RACE ROCKS
For divers, Race Rocks Ecological Reserve is usually synonyms with sea lions and current. Located on the southernmost point of British Columbia, Canada, at the very tip of Vancouver Island this dive area encompasses six tiny islands, five of which are merely rocks sticking out of the ocean. The largest island, Great Race, has a lighthouse,
dock and a couple small buildings.
So, what is so special about Race Rocks? Well, in this location we get deep ocean waters from the Juan De Fuca Strait flooding into the narrow and (relatively) shallow Georgia Strait. Then on ebb tides, we get all that water in Georgia Strait rushing out through a narrow rocky choke point. Race Rocks is where the water of these two straits meets and becomes very turmoil. This mix of currents causes an exciting combination of life that we’d usually only see in deeper water, as well as life found in shallow water. On top of that, because of the immense currents, there are tons of nutrients flying through the water, meaning there are also tons of different types of marine life enjoying said nutrients. With all this life, as well as the mostly barren islands themselves, this makes a perfect rest stop for sea lions as they migrate up and down North America’s West Coast. During the winter, an estimated average of 200 sea lions and other pinnipeds lounge on and around these rocks at any given time, and it isn’t uncommon to have as many as 300!
With all the current in this area, it is only safe to dive at low exchange slack currents. There have been some companies that try to dive it regardless of the currents but unfortunately there have been enough accidents that it is not worth the risk. This means we can only dive here on certain days and certain times, but with chaotic currents, upwellings and downwelling's, safety should always come first. Fortunately, there are plenty of free, and easy to use tide and current tables available online. Even diving it only at the proper time, most dives are drift dives. Because of this, I recommend additional safety equipment, like a DSMB (which honestly, I think should always be used while boat diving), a dive alert air horn of some sort, and a marine radio like a Nautilus Lifeline.
Most divers will dive around Great Race, which is usually a perfect spot for sealion encounters. If you’ve never dove with sea lions before it can certainly be rather intimidating. They are usually very friendly and underwater generally have no fear of divers. They’ll come right up to you wanting to play! The only issue is they’re big... really big. Adult male sealions can weigh up to one tonne, so sometimes when they play, it can be a bit rough. Think of a Great Dane puppy. Rambunctious and fun and just wants to be your friend, having no idea how big they are or how to be gentle. Add the lack of hands, so all grabbing is done with their mouth. It can be a bit much, but the important thing to remember is the animal isn’t trying to be aggressive or hurt you. If you dive with sea lions you must be prepared for the occasional boop, or mouthing. It’s very rare for them to bite hard enough to hurt you, or harm your suit, but it’s not uncommon for hoods to end up a little snagged. Another important thing to remember, is to never take a snorkel attached to your mask. Snorkels make good grips for sea lions, and they have been known to grab snorkels, resulting in a stolen mask.
Knowing all that and being prepared for it, sea lion encounters are magical. Given their size it’s always amazing how quickly and gracefully they move through the water. No matter how trim and streamlined you think you are, after seeing the smooth grace of a one tonne sea lion dancing around you, you are always reminded of the fact that we are not in our natural habitat. At a location like Race Rocks, in the fall/winter you can get crowded with sea lions. The entire dive they’ll be darting around you, coming right up to you then disappearing in an instant. You can be watching two twist and twirl around each other and through the kelp, then out of nowhere have another one push at your camera. You can turn to look at the one pushing at you only to have three more race around you. It truly is a breath-taking experience.
While sea lions are amazing and tend to be why people know of Race Rocks and want to go there, there is another stunning aspect of the area. The life the current brings. As previously mentioned, along the Pacific Northwest, areas with high current are usually teeming with life due to all the nutrients the current brings. My favorite area for this is the north side of North Race. There is a huge field of plumose anemones bigger than the eye can see. You can lose count of the basket stars you see (we’ve had a dive team count over thirty on a single dive), as well as strawberry anemones, giant barnacles and so much more. In some more protected areas kelp forests grow, and there have been rock greenling sightings through the kelp. Around Race Rocks the underwater sites are like that of an aquarium; you’d never expect there to be so much diverse life crowded in such a small area, yet there it is.
While all the dive sites at Race Rocks should be considered advanced dives due to the exposure to current and playful marine life, I highly recommend this bucket list location. Get the training and experience needed to be comfortable, then fly through the water as the current takes you on a magical journey through dancing sealions, kelp forests, and fields or anemones.