diving availability?

[Les]

I have dove cates park many times in different spots. I don't want to discourage you from going there but don't expect to see alot! there are no walls. you have either a rocky shoreline left of the boat launch. I have found fishing lures there. thats about it. just alot of small rocks, a few crabs and alot of seaweed. did not find any nudibranchs or other life there. the sandy beach behind the native canoe is a gentle sloping sandy bottom that takes ou way the stink out there and keeps on going. it has been fished and crabbed to almost extinction over the years. There is some seagrass gardens that you will find decorator crabs, the odd lion mane nudibranch(if really lucky 100's I have found on a single dive. must have been mating season) a few red rock crabs, lots of stars, a few sea cucumbers, possibly white lined and gold dirona nudis, black eyed gobies, keep a careful eye for bay pipefish!!! they are related to the seahorse family. they will be brown or bright green. some plumose anenomes and maybe a seapen or two. That site is better IMO. I have a secret spot I dive often. BE PREPARED FOR POOR VIS. I have been in 1' vis before but sometimes up to 15'. current comes around the point either low or high and will drift you. I have called a dive even at 15' due to vis and current cause I know it gets worse further out and depth is so gradual. like I said I don't want to discourage cause it has its good sides but just to be aware.
good luck. have fun and be safe,
Les

 

[creamofwheat]

Thanks for the heads up, Les. something to keep in mind, definitely, when i head out to that site.

but for our upcoming dive, Tino and I have decided to explore the woodlands site and see what it's all about instead. should be fun.

 

[Les]

let me know how it is cause I have never been diving there. It is on my places to dive but I would like to go with someone who has been there before.
Les

 

[Kane(adian)]

my schedule right now is pretty variable, but i've got thursday off this week. if anyone is up for something, drop me a line.

 

[creamofwheat]

Ok, for those interested in woodlands.

Tino and I were there today. If you plan on going...you'll come up to a stop sign on your way down to the site. drive past it...it leads to a dead end. unload your gear onto the dock, and then drive back up to the stop sign to park. there is no parking down there as it is all private property. just a heads up.

it's a dock entry and exit. getting out proved to be quite an interesting fiasco. there is a ladder to climb up on at the end of the dive, which was a good thing.

the site itself...well, it's pretty bare of life. there's not a lot going on there. if you go slow and look around, you'll see tiny hermit crabs and shrimp. otherwise there's just the sea stars and crabs, pretty much. a few smaller fish...gobys, i believe, but i didnt see a single rock cod or anything. we came across one ling cod protecting his eggs. there's also a beach chair and some tires, and a bunch of old beer bottles to look at.

there is an island to dive around which makes for a nice wall dive. it drops off pretty steeply (to about 120ft i believe), but we just hung out in the 70ft range. be forewarned...you cannot swim around the entire island. on the side closest to the dock, it bottoms out at, like, 3 ft. but on the deep side, decent buoyancy is a must unless you feel like sinking. we were hovering over quite a bit of water at a couple points in the dive.

anyway, it was alright and nice for a change of pace. the rock formations were really cool, and the shrimp were quite cute to watch, hopping and swimming all over the place. i personally prefer whytecliff or porteau, but again, nice for a change and new diving experience.

anyway, there ya go Les.

 

[Les]

thanks for the post. I look forward to checking it out. Except for the shallow depth on the one side did you make the whole island. Was there much life on the wall?
Thanks again.
Les

 

[creamofwheat]

we made it around most of the island, and there wasnt much life at all. very, VERY few anemonies, a couple sea stars, a couple crabs, and a few shrimp. it's worth checking out, for interest's sake, but its not a dive one would want to do on a weekly basis or anything.

Tino, get in here and give your opinion.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

be forewarned...you cannot swim around the entire island. on the side closest to the dock, it bottoms out at, like, 3 ft.

So this means what? You don't like dragging your stomach on the bottom while your tank is completely out of the water (I did a dive similar to this once, thanks for the memory LOL!)
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[TinoD'Voe]

basically what miss cream. said. The only negative point about the place was the parking and the exit at the dock. Apparently there used to be a proper ladder there in the past, not the sad excuse for one that's there now. I wouldn't even really call it a ladder, more like a couple pieces of wood nailed to the side.

As for the dive itself, At 60-70 feet going around the island there were some cool looking crabs and some shrimp, some were pretty big. Going right instead of towards the island it became a wall dive, I'm not sure how deep it goes there, but at 70' it was impossible to tell. Here I think some may find it more interesting, there wasn't much in terms of life but I think there was a chance to find an octopus den where there was lots of crab shells lying around.

Overall not a bad place to check out, but I'd be more interested in exploring other sites before heading back to woodlands. I don't think the locals would mind either, the one woman we spoke to there didn't seem too friendly when we were trying to find a place to park. Kind of made me wonder who took the ladder out anyway?

 

[jeckyll]

Tino: Some of the locals got fed up with people (read: kids) going down there to drink & stuff... We do *ahem* runs down that road on the cars now and then.

B.

P.S.: Anyone going on the IDC dive tonight?