Yarrow again

[BMW]

Returned to Yarrow Point yesterday with a group. There was a mix of experience, so this was a good choice due to easy entry, no current and the gently sloping rocky bottom.

The tide was very low at the time so we were worried the vis would be poor, but it was actually pretty decent (15' or so). The usual layer was about 35' and below that was better.

We swam out from the beach on a bearing of 260. This is the best direction we have found yet. There is a series of rocky ledges that are parallel to this bearing (and not perpendicular to the beach - can be a little confusing) and get gently and progressively deeper. My buddy and I followed this down until we hit 87' then turned around. It seemed that the interesting features just came to an end at that point and it turned into mud bottom.

We saw rockfish, sole and sculpins. There are also many octo dens - someone in the group found one at home - and places on the flat bottom called "dinner plates" where an octo has dismantled some poor crab.

If you dive there bring a compass and swim at 260. We have tried 245 and 300 and seen pretty much nothing so direction is important.

 

[MarkH]

When I go, I swim pretty much straight out from the end of the trail. When I start to see the rocky reefs (that bottom out at around 100 feet, I follow them to the left and then back up to the shallows. This area sounds like where you went with the rocky ledges. Near the bottom of the reefs at around 80-100 feet deep, I usually see lots of vermilion rockfish.

 

[BMW]

Sounds like the right strategy to always find the reef. Thanks!

We also saw small fish with a red body and multiple thin white stripes down the side. Not used to seeing these around here - the only other place I recall seeing them is Madrona Point. They are a little bit shy.

 

[MarkH]

Sounds like the right strategy to always find the reef. Thanks!

We also saw small fish with a red body and multiple thin white stripes down the side. Not used to seeing these around here - the only other place I recall seeing them is Madrona Point. They are a little bit shy.

Those were juvenile yelloweye rockfish! I hardly ever see them around Victoria. I think I've only seen them at the deeper areas of Ogden and the farther end of Mckenzie Bight. And I've never seen an adult around here, just at Madrona. I've yet to get a good picture of them. They get lost in my wide-angle lens and, like you said, they're kind of shy. Nice sighting. There must be adults around somewhere (probably deeper) to produce the juveniles.

 

[BMW]

Thanks for the tip. I searched and found this image on the web ... looks like what we saw:

 

[kerryw]

Yep that is a Juvinile Yellow-eye rockfish, a tough guy to get with wide angle I'm sure, this was done with a Nikonos 35mm.

I'm going up to Powell River in a bit and there are always some behind the mermaid on the wall there.

 

[MarkH]

Yep that is a Juvinile Yellow-eye rockfish, a tough guy to get with wild angle I'm sure, this was done with a Nikonos 35mm.

I'm going up to Powell River in a bit and there are always some behind the mermaid on the wall there.

I was just at Neck Point in Nanaimo and they were all over the place at around 30-60 feet deep (the shallowest I have ever seen them).

 

[Poogweese]

We see a lot of them up here too-usually around 40-60' very colorful fish

Poog