I came back to Willis Point a couple of times (June 1 and 9, 2025) to explore more out to the right from the entry-point. Usually over the years, I've always swam left along the main wall. The area to the right isn't as dramatic, but there are still lots of rocky areas that I wasn't that familiar with. On the first dive, visibility was terrible and in the deeper depths it was pitch black like a night dive. On the second, visibility improved a bit (maybe 15' all the way down), but at least it was reasonably bright.
On the first dive I visited the wolfeel den at the base of the wall. This time there was a female looking out.
On the second dive, the male wolfeel was looking out of the den. I didn't see the female, but I assume they are now a pair. There was some bull kelp next to the den. Bull kelp doesn't grow in Saanich Inlet, especially this deep. I wonder if it was dropped there randomly from a boat above or if it was intentionally placed there for some reason.
The visibility wasn't really ideal for topographical exploration, but I swam out to the right over the silty reefs and gravel slopes. My maximum depth was just over 100'. I was hoping to see more areas of feather stars, but they all seemed to be clustered in one area about 80' deep.
The white knobby tunicates (I think of them as "Saanich Inlet tunicates", since that is the only place I see them) all had a crab clinging to their base.
On the first dive I saw my first stubby squid. Usually you have to dive at night to see them, but on this day it was so dark the squid must have thought it was night time.
A highlight of these dives was the crowds of squat lobsters that covered the bottom in some areas. I assume it was a seasonal mating aggregation. There must have been tens of thousands of them. Of course I had to take way too many pictures of them.
