This quiet fishing town is located at the north eastern end of Vancouver Island, opening to the Queen Charlotte Strait. Although most of the diving is done from live-aboard vessels, there are several land-based and remote-based resorts.

Perhaps the most famous site is Browning Wall, located in Browning Passage on the south eastern side of Nigei Island. This nutrient rich current fed site supports hordes of red, pink, and orange soft coral, arm-length clusters of glove sponge, ruffled orange-peel nudibranchs and white-spotted rose anemones with tiny shrimp on their base. Macro photographers should keep an eye out for minute sea spiders, occasionally covering sea strawberry strands.

Seven Tree Island is another lush site flanking Nigei. I have always found the illusive decorated warbonnets, mosshead warbonnets and colorful small fish here. Barry Islet offers fields of miniature red, pink and white gorgonian fans and delicate basket stars. Macro subjects at Dillon include purple-ringed topsnails, diamondback nudibranchs and bright orange juvenile Puget Sound king crabs. Larger subjects are octopus, ancient-looking ratfish and curious wolf eels.

The remains of the Themis can be found on the north side of Crocker Rock with half in a forest of kelp and the rest draped over a reef. Wolf eels, octopus and seals reside here.

Weather permitting divers will enjoy a day across the Strait exploring Slingsby Channel. The outer walls are excellent for photography hosting an array of invertebrate life, worthy of a two-gigabyte memory card! Turret Rock is located in the middle of Nakwakto Rapids. Recorded at speeds of up to 22 knots, these fast-moving currents will take your breath away during slack! Huge clusters of Nakwakto goose-neck barnacles with ‘red’ lips and six-rayed white sea stars are a few of the resident wonders.