs, and islands continue beneath the surface, down into the depths of the ocean. These "walls" are home to most of the ocean life in BC. Anemones, sponges, crabs, fish, shrimps,  octopus, wolf eels... nearly everything you see on this page live on walls, or rocky areas that extend below surface of BC's coastline

Lingcod

Unfortunately, the BC lingcod population is not what it used to be. These intelligent and handsome fish are fun to observe during a dive. They like rocky areas and spawn between December and March, males often guarding large styrofoam looking egg masses wedged between rocks. They'll eat anything, are very defensive, and they hate fisherman!

Urchins

These little pin cushions are marine invertebrates with spines and tube feet that crawl along the sea bed or onto sea weeds. There are red, purple and green urchins here, with red being the largest species found in BC. ​Urchins will eat everything in their path, and often create barren landscapes when their population increases uncontrollably. 

Moon Jellies

Moon jellies are harmless, round, white jellies that look like the moon! They can be found on their own swimming around, or in large blooms. Hundreds of thousands of moon jellies take over certain parts of BC's ocean in the summer months in what's called a smack, making for a truly unique encounter.