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North America

North America

North America

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: ◄ Dendronotid Nudibranch Pacific Northwest ◄ Giant Pacific Puget Sound • San Juan Islands • Strait of Juan de Fuca • Island • Alaska ◄ Swimming Anemone The waters of the northern Pacific coast breath-taking scenery and coastal ◄ Orange Starfish of North America are some of the rich- beauty. It is a region that boasts some of ◄ Lemon Nudibranch of the wildest areas of America as well ◄ Pink Anemone est in the world in terms of marine life ◄ Nudibranch eggs and natural resources due to a continual as several of the most cosmopolitan cit- influx of nutrients brought by currents ies on the continent. While the visibility is that circulate in the region. Divers will more fickle and the water is a bit cooler find both awe-inspiring and challeng- than most tropical divers can appreci- ing experiences to enjoy here. Wildlife ate, those that enjoy a bit of adventure, on the large and small scale is abun- cold water divers and divers, will dant top side and below the surface. find a wealth of underwater treasures to Great mountains and rivers reach right explore in this region for beginners and down to the ocean, so visitors can enjoy advanced divers alike. Introduction by Gunild Pak Symes Photography by Jack Connick, Jon Gross, and Washington State Tourism Map courtesy of The Living Earth / Earth Imaging

ALL PHOTOS THIS PAGE BY JACK CONNICK

17 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Pacific Northwest Picking the right dive site at the right Neighborhood operators, who know Orca whales, close to the cities and southern coast. A land of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA time of year and the right time of the region like the back of their out among the gentle islands. dramatic extremes, Alaska provides day with the right dive , hands because they dive these We, then, head north to the Strait the visitor with a taste of how the those of us who are avid underwater sights for personal enjoyment weekly, of Juan de Fuca, Neah Bay and planet was in its most pristine state. photographers can capture some are very happy to help newcomers Cape Flattery at the most western There, the midnight sun and the fantastic images on film. The people enjoy the riches of the underwater point of the contiguous United States Northern Lights are a constant back- who live in realm found practically in their back- where the Makah Nation, the Native drop to the wilderness and remote the Pacific yards. American tribe indigenous to the cities that dot the southern coast of VancouverVancouver IslandIsland Northwest The complete scope of diving in region, make their home. Local diver this region, which reaches up into are friendly the Pacific Northwest cannot be and member of Marker Buoy Dive the Arctic circle. and casual, covered in one article alone, howev- Club, the largest dive club in Seattle, helpful folk. er, highlights of both well known dive Jack Connick, gives us a bird’s eye Puget Sound sites and lesser known sites can be view of the lesser known dive spots in For folks in Seattle and Tacoma, North provided here for curious dive travel- the area. the Puget Sound is a neighborhood Puget Strait of Juan de Fuca lers who are yearning to explore the Continuing northwords, our cor- playground for divers, snorklers, hik- Strait of Juan de Fuca Sound Wild West. respondent, Jon Collins, explores ers, whale watchers, anglers, kayak- We start in the Puget Sound, the the amazing diving in and around ers and other outdoor enthusiasts. sea of emerald islands located in Vancouver Island in , Because of the nutrient rich currents, the northwest corner of the state Canada, a fascinating place with the sound is abundant with sea of Washington, where the cities of a complex history that blends life. Residents in the cities regularly Central Seattle and Tacoma border the European, American and native cul- spend time during the work week Central lower and upper sound. Getting the tures, nestled in a magestic natural and weekends enjoying this beauti- PugetPuget Sound inside scoop from local dive charter setting. ful area. What follows are a few high Sound operator, Mike Ferguson of Porthole Finally, we head up to Alaska, points regarding the incredible diving Olympic Peninsula Dive Charters, readers will learn where correspondent, Barb Roy, to be found so close to an urban about the numerous places to dive shares her dive adventure in Prince area. HoodHood and observe marine life, such as William Sound and points along the CanalCanal

SouthSouth PugetPuget ◄ FAR LEFT: Blood Starfish SoundSound ◄ CENTER: Alabaster Nudi- branch and Shrimp ▼ BELOW: Rockfish and soft coral

ALL PHOTOS THIS PAGE BY JACK CONNICK Two great PNW dive resources include these guides by writ- ers who know the area very well: The Pacific Northwest by Edward Weber and Northwest Boat Dives by Dave Bliss. See www.amazon.com

18 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCSCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATIONEDUCATION PROFILESPROFILES PORTFOLIO PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED CLASSIFIED 1. South Pacific Northwest 2. mended approach is to artificial developed in dive the West Wall on the harbor of Edmonds by a Vashon the flooding and few heroic members of the Puget Island 3. then the North Wall in the community who took interest 4. ebbing tide. The terrain in marine conservation and of this site is uneven and diversity. Edmonds is a quaint 7. full of life. Giant Pacific little northwestern town of Sound Octopus, Mosshead small cafés and boutiques on 6. 5. Wabonnets and Grunt a gentle slope leaning down Sculpins can be found to the coast a few miles 8. here. Divers can also north of Seattle. It is probably 9. find Wolf-eel, Striped the best-known dive location 10. Sea Perch, Red Irish in the state. 11. Lords, Buffalo Sculpins, The dive park is located 12. Brown Rockfish, Ratfish just north of the landing 14. and Painted Greenlings. at Edmonds. It offers terrific 13. Tacoma Orange Sunflower Stars diving for several reasons. At add brilliant color to the this site, the depths are shal- PHOTO BY JACK CONNICK seascape. Point Defiance low and there is an absense Rockfish, Plumose Anemones, Pile is located in the Port Orchard area, is a popular fishing spot, of strong currents, the beaches are Perch, Striped Sea Perch, Shiner just south of Bainbridge Island. so divers should be care- well kept and scenic, the facilities Perch, gunnels, Sailfin Sculpines, The terrain consists of shear faced ful of old fishing sinkers, are very good and include show- Rock Soles, some Red Irish Lords, walls, long ledges, rock piles and lures and line lying on the ers, there is easy parking, lots of Ratfish, lots of seafloor as well as the different places to grab a bite shrimp, crabs boat traffic. to eat between dives, a well- and massive 7. Olympia equipped dive shop nearby called Sunflower Stars. Shore Dives , and close prox- Central There are popular shore imity to Seattle. The marine life here Waterman’s SOUTH PUGET SOUND: Although the northern end dives in the southern and central is in unique condition and serves as Wall 1. Alki Reef of the Puget Sound is known sections of the Puget Sound includ- a testament to how it can bounce Considered Puget 2. Seahurst Park ing Three Tree Point, which holds back if people give it a chance. one of the 3. Three Tree Point for several outstanding diverse marine life in a “junk yard” The dive park is a favorite for begin- best wall dives 4. KVI Tower dive sites, south and cen- reef and eel grass beds—on rare ning divers as it has a whole lot in the state, 5. Maury Island Barges Sound tral Puget Sound also has a occasions there may be a six gill to see in easy dives. The reef is Waterman’s wall 8. 6. Dalco Wall shark looming here; Titlow Beach, an extensive organ- 9. 7. Sunrise Beach good number of interesting a good place to check out sea ized hodge-podge of 8. Point Defiance sites with diverse and abun- 9. Point Defiance, West Wall life among pilings; Deadman attractions marked CENTRAL PUGET SOUND 10.Deadman Wall dant sea life. Wall where you may have a rare by buoys including an 1. Waterman’s Wall 11.Les Davis Reef encounter with eel-like creatures old dry dock, wooden 2. Orchard Rocks Bainbridge 12.Titlow Beach Local divers including Jon Gross called Red Brotulas; Seahurst Park, boats including a tug- 3. Blakely Harbor Island 10. 13.Day Island Wall and Keith Clements, authors of a a subtle site that is noted for being boat “The Triumph”, 4. The Boss 14.Z’s Reef comprehensive online guide to a fine place to find various large tire collections, con- 5. China Wall 3. 6. over 45 sites in the Puget Sound, nudibranchs and sea pens; Les crete blocks, rock piles, 6. Shangri-la 4. ► TOP RIGHT: Crimson Anem- The Marine Life Index at seaotter. Davis Reef where you can find wire hoops and other 7. Edmonds Underwater Park Seattle one 2. 5. com, dive these areas regularly. huge schools of perch; and Sunrise materials. It is also a site 8. Golden Gardens 1. 11. They point to Point Defiance as Beach, known for friendly Wolf- with a large number of 9. Shilshole Breakwater 12. one of the favorites. There is a eels and large-sized Giant Pacific enormous Lingcod that 10.Virginia Mason Hospital massive shear wall at this site to Octopus. grow up to 4 or 5 feet (Deco chamber) explore. However, due to depth long (1-2 m). Other spe- 11.Alki Reef and currents, it is considered an Edmonds Underwater Park cies include Cabezon, 12.West Seattle Trench advanced dive site. The recom- Edmonds Underwater Park is an Quillback and Copper

19 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED 1. North Pacific Northwest FIELD GUIDES

Puget PACIFIC COAST FISHES boulders, large cracks and crevices. Whidbey Island. Considered BY ESCHMEYER, HERALD & HAMMANN PAPERBACK: 267 PAGES Marine life on the wall is abundant and an advanced dive due to PUBLISHER: STANFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS Sound representative of why the Puget Sound strong currents, the site sports ISBN: 0804713855 is considered by many divers to be a an unique terrain of sheer Mecca of marine life. Divers can find vertical walls with countless 2. Giant Barnacles, scallops, and an assort- caves sheltering Lingcod, ment of sea stars including Leather Stars, rockfish, Wolf-eel, rather large Vermillion Stars, Morning Stars, Sunflower Giant Pacific Octopus, and a Stars and Pink Short Spined Stars. Brown, splendid symphony of color- Copper and Quillback Rockfish are also ful nudibranchs including Red present here as well as Lingcod and Nudibranchs, Orange Spotted 3. Buffalo Sculpins. Divers should bring a Nudibranchs, Sea Lemons, Whidbey good light torch to enjoy the color of this White Lined Dironas, Yellow- Island site where you will also find orange, pur- Edged Cadlinas and Hudson ple and yellow sponges and yellow Sea Dorids. 4. Lemon Nudibranchs. COASTAL FISH IDENTIFICATION BY H. HALL & N. MCDANIEL Wreck Dives SPIRAL BOUND PUBLISHER: NEW WORLD PUBLICATIONS North Puget Sound Although not a major attrac- ISBN: 1878348124 There are several spectacular dive sites tion of the region, there are NORTH PUGET SOUND in the northern end of the Puget Sound. several wreck dives in the 1. Skyline Marina Keystone is an extremely popular site Puget Sound. Large sunken 2. Keystone among local divers who crowd there on wooden barges can be 3. Gedney Island Barges 4. Possession Point Fingers the weekends. Octopus can be spotted explored on the northwest here. Two hours drive north of Seattle side of Gedney Island, a ► TOP CENTER: Lemon Nudibranch on Purple is an inspiring wall small island situated between Encrusting Bryozoan dive at Skyline Whidbey Island and the main- ► BOTTOM CENTER: Mosshead Warbonnet Marina. Experts say land. A 70-foot long wooden that it is a shore is wrecked at a site FISHES OF THE PACIFIC COAST that provides plenty called “The Boss” located BY GAR GOODSON PAPERBACK: 336 PAGES of subject matter for in Blakely Harbor. A verti- PUBLISHER: HOUGHTON MIFFLIN ISBN: 0395331889 macro photography cal barge and tugboat can SEEN AT $ 4.95 AT AMAZON.COM as it has a plentiful be explored at the Shilshole and colorful array Bay and West Point area. of life There are also barge wrecks including Candy- at Seahurst Park and Maury Striped shrimp, Island. Umbrella crabs, Giant barnacles, Crimson anemones, hard corals and sponges. Divers who know the region say that one of the best dives in the Puget Sound is located at Possession Point Fingers, which

ALL PHOTOS THIS PAGE BY JACK CONNICK can be reached by boat from ▲ Various , Puget Sound Sponges, Puget Sound ►

20 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED 9 San Juan Islands Pacific Northwest 8 7 man’s fingers, banded feather Pacific electric ray, por- dusters, tiny creeping pedal poise and octopus. Bull kelp Orcas cucumbers with bright red tenta- grows quite large here and Island cles, basket stars and tiny black sea pens loom up from the and white brittle stars, brightly depths. colored rose star and vermillion Underwater photogra- stars, sea cucumbers, red cancer phers recommend Goose crabs, nudibranchs and a host of Island and Skipjack Island, Shaw other species. which is a private wildlife Island Fish that live in this area include refuge, since visibility is often San Juan lingcod, cabezon, painted green- very good between 20- Island 45 feet (6-15 m). Killer 6 whales have been spot- ted at Bellevue Point 5 Lopez 1 and Pile Point, which Island are regular feeding 4 grounds, and Eagle PHOTO BY J. POTH. WASHINGTON STATE TOURISM 3 Point where you can for its unique beauty. The sheer also spot eagles soaring over- numbers of fish make Parker Reef 2 head. Sucia Island is a marine an exciting dive site. state park and is very popular There a several protected wilderness areas and bird sanc- mal life in this area, as a tuaries throughout the San Juan 1. Belle Rocks combination of soft mud Islands where you can enjoy 2. Long Island and sand as well as rocky wildlife topside including Tufted 3. Goose Island formations upon which Puffins, Bald Eagles, Pelagic 4. Eagle Point marine ecosystems have Cormorants, Arctic Loons and 5. Pile Point evolved. The area teems PHOTO BY SUNNY WALTER. WASHINGTON STATE TOURISM Arctic Terns. 6. Bellevue Point with life from some of the 7. Skipjack Island

largest marine mammals, hump- ling, black cod and WASHINGTON STATE TOURISM 8. Parker Reef Strait of Juan de Fuca 9. Puffin Island back, minke and orca whales, to flounder. You will also find If you ask avid Puget Sound loveable harbour seals and sea wolf-eels, brilliant blue divers, Neah Bay gets the most ▲ TOP: Aerial view, San Juan Islands otters, to the tiniest of sea life still striped sea perch school- votes for the best diving in the ▲ BOTTOM: People dining outside, ► Harbour seal, San Juan Islands viewable by the naked eye. ing among cliffs, grunt state. The clarity of water, diversity Dockside Restaurant, San Juans

► Breaching killer whale, San Divers will find an abundance and sailfin sculpin, spiney PHOTO BY SUNNY WALTER. WASHINGTON STATE TOURISM and abundance of marine life, Juan Islands of colors and textures among the dogfish. There are dunge- many species that call the San ness and red rock crab, Puget San Juan Islands Juans their home including spong- Sound king crab, kelp crab and Local divers describe diving the es, barnacles, pectin scallops, tiny sunflower stars in brilliant shades San Juan Islands as an exercise in orange cup coral named stag- of pink, orange Strait of Juan de Fuca 2. variety. According to Dareld and horn bryozoa, pink-tipped, white and purple, red 1. Janine Clark who wrote the guide, plumed and orange anemones, sea gherkins, 1. Mushroom Rock 3. Diving the San Juans (Evergreen tiny ostrich plumed hydroids sea pumpkins, 2. Waadah Island Fingers Pacific Publishing), there are over —a close relative to the jelly- vari-colored 3. Tiger Ridge 60 dive spots in the San Juans, fish—hairy sea squirts and giant worms, reddish 4. Third Beach Pinnacle 4. 5. 7. many of the more exciting ones red sea urchins, rockfish, quillback gum boot or 5. Snow Creek Ridge 6. One Mile Beach 6. accessible only by boat. rockfish and kelp greenlings, warty giant chiton, 8. 9. 7. Sekiu Jetty Experts describe the strata, sponges, purple-hinged rock scal- Mosshead 8. Wreck of the Diamond Knot which supports plant and ani- lops, haunting protrusions of dead Warbonnet, 9. Salt Creek State Park (Tongue Point)

21 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Pacific Northwest

rents, lots of boat traffic and discarded be hardpressed to find in the lower fishing gear such as stainless downrigger Puget Sound. cable and monofilament. Other specacular “ridge” dives This spectacular terrain supports a wide include Tiger Ridge and Third variety of marine life. The canyon walls, Beach Pinnacle where the awe- which have small caves, deep ledges, inspiring mix of unusual underwater

PHOTO BY SUNNY WALTER. WASHINGTON STATE TOURISM some swim-throughs, lots of holes, crev- topography and ample marine life ices and cracks, make good homes make for more examples of the for an assortment of marine species typical Neah Bay diving experi- including Giant Pacific octopus, Wolf- ence. eels, Vermillion Rockfish, rare Yellow-eye There are also several shore dives Rockfish, hard and soft corals, nudi- in the strait including Tongue Point branchs and various invertebrates. at Salt Creek State Park where you can swim through thick kelp beds Ridge Diving and find an explosion of color Several other dive sites in the Strait among Green, Red, and Purple and around Neah Bay have unusual Sea Urchins and large, brightly topside scenery, challenging currents, rock formations and dramatic topog- colored anemones along a rocky thick kelp forests and unique underwa- raphy that make for intriguing dive bottom; and One Mile Beach, a ter topography add up to an incredible experiences. Snow Creek Ridge has remote location where there are cold water diving experience. a 20-30 ft high (6-10 m) rock ridge. Its carpets of purple urchins. Diving in this area is for experienced walls are teaming with huge schools advanced divers. This area is exposed of Blue and Black Rockfish as well as The Diamond Knot to the storms of the Pacific Ocean, Canary, Quillback, Tiger, Yellowtail, In 1946, the container ship the which can prevent divers from getting Copper and China rockfish. Sponges, Diamond Knot, came down from PHOTO BY SUNNY WALTER. WASHINGTON STATE TOURISM out beyond the Neah Bay breakwater. hydrocorals, nudibranchs, snails and Alaska with a huge load of canned The wreck is now completely covered Locals say the best time to come is sum- numerous anemones create a color- salmon and rammed another boat in with marine life including giant pluose mer or early fall when there is more pre- ful show. the middle of the channel. While it did anemones, sponges, corals, and a varie- dictable weather. However, it is a good Sekiu Jetty is another site with not sink immediately, it did finally find a ty of invertebrate life. Divers can also find

idea to try to avoid the height of the PHOTO BY JACK CONNICK strange rock pinnacles, ledges, resting place on its side at about 130 ft decorator crab, Sharpnose crab, Ling salmon fishing season. caves, crevices and thick beds of depth (43 m) as it was towed to shore. Cod and the occassional Red Irish Lord. Dive sites in the strait are some of the Waadah Island Fingers kelp. Here, divers can In addition, there are schools of best kept secrets. Notable sites for their Located just north of Neah Bay, the rug- discover that it is not Black Rockfish, Quillback and color, diversity of marine life and odd ged Northwest topography of Waadah always necessary to Yellowtail Rockfish making their topography due to volcanic formations Island Fingers makes it an intriguing site to go deep to find a home at this wreck. ■ are Mushroom Rock and Waadah Island dive, where it is said one can see more symphony of color Fingers. marine species in one place than any and a great diversity SOURCES: Marine Life Index, At Mushroom Rock, divers spot huge other dive site in the Pacific Northwest of sea life. The spe- by Keith Clements & Jon Gross; schools of Black Rockfish lounging region. Over millenia of being pounded cies that populate Diving the San Juans, by Dareld around in the kelp, large gatherings by strong currents, sheer canyons over 20 this area include Kelp & Janine Clark; Mike Ferguson of krill and shrimp covering the sea- ft (6 m) deep and up to 40 ft (13 m) wide Greenlings, Copper, of Porthole Charters. floor and plentiful species of seasquirts, in some places have been carved out China, and Quillback nudibranch, and chitons. Giant Pacific of the rock. The canyons run parallel to Rockfish; volleyball- Octobups and Puget Sound King Crab each other and extend far out under the sized Brilliant Red and CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: can be spotted here as well as Red- surf. Purple Sea Urchins; ◄ Sunrise on the cliffs, Tongue Eyed Jellies, various Rockfish and Painted This site is considered an advanced massive and glamor- Point, Salt Creek State Park Greenlings. The area is covered with cor- dive due to strong currents and storms. ous anemones; as ◄ Eye of the Red Irish Lord als, sponges and large kelp forests. One must be able to handle over 80 ft well as hundreds of ▲ Seastacks, beach, & tidepools (36 m) of free descents, over 50 feet (16 species of inverte- at the Point of Arches on Shi Shi m) of free ascents, surge and strong cur- brates that one would Beach South of Neah Bay ◄ Bull Kelp PHOTO BY JACK CONNICK

22 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED 23 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIALTDI SDI FEATURES ERDI PADI TRAVEL CMAS NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Pacific Northwest Rhapsody in Red

Text by Gunild Pak Symes Photos by Jack Connick What wonderfully brilliant red colors one can find in the underwater realm, espe- ▲ Crimson Anemone, Cape Flattery, Washington state cially in the Pacific Northwest ◄ Mouth of Anemone, Long Island, San Juans ▼ Striped Anemone, Long Island, San Juans regions of North America. Why are these marine spe- cies so red? How do they get that color? What purpose does it serve? As in many cases in nature, it comes down to simple survival. Quotes: Duis dic- tum massa ac leo. Nam dictum dolor in felis. Mauris quis libero at wisi bibendum consectetuer.

◄ Crimson Anemone, Cape Flattery, Washington state ▼ NEXT PAGE: Snakelock Anemone, Long Island, San Juans

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◄ Pink Anemone, Long Island, San Juans ◄ INSET: Red Irish Lord, San Juans ▲ Bloodstar, Puget Sound ▼ Invertebrates, Puget Sound

According to marine experts, there are the algae, its red color is a substance Carotenoids must be absorbed in an tain their pigmentation, other- at least three possibilities for the red color called carotenoids. animal’s diet and then into the animal’s wise they lose their red color. in many of these creatures. These involve Carotenoids are a widely distributed tissues. Some fish species such as koi and This is because carotenoids feeding, protection and camouflage. group of natural occurring -soluble various crustaceans process carotenoids. have metabolic turnover and pigments that are primarily produced The Southern Kelp Crab (Taliepus) feeds must be supplied in the diet to be main- causes the anemones to lose the sym- Food within algae, plants, and phytoplank- on seaweeds and kelp. It converts the tained in the animals. Interiors of under- biotic algae that normally gives color to What creatures eat can dictate how ton. They are responsible for the brilliant beta-carotene and xanthophylls it ingests water caves are covered with inverte- them, and so they return to a white color. they appear. In the case of the sea colors found in nature such as yellow, into astaxanthin, a form of carotenoid, brate life including aggregation anemo- Almost all red algae live in marine anemone Actinia, it relies on algae for its orange, and red colors of fruits, leaves, which is then stored in its exoskeleton, nes, hydrocoral and colorful sponges. In habitats, even though some species are nutrition. Algae comes in various colors and aquatic animals. Although many hence the crab appears bright red. some caves, there are also a lot of snow- found in damp soil or fresh water. Many including red. What give algae, and organisms can synthesize carotenoids, Marine animals must constantly con- white, giant green anemones. It is the types of seaweed typically found grow- hence the anemone that consumes they cannot produce them on their own. sume a source of carotenoids to main- absence of sunlight in these caves that ing along the North American coasts

26 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED LEFT TO RIGHT: ◄ Shrimp and pink Pacific Northwest anemones, Long Island, San Juans are red algae. Another species of algae bright red. It has called coralline algae, is an important toxins in its spi- ◄ Tube Worms, Puget Sound member of the coral reefs. Its cell walls cules. become hardened with calcium carbon- ate, thereby producing new material Camouflage and cementing together other organisms Creatures that which build the reefs. live on the reef Algae require light to synthesize food. have adapted to Red algae, which is found in warm coast- the reefs environ- al waters and in water as deep as 260 ment. One survival m (850 ft), has adapted to varied water scheme used by depths by having different proportions of many animals is of water, various pigments. Chlorophyll is their primary pig- camouflage. If you can’t see me, you colors of its spec- ment, which is green. They have a sec- can’t eat me! So, species have evolved trum are gradually ondary pigment, phycoerythrin, which to display the colors of their homes, and filtered out selec- produces their red color, that can absorb in the case of many reef fishes and crus- tively, one-by-one. blue light, which penetrates to greater taceans such as shrimp, that color is red. For example, most depths underwater than other colors Look more closely at red corals and kelp of the red, some of light. In deep waters, red algae can next time you go diving, you may discov- orange and some appear almost black due to the large er that there is more life on that innocent yellow are gone from the light after 3 m conditions that make diving interest- liant colors that would have gone unno- amount of phycoerythrin, but in the shal- looking sponge than you first thought. (10 ft). At 8 m (25 ft), most of the orange ing. Taking a photograph at 10 m (30 ft) ticed without a torch! ■ lows, red algae appears green as there is gone. At 11 m (35 ft), most of the yel- would result in most objects appearing is not enough phycoerythrin to mask the Properties of water low is gone. This continues throughout the green, blue, violet, or black. Taking the For more information on coloration, visit: green of the chlorophyll. There is one more factor that plays an spectrum until the only color left is violet same photograph with a flash (white www.carotenoidsociety.org important role in the issue of color under- light, which fades out after several more light) would reveal surprising colors that www.ucmp.berkeley.edu Protection water. George Campbell, an underwa- meters. So, at a depth of 333 m (1000 ft), could not have been seen by www.deep-six.com Let’s suppose you are a bright red octo- ter dive instructor and photographer at there would be little or no light at all. without a visual aid. So, be sure to carry George Campbell at Deep Six: pus. What emotion do you suppose Deep Six in New Paltz, New York state, So, if red disappears at depth, does this a flashlight with you when you are scuba [email protected] you are exhibiting? Bright colors such as said in his guide, Diving with Deep Six, mean that creatures that are red also diving. Even a small light will reveal bril- red and yellow in many marine animals that water acts as a selective filter. White disappear? Is this, yet, another are described by experts as warning light is made up of a spectrum of colors survival tactic perhaps? Be invis- coloration. This type of coloration is not from deep red, to orange, yellow, green, ible, then nobody will eat you. intended to camouflage the animal, but blue and deep violet. As white light But how do we know which to make it stand out. The bright color lets passes through a thousand feet (333 m) predators can see red under their predators or neigh- water? Perhaps, these red bors know that they are species are banking on a not to be antagonized. theory that many underwa- Some creatures are born ter creatures cannot see with bright colors while color, only light and dark others, like the octo- shades. In that case, red, pus, can change colors which transforms to grey depending on reactions on the shade scale, would to a situation. cause an animal to “disap- Intimidation through pear” in the murky depths color is also used when where only stong shades an organsim wants to (blacks and whites) show advertise that it is poi- up. sionous. The fire sponge, Selective filtration in the for instance, displays a underwater realm creates

◄ Strawberry anemone, 600 W. Nickerson Street, Seattle WA, 98119 • 206.286.6596 • [email protected] Long Island, San Juans

27 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIALEDITORIAL FEATURESFEATURES TRAVELTRAVEL NEWSNEWS EQUIPMENTEQUIPMENT BOOKSBOOKS SCSCIENCEIENCE && ECOLOGYECOLOGY EDUCATIONEDUCATION PROFILESPROFILES PORTFOLIOPORTFOLIO CLASSIFIEDCLASSIFIED Octopus facts The Cephalopods With more than a 250 species, octo- arms from constantly tangling them- puses are members of an ancient group

PHOTO BY JACK CONNICK selves up, each arm has an independ- of animals called cephalopods. The ent peripheral nervous system and giant Pacific octopus (Octopus dofleini) neural circuitry. This allows the brain can grow to over 20 feet (6 meters) to essentially give a command—”Arm and weigh more than 100 pounds (45 Four, fetch that tasty crab crawling kilograms). The tiny Californian octopus by”—and have the arm carry out the (Octopus micropyrsus), by contrast, is no order without the brain thinking about it more than half an inch to an inch (1.3 again. to 2.5 centimeters) long. This ability is combined with excel- There have been numerous accounts lent eyesight. Once an octopus spots of (and searches for) an as yet unknown its prey, it has a remarkable ability to species of deep-sea octopus that is reach out with one of its arms and grab believed to grow to over 100 feet (30 it with one of the suckers that form a meters) across and weigh several tons. double line up each of the octopus’s arms. Some scientists studying octopus mazes, open jars, and break out of their arms conclude that they may represent aquariums in search of food. the optimal design for robotic arms. These characteristics are usually Arms all over attributed to “higher animals” such as Right or left-handed? Quasi joints The brainy mollusc mammals. The Octupus however is a Most favor one arm and use Theoretically, there are any number of Octopuses have intrigued scientists for mollusc, related to snails, clams and combinations of arms in particular orders ways an octopus could use its long flex- years, because they have both long- mussels. Take a closer look: It has a shell 9001 South 19th Street when handling objects, zoologists at the ible arms to move an object. But the and short-term memory, they remem- (outer or inner) and siphon ■ Tacoma, WA 98466 Office/Reservations: (253)564-5335 University of Vienna have discovered. method they actually use is surprisingly ber to problems, and they can Mike Ferguson: cell (253) 405-3462 Although all of an octopus’ eight arms close to how animals with rigid skel- go on to solve the same or similar prob- essentially operate equally, research- etons—including humans—do, scientists lems. They have been known to climb www.portholedivecharters.com ers studied eight octopuses and found say. aboard fishing boats and open holds they tended to use a favorite arm when When hunting and grabbing dinner, in search of crabs. They can figure out exploring new nooks or objects. This is the octopus uses all the flexibility the the first time the eight-limbed animal has arm is capable of. But to bring cap- been found to show any preference in tured prey to its mouth, the octopus choosing which limb to use for a job. turns the arm into a semi-rigid struc- Researchers placed unfamiliar objects ture that bends to form quasi joints. into an octopus’s tank or presented it Just as a human arm has joints at

