I just bought an inflatable boat and wanted somewhere relatively close to try it out. I dropped it in the water at McNeill Bay and went over to the islands/reefs next to Trial Island (May 18, 2009). Trial island is an ecological reserve to protect rare plants and you're not allowed to go above the high tide line. This whole area is pretty shallow. I figured I'd try the North-West tip, where the chart shows a steeper than average drop to 20 or 30 feet deep. I beached the boat in a small, sheltered bay and swam out around to the point. Visibility was around 20 feet. The shallows were covered with surf grass and feather boa kelp. Deeper down, the slope was hidden by a thick covering of stalked and bull kelp. The bottom of the slope was a flat, sandy plain with eel grass. I couldn't see any rock because of the kelp. The current was running and the blades below me seemed to be flowing like a river. I almost felt motion sick without any solid visual reference point. I forced my way down through the canopy in a few places and saw a few fish-eating anemones, small sponges, staghorn bryozoans, cucumbers, etc. I only saw 3 fish (2 kelp greenlings and a copper rockfish), but it was calm and protected from the current down here and I could catch my breath. Eventually I swam back up to the shallows and forced my way back against the current. The feather-boa kelp kept reaching out and wrapping around my ankles. I saw some patches of feather-duster worms in the intertidal zone. The wind had picked up back on the surface and I rode the swells in the boat back to McNeill Bay. I don't think I'll come here again. The Vancouver Island side of Enterprise Channel is deeper and has more to see. Plus you can just drive up and walk in from the shore.
