I was trying to dive one of the Juan de Fuca Strait's "superstar" spots (Beechy Head) today (Sept. 5, 2011), but as usual, there was that swell crashing against the rocks so I couldn't safely tie up my boat. Fortunately there is the entire coastline of East Sooke Park to choose from, so I motored farther West along the shoreline until I found a spot with a sheltered anchorage that I haven't dove yet (I later realised it was just before spot #4). I anchored in a narrow canyon cut into the cliffs. Visibility was about 50 feet, which is about as good as it gets in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The bull kelp forest near shore was full of schools of herring and small black and yellowtail rockfish. The shallow rocks were covered with the expected surge-exposed colour, including patches of hydrocoral. Below 20 feet, the rocky slope gradually became greyer from a light coating of silt, but there were still fish-eating anemones and groups of urchins. Near where I anchored, the rock walls met the sand at about 30-40 feet, but there were some reefs sticking out deeper. I followed one down to about 65 feet deep. There was a wall of plumose anemones at it's end and several crimson anemones as well. It was an average tidal-exchange day and I felt a mild current. I went back up to the shallows and cruised along the slope 15-20 feet deep, surrounded by sparkling herring and colour-coated rock. It's hard to beat September/October diving in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