with a T-shaped cavity to explore and the shoulder, elbow and wrist that PHOTO BY JACK CONNICK found each octopus tended to favor allow our arms to bend and rotate, front arms to explore and used rear limbs the octopus bends its arm to form- more for locomotion. ing three segments of roughly equal They also observed the octopuses length. used only 49 different combinations of The arms are composed almost one, two or three limbs from a possible entirely of muscle, with no bone or 448 combinations, and they found 92 external skeleton—a structure known percent of octopuses use a favored as a muscular hydrostat. Elephant eye, which may dictate which arm is trunks and tongues are other exam- April Fools News favored, researchers said. ples of a muscular hydrostat. THE ENDANGERED PACIFIC NORTHWEST TREE OCTOPUS (OCTOPUS PAXARBOLIS) Unlike in humans, the scientists said, Earlier research funded by the CAN BE FOUND IN THE TEMPERATE RAIN- FORESTS OF THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA IN THE right or left handedness was split about U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research REPUBLIC OF CASCADIA, PEACEFULLY FROL- 50-50 in the octopuses. (ONR) suggests that, to keep the ICING IN THE CONIFER TREES. LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INTELLIGENT AND INQUISITIVE CEPHALOPOD AT:

ZAPATOPI.NET/TREEOCTOPUS/

28 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel

Neah Bay

Irish lord ▲ Finger Sponge ►

FAR RIGHT: Tatoosh Island ►

Text and photos by Jack Connick We got on the boat after a somewhat over to Tatoosh Island, which has lots of less than restful night in a cheap hotel. nooks and crannies that are out of the Well, it was a long road trip, We got out to the rock right at predict- . but we went out to Neah Bay ed slack time, in fairly heavy fog and There was a fair amount of surge, and glassy seas, but found a 2-3 knot cur- not very good viz, sort of milky water, on Saturday night and went rent that made it less than dive-able. but cool rocks, kelp, passageways, out on The Puffin Adventures This is one of those very advanced swim-thoughs and tunnels. Lots of rock- charter to try to dive Duncan dives, basically a spec of a rock out fish, invertebrates and color. Not very Rock. at the entrance of the straits, that deep — 60-70 feet max (20-23 meters). you look at a lot and are able to dive I did shoot some photos of some of the infrequently. We thumbed it and went huge beautiful dahlia anemones, etc.

29 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Neah Bay

Hole-in-the-Wall We went over to a little nook called Hole-in-the- Wall for our surface interval. After changing tanks and resting a bit out of the , we went back over to another corner of Tatoosh Island and dove there. The viz was better, but not great. There was a couple of long, somewhat deep cuts that we fol- Hole-in-the-Wall, Tatoosh Island ▲ Dendrobum Anemone ► lowed and enjoyed swimming about and taking Tunicates ► pictures. There was a whole school of black rock- fish that we don’t see often and one rather large ling cod that was acting territorial — wished I’d had a to make lunch out of him! At the end of the dive, I had some problems with my inflator leaking and had to make a somewhat

30 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Neah Bay

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ◄ Neah Bay ◄ Black Cod fish ◄ Jelly fish ▼ Stellar sea lions

quick, but not an emergency assent. We later hiked up to Cape Flattery and The boat was on the other side of the enjoyed the view of the rocks and then rock that was covered in rather large very heavy fog. Then another long, but fun seals and huge Stellar sea lions. They scenic, drive home. were looking at us as intruders and as they are easily 400 pounds (90 kg) or Dive notes more, I blasted them with my DiveAlert The dives we went on were advanced horn to scare them away. About then in a fair amount of tidal surge. Duncan the boat came around the corner with Rock is very advanced. If you are an out- Steve (the captain, and a bit of a hot- of-town diver, I wouldn’t attempt it. Cold head) yelling at us to get on quickly. All water experience in drysuits and poor was well, and we motored back to Neah conditions is recommended.■ Bay in patchy fog and bright sun. Near Wahah Island, on the outside of Neah Bay, we saw a fairly large grey whale feeding on the krill that had been part of Author and photographer Jack our visibility problem. Connick is a Seattle-based graphic designer who develops highly-craft- ed and creative graphic communi- cations. www.deepics.com

31 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Great Plains

Northern Oh Canada! Central Plateau & Mountains Diving British Columbia

the marine life growing on the sea lions, harbour seals, false killer outer wave-swept reefs and the whales, and pacific white-sided dol- Thompson abundance of early 1900s wrecks. phins, the attractions often start long Okanagan Nicknamed Graveyard of the Pacific before you don your suit. Whether this is the place to go if wrecks inter- you are a novice beginner or a sea- such as est you, while offering plenty of safe soned wreck diver, into technical those we Interior Kootenay and attractive dive sites at the back diving or photography, the Inside find at Plateau Rockies of the various protected inlets, for Passage, with its unique combina- Agamemnon Cariboo & the new or novice diver. tion of marine life spread variably Channel and Fearney Bluffs, provide Barkley Sound is one of the most throughout, is a must-do diving desti- fine opportunities to do extended Coast popular West Coast dive destina- nation. dives in protected waters. A con- tions, with a reputation for providing Divers have the choice of an array trasting experience is offered at something for everyone. From fields of unique dive locations, and of plumose anemones, rock pin- many simply rotate through the The Islands nacles teeming with marine life, to magnificent sites stretching from six-gill sharks, octopusses and wolf Port Hardy (Browning Pass), Port Vancouver Coast eel everywhere. Clayoquot Sound to McNeil (Stubbs Island), Campbell & Mountains the north is noted for its inland water- River (Discovery Pass), Hornby ways with fields of sea pens flourish- Island, Sunshine Coast, Nanaimo/ Stretching from Washington Also known as the Emerald Sea ing in places with sandy bottoms. Gulf Islands and Howe Sound in state in the south to Alaska these waters owe their name to Tofino, near Ucluelet, is the access the south in the north, the 29,000 the abundance of microscopic point for exploring Clayoquot Sound. plants which form the basis of the Nootka, where Captain Cook land- The Sunshine Coast kilometres (17,000 miles) of entire food chain, supporting a ed in 1788, and Kyuqout Sounds are The aptly named Sunshine coast, British Columbia’s tangled vast number of species of animals. remote areas further north which are which is just a short ferry ride coastline provides a wide Variations in topography from the best explored by charter across from Vancouver, boasts weather-beaten outer coasts with vessels. Diving services are available an exceptional visibility which in range of accessible and the dense kelp forests and the nar- at , or Ucluelet. winter will exceed 30m /100 ft. exciting dive sites for the row tidal passages with the surging This is, in part, attributed to the novice and experienced currents, to the steepwalled fjords The inside passage from absence of any major freshwater diver. with deep still waters sheltered inner to Port Hardy has both var- inflow which carries silt, and the coasts, make a wide range of habi- ied and protected waters, and pro- huge exchange of water without tats. vides countless dive sites that can be current. Which could be why the Shaped by the relentless pound- dived all year, and has something late made ing surf, the rugged West Coast to offer for all levels of experience a point of visiting the Sunshine of Vancouver Island offers a wide The nutrient-rich waters from Indian Coast to investigate its octopus- diversity of diving experiences. Arm to Powell River, off the southern ses and wolf eels. The coastline between Bamfield coast of British Columbia, boast an Here, we also find some of the and Port Renfrew is known for “aquarium” unrivaled throughout the only hard coral found in temper-

both the colour and diversity of world! Frequented by killer whales, ate waters. Vertical drop-offs, LEIF-GÖRAN HJELM - WWW.AQUA-BILDER.NU A diver experiences a close encounter with a wolf-eel

