This another spot on the East Sooke Park coastline. I came here for a second dive-of-the-day on Oct. 19, 2009. I was looking for a spot that was somewhat sheltered from the current and this place seemed to be in a wide sort of bay between Aldridge Point and Beechy Head. Like at the other spots in East Sooke Park, I tied up next to the steep rocks and the water dropped off 10 feet or so directly under the boat. Underwater there was a forest of bull and stalked kelp leading to a steep slope of boulders. This slope ended 60 feet deep. Visibility was about 30 feet. Compared to other spots in the area, there seemed to be more silt on the rocks and kelp here. I also expected there to be more fish around the boulders (like at Ogden Point). I only saw a few copper and quillback rockfish here. Some of the boulders were covered with urchins. I swam with a mild current along the edge of the slope towards Beechy Head. The rocky area was gradually getting deeper and it eventually turned into a wall going from about 60 feet to 100 feet deep. There were a few anemones around the wall (plumose, crimson, swimming and fish-eating), but I was impressed by the huge school of black and yellowtail rockfish that surrounded me. I wanted to keep following the wall, but I had to start back. I swam up to the top of the wall at 60 feet and it seemed that the school of rockfish had followed me. I looked down the wall and the rockfish were still there too. It was just a really big school. Some of the boulders here were covered with plumose anemones. The visibility seemed to be much worse up in the kelp. There was silt stirred up everywhere. I assumed that a large series of swells had washed in. When I surfaced, I could see that the previously-dry rocks were now wet up to about 10 feet above the waterline. I'm glad I was underwater and didn't see my boat have to go through that. At least it was still there.