32 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED 1 2 3 CANADA Diving BC 29 4 28 5 to see six-gill sharks The waters 6 Hornby Island In Northern Vancouver and it is without around Hornby Island are full of a Island just the topside scenery is 8 7 strong currents. The rich variety of marine life. In any enough to leave you breathless. 27 10 9 11 large boulders on the season, you can encounter Giant Wild, untouched and with the blue 13 26 12 30 steep rocky under- Pacific octopusses, wolf eels, har- mountains as a backdrop, and 14 15 19 water slopes also bour seals, large lingcod and rock with a deep tranquility is that is all 25 USA 16 17 20 make ideal homes for fish, colourful anemones and nudi- but enhanced by the blows of the 21 18 22 octopusses and wolf branchs. Good visibility and gentle passing whales. These more north- Vancouver Island 24 eels, two favourite currents make the Hornby Island ern waters are cooler and more 23 subjects for scuba area easy to dive. Drift dives, wall -rich, which means more enthusiasts. A short dives, deep dives, and sculpted life, producing an extraordinary boat ride from Sidney sandstone reefs are all part of the array of invertebrates and a multi- 1 Port Hardy 16 Duncan you will find the artificial reefs underwater terrain. Hornby is also tude of fish. Rumour has it, that up 2 Port McNeill 17 Cobble Hill HMCS MacKenzie and the G.B. well known for its excellent ‘big to 13 species of nudibranch have 3 Telegraph Cove 18 Shawnigan Lake Church. animal’ dives. Six-gill sharks are been seen on a single dive. Giant 4 Quadra Island 19 Galiano Island probably the best-known reason Pacific octopuses and wolf eels 5 Campbell River 20 Mayne Island Howe Sound is a favorite to dive Hornby. Swimming beside are abundant and many organ- 6 Courtenay 21 Sidney Area dive destination for both visitors a six-gill is an experience of a life- isms often exceed the sizes stated 7 Union Bay 22 Brentwood Bay 8 Hornby Island 23 Victoria and locals, and is host to two time! During the winter, Stellar’s in field guides. From the concen- 9 Parksville 24 Sooke shore-access marine protected and California sea lions congre- tration of dives in the Broughton 10 Port Alberni 25 Bamfield areas – Whytecliff Park and gate near Hornby to feed on and Blackfish Archipelagos, to 11 Lantzville 26 Ucluelet Porteau Cove Provincial Park. migrating herring. They are curious the gardens of the West Coast, to 12 Nanaimo 27 Tolfino These two parks are arguably and love to interact with divers. the expanses of life around Port 13 Gabriola Island 28 Tahsis the most popular dive sites in 14 Ladysmith 29 Zeballos the province. Many ships and 15 Chemainus 30 Greater Vancouver vessels have been scuttled over the past years to cre- Skookumchuk Rapids – the sec- ate awe-inspiring artificial reefs ond fastest tidal rapids in North and steep drop-offs provide the America harbouring spectacu- perfect environment to explore lar sea life. The destroyer HMCS underwater walls However, vis- Chaudiere was scuttled here in ibility can be an issue, as much 1992 to create an . of the bottom of Howe Sound is covered in a thick silt. South Vancouver Island has too many great sites LEIF-GÖRAN HJELM - WWW.AQUA-BILDER.NU to mention, but one of the most well known areas around Victoria is Race Rocks, only minutes away by boat from downtown Victoria. It is a spectacu- lar area above and below the water, and with good

chances of diving with sea LEIF-GÖRAN HJELM - WWW.AQUA-BILDER.NU lions. Close by is the Saanich ▲ Exploring the bottom around God’s Pocket Resort in Northern Inlet, which is a great site Vancouver Island is like walking in beautifull gardens with flowers ◄ Also a macrohotographer’s paradise - God’s Pocket Resort in Northern Vancouver Island

33 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Diving BC

80 side- and stern-wheelers steamed around the extensive lake system leaving numerous wrecks to dive, including the S.S. Whitesmith and the M.V. Lady Rose in , several wrecks in the Kootenays and numer- ous other small craft including houseboats, barges and tugboats. And not to forget a 1920’s Chevrolet towing five sleighs full of in mail in Shuswap lake. In Pavillion Lake, Hardy and Browning Pass and the magic that is the beautiful crystalline turquoise water acts as a Haida Gwaii – these seemingly infinite stretches of catalyst for the development of fresh water stro- coastline offer equally endless dive opportunities. matolites, structures formed from fossilized remains of microorganisms in various shapes and sizes. The The interior is maybe not something that natu- stromatolites are currently being studied by scien- rally springs to mind when it comes to , tists. As the lake is extremely sensitive to human but the interior of British Colombia actually boasts interaction the Underwater Council of BC is apply- a number of historic wrecks, underwater cave sys- ing to have Pavillion Lake recognized as a pro- tems, , current dives and large marine tected area. It is recommended that you contact life. Adams Lake offers cave systems and walls a local scuba shop for information and assistance of peculiar limestone formations that begin high in diving this site. on the mountainside and continuing underwater, Other unique dives include the world famous to include chimneys large enough for a diver to Adams River Sockeye run which takes place in the ascend through. fall. Hundreds of thousands of sockeye salmon form Around the turn of the past century more than a virtual wall of fish and is an amazing sight. ■

active and dormant volcanos. More size and position over time, moving the South American plate to form the The current issue of Xray-mag has as than half of the world’s approximately at speeds of between 1 cm and 10 Andes and the volcanos Cotopaxi a theme the western seaboard of the 1500 active volcanos above sea level cm every year. As the plates move, and Azul. The major plate covering USA, including Alaska. This coastal are part of the ring. And about ten intense geologic activity occurs at the Pacific ocean area is called, not area is part of what is known as the percent of these are located in the the plate edges, where one of three surprisingly, the Pacific plate. Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanos and United States. things may occur; the plates may be Around the Ring of Fire, the Pacific oceanic trenches partly encircling This huge ring of volcanic and moving away from each other, leav- plate is colliding with and sliding the Pacific Basin, forming a zone of seismic activity was noticed and ing space for the creation of new underneath other plates. This proc- Ring of frequent earthquakes and volcanic described long before the invention ocean floor; the plates may be mov- ess is known as subduction, and the eruptions. This activity naturally has a of the plate tectonics theory. It is now ing towards each other, causing one volcanically and seismically active large effect on the marine-biological known that the Ring of Fire is located to submerge beneath the other; or area nearby is known as a subduc- diversity of the region. at the borders of the Pacific plate the boundaries of the plates may slide tion zone. There is a tremendous It will be seen from the map that and other tectonic plates. past each other without much distur- amount of energy created by these Fire the Ring of Fire stretches from New bance to either plate. plates and they easily melt rock into Zealand, along the eastern edge of TECTONIC PLATES There are 7 major plates and 8 magma, which rises to the surface as Asia, north across the Aleutian Islands Tectonic plates are like giant rafts of minor plates, named according to lava and forms the volcanos of the of Alaska, and south along the coast rock floating on the earth’s hot, soft where they are positioned on the Ring of Fire. of North and South America. It is mantle. These massive rigid plates earth’s surface. For example, we have Between Northern California and Text by Michael Symes composed of over 75% of the world’s are about 80 km thick, but change the Nazca plate which is colliding with British Columbia, the Pacific plate,

34 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED the Juan de Fuca plate, and Francisco. As the plates the Gorda tectonic plate never stop moving there is have built the Cascades and a fearful expectancy that a Mount Saint Helens, which new major earthquake will erupted in 1980. Alaska’s occur in the near future. Aleutian Islands are growing as the Pacific plate hits the TSUNAMIS North American plate. The It is the earthquakes occur- deep Aleutian Trench, with a ing in the more intensely maximum depth of 7679 m, inhabited land areas that has been created at the sub- generally cause the great- duction zone here. est devastation, like that in USGS San Francisco. However, SAN ANDREAS FAULT when there is an earth- a great earthquake struck San Although plates may slide past quake under the sea, one side of Francisco and a long narrow band one another in opposite directions the ocean floor can suddenly drop of towns, villages, and countryside to without much disturbance to either downwards, beneath the top edge the northwest and southeast. Many plate some may cause major earth- of the subducting plate. The resulting buildings were wrecked, hundreds quakes, affecting thousands of peo- vertical fault will then generate a tsu- of people were killed, and electric ple. This is the case with the infamous nami. The movements of the plates power lines and gas mains were bro- Californian San Andreas fault, where usually allow little warning for those ken. The ground had broken apart the Pacific and North American at risk in coastal areas. One warning for more than 400 km along the San plates interact, whose shift caused of a tsunami is that there is a rush of Andreas fault. The country on the the enormous earthquake in San water away from the coastline, but east side of the fault had moved Fransisco in 1906. this predictor may mean the forth- southward relative to the country coming seismic wave is only minutes on the west side of the fault. The EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FANCISCO away. ■ greatest displacement had been On April 18, 1906, shortly after 05:00, 7 m about 50 km northwest of San

Marine images for editorial, commercial, scientific, and fine art use

web: www.jongrossphotography.com email: [email protected] phone: 206-782-5864

www.oceanfest.com Ocean Fest Dive & Adventure Sports Expo April 15 through 17, 2005 • Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

35 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Emerald Seas – The Pacific Northwest

LEIF-GÖRAN HJELM - WWW.AQUA-BILDER.NU Vancouver Island

Text and photos by John Collins The vast Pacific defines our water planet, when viewed from space. An seem- ingly endless blue mass, it covers half of spaceship Earth. In doing so, all of the ocean habitats are con- tained within it. Of its tem- perate waters, those along the western seaboard of North America have the greatest diversity and sheer mass of ocean life.

Without the warming effect of the Gulf Stream, ▲ ABOVE: Red Anemone these waters are colder than comparable lati- tudes in Europe – a chilly five degrees Celcius CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: in winter. The cold is invigorating, not just to the ▲ Vancouver Island intrepid diver, but to the life in these rich seas. It ► Lighthouse on Vancouver Island brings oxygen and nutrients from the deep ocean ► Sculpin portrait that are distributed by currents and tidal streams along the coasts, from Alaska to California. Vancouver Island, off Canada’s British Columbia is bathed by particularly lush seas. In

36 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel

Vancouver Island

early summer, as the plankton coast tumbles quickly to moved among its folds and ▲ Plumose anemones growth explodes, the sheer quan- depth beneath the surface. shadows, feeding and shelter- ▲ Lost rifle, Tahsis, tity of life is staggering. Thanks to I inhaled the rich aroma of ing. The cold can make these Vancouver Island modern and the cedars, preparing for dives short however, without the ▲ Wreck of the Vanlene of dry-suits, diving here is especially the first dive in the fjord-like right equipment. Austin Island rewarding. waters off Andersen Island. In Advances in scuba gear have ◄ Detail of anemone I made the journey to Vancouver the first few meters, the water brought about great changes in in early June, when this action was was a dense emerald green. how we can visit even the cold- at its peak. Joining a live-aboard A single liter of this plank- est waters. The , a boat, the Nautilus Explorer, we tonic soup contains millions forerunner to the popular aqua- were going to circumnavigate the of tiny plants and animals. lung, has made a comeback in island, diving as we went. It would Suddenly, at depth, the cur- modern times. By re-using the take eleven days. As we steamed tains part and a darkened diver’s gas, dive times north from Vancouver city, the landscape emerged. Walls can be greatly extended. The quiet wildness of the island was a of cloud sponges, bright yel- exhaled breath is scrubbed of welcome contrast to the hustle of low, appear in the dive lights. carbon dioxide with soda lime – city life. The steep, forest-covered A community of busy fish life a process that generates heat.

37 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Vancouver Island

▲ Giant Nudibranch, Dendronotus iris ▲ Sun star, Solaster stimpsoni ◄ Sea Pen, Ptilosarcus gurneyi ◄ Mug-shot of friendly Wolf-eel, ▼ Opalescent Nudibranch, Anarrhichthys ocellatus Hermissenda crassicornis

The enriched gas is thus warmed and It’s the size of everything that is different. prevents heat loss through the lungs. This Flower-like anemones go from blossoms comfort, along with that from modern to bushes, dahlias to dinner plates. Their insulating fabrics and electrically-heated size causes them to hang limp from the vests worn under the dry-suit, allows rock faces, the super-rich plankton giv- dives of an hour or more in cold water. ing everything a steroid boost. It is most My lips and face were starting to feel the noticeable in areas of strong , as chill after that first dive, as I spun around billions of liters of water are channeled at the surface to look for the boat. A ris- through the narrows and islets twice ing full moon had just appeared in the daily. The dive sites at the northern end twilight sky, sending pastel reflections of the island are best known for these along the water’s surface. The cold was forests of invertebrate life. The coral- forgotten, among anticipation of further like filter feeders blanket every surface exploration in these special waters. and whole walls are color-washed red Much of the cliff hanging anemones and white. The diffuse light, having pen- and other plankton feeders are similar to etrated the plankton layer is soft and those seen in northern European waters. subtle giving the large white anemones

38 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Vancouver Island

▲ Detail of totem pole ► A gift from Spain, 1957, this stained glass window marks the reunion in 1792 of the Spanish captains Quad- ra and Vancouver who led explora- tory and diplomatic expeditions to the Vancouver Island area

a glow. It immediately feels black and weather, nobody tired of these white to my photographic eye and I fantastic dives. turn off flashguns and torches to savor Eventually we round Cape the moment Scott on the northern tip of the island and enter the greater Port Hardy The best-known area on Pacific. We are greeted with this north eastern part of Vancouver large swells, after several days of rough Island is that around Port Hardy. Here, weather. This wild coast endures harsh sites such as Dillon Rock and Browning winters, however, evidenced by the Pass are probably the most sought-after lack of any visible settlements. An dives along British Columbia’s 29,000 experimental drilling platform witnessed km coastline. Diving these remarkable the severity of the winter storms here, walls of soft coral, the blanket of color and measured one wave at 35 meters goes from unbroken red to dazzling high. white. Every possible space is taken in this thriving metropolis of sea life. The First Nations Residents such as the shy, giant Pacific The name ‘raincoast’ is apt. The native octopus and inquisitive wolf eels bring a peoples here enjoyed the bounty of the big animal experience unlike any other. sea in summer, but wisely moved inland When we were forced to stay in this for winter. The First Nations heritage in area longer than planned, due to bad this area is fascinating. ▲ Aerial view of the coast of Vancouver Island ► View from the plane as it banks over the sound of Vancouver ► The live-aboard ship, Nautilus Explorer

39 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Vancouver Island

In Nootka Sound, the now quiet vil- Kuyquot sound is a delightful submer- CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: lage of , named Friendly Cove sion into this mesmerizing world. These ◄ LEFT: Sea Kelp and hermit crab by Captain Cook, was the scene of first forests of giant kelp seen on California’s ▲ TOP THREE IMAGES: Close-up contact with Europeans. The Spanish offshore islands are familiar from televi- details of a variety of anemones had made previous trips to the area sion documentaries. Here in Vancouver, ► FAR RIGHT: Vermillion seastar, but did not go ashore. So it was not the kelp is shallower – in 10-20 m depth. Mediaster aequalis until Cook landed in 1778 that the The fronds sway gently, caressed by the ▼ BELOW: Giant barnacle, Balanus land was claimed under England’s soft morning light. The gas-filled floats nubilus flag. At this time Captain Cook and form endless patterns Chief Maquinna had the famous first in the clear water. encounter between the Europeans and It is one of the most the First Nations people. The Spanish peaceful and endear- Government still considers Friendly Cove ing diving experiences part of their history, and in 1957, Spain I have enjoyed. donated two stained glass windows for the church on Nootka Island in Nootka Wrecks Sound. and sea-lions As we move further Kelp Forests south towards Victoria, Underwater, the seaward sides of the the weather is warmer rocks and cliffs are bare. The constant and the sea bright Pacific surge gives fledgling kelp lit- and clear. The diving tle chance. Only in the shelter of bays continues to be diverse does it get a chance to flourish into and fresh every time – the famous kelp forests seen along this from the 1972 wreck of Pacific coast. An early morning dive in the Vanlene in Barkley

40 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Vancouver Island Sound to the aptly-named Race Entering Victoria harbor signals Rocks in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. the end of our circumnaviga- Like the sites of Port Hardy in the tion, as this is the final stop before north, these sites must be dived our return to Vancouver city. It on a slack tide. Approaching in has been a superb trip, care- the dive skiff, the loud barks of fully planned and organized by Stellar sea-lions protest our arrival. Captain Mike Lever and the crew Once in the water, however, the of the Nautilus Explorer (www.nau- younger, curious sea-lions cannot tilusexplorer.com). The only ques- resist checking out the divers. I find tion in my mind on this final day is, myself shooting some beautiful when can I get back here and go PHOTO BY BOB WILSON. NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES, NOAA red-bodied sea anemones, only to north to Alaska? ■ ▲ Stellar sea-lions nuzzle one another on the rocks feel a tug at my fin. Large black eyes plead to me for play instead To order prints of images of photography, but we humans from this story directly from are a poor match for these agile the photographer, contact: masters of the aquatic world. [email protected]

▲ An underwater photographer passes through an archway of sea kelp ◄ Close-up portrait of a Kelp Greenling ▲ The vibrant city of Vancouver ▲ INSET: Underwater photographer and dive writer, John Collins

41 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED fact file Vancouver Island British Columbia Canada

History Canada is a country of rich natural resources and vast distances. In 1867, Canada became a self-governing territory while retaining its relationship with the British crown. The country has developed economically and technologi- cally in parallel with its southen neighbor along an unfortified border, the United States. After a decade of budget cuts, the country’s great- est political issues are improving education and health care services. Recently, the issue of recon- ciling Quebec’s francophone heritage with the Currency Canadian dollar (CAD) Exchange rest of the country’s population which is anglo- rate: 1 CAD = $ .82 USD / € .63 EURO phone, has receded after a referendum held by the Quebec government failed to pass in 1995. Language English 59.3% (official), French Government: confederation with parliamentary 23.2% (official), other 17.5% democracy. Web sites Geography Located on the northern half Vancouver Island Tourism of the North American continent, Canada is www.islands.bc.ca bordered by three oceans: the North Atlantic Economy Canada closely resembles the US Vancouver Island & Victoria BC Ocean on the east and the North Pacific Ocean in its market-oriented economic system, pattern Tourism Travel Guide on the west, as well as the Artic Ocean to the of production, and high living standards. It is an www.vancouverisland.com north. After Russia, Canada is the second largest affluent, high-tech industrial society. Agriculture: Diving Vancouver Island country in the world. It has a strategic position wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegeta- www.bcdiving.com between Russia and the US on the north polar bles; dairy products; forest products; fish; Indus- route; about 90% of Canadian are concentrated tries: transportation equipment, chemicals, proc- Dive Operators in the area within 160 km of the border with the essed and unprocessed minerals, food products; British Columbia Dive Guide US. Terrain: wide plains with mountains in the west wood and paper products; fish products, petro- www.bcdiveguide.com and lowlands in the southeast; Natural resources: leum and natural gas. Dive charter operators and dive resorts in British iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, mo- Columbia lybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, www.johncollinskinsale.com Climate varies from temperate in the south to dive.bc.ca/links/charters.html wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydro- power; Natural : continuous permafrost in subarctic and arctic in the north north is a serious obstacle to development; as a Deco Chamber Vancouver Coastal Health result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Population 32,507,874 (July 2004 est.) 10th Floor, 601 West Broadway Pacific, and North American interior, cyclonic Ethnicity: British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4C2 storms form east of the Rocky Mountains and other European 15%, Amerindian 2%, other, most- Information Line: produce most of the country’s rain and snow ly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 1.866.884.0888 or 604.875.4252 east of the mountains. 26%; Religions: Roman Catholic 46%, Protestant www.vanhosp.bc.ca ■ 36%, other 18%

42 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED AFTER BIGELOW AND SCHROEDER, 1948 Wrecks of Vancouver Island Every rugged coastline close edies that have taken place here. In many cases, all the available is also possible to begin the search Sixgill sharks to major economic centers A popular saying goes that there information was the name of the by researching in libraries and is densely dotted with ship- is a wrecked ship for every mile of vessel and where it probably sank, archives to find information about Why is swimming next to these large coast. In reality this is most likely an sometimes extracted from insur- the type, construction and special wrecks. Vancouver Island underestimate because of all the ance records, or newspaper notices. features of the wreck, and hopefully sharks like swimming back in time? and Juan de Fuca Strait many that went down Later in history, information obviously also about its location, and the con- being the entrance the US unnoticed. In the days of sailing became more accurate but gener- ditions under which it sank. ■ Given its large size, broad, flat face and slow, deliber- ships, before they had engines, not ally it is mostly the fate of larger ate motion, the bluntnosed sixgill shark may look like Pacific North West and west- to speak of radars, radios and GPS, vessels which is known. But the a throwback to Jurassic Times. But these deep-sea ern Canada is certainly no a severe storm would often spell the wrecks come in all sizes and sharks aren’t very primitive at all. The shark’s sixth gill, exception. end for several ships at the same varieties. There are Canadian a unique feature of its family the Hexanchiformes, and time. Sometimes there is a record of and foreign vessels, war ships, other parts of its well-adapted anatomy, are recent, A coastline that has been dubbed these tragedies, sometimes not. In freighters and passenger fer- specialized innovations. They’re simply different from the Graveyard of the Pacific and those days, more often than not, you ries as well as working tugs, the majority of today’s modern sharks. The Unforgiving Coast, a clear tes- only learnt that a ship was probably lumber barges and small craft According to the most accepted version of the timony to the many human trag- lost at sea because it failed to show lost on the rocks and breakers. shark family tree, they belong to a whole other up at its destination. The ocean did not distinguish branch: the squalomorph sharks which living repre- Ignorance of the between them. sentatives are limited to dogfish, the Greenland shark, local geography, a SOURCE: MARITIME MUSEUM OF BRITISH COLUMBIA and the six and seven-gilled sharks, which probably tired and overworked Wreckdiving As in many split from a common ancestry around 200 million years crew, a vessel unfit other parts of the world, there are ago, the age in which the oldest Hexanchiform fossils to sail, surprise winds laws in place to protect historic are found. “There is nothing remarkable in the separa- and greedy shipping wrecks in British Colombia but also tion of the lineage,” says sixgill researcher Dr. Robert agents who overload a plethora of wrecks to explore. Other useful Dunbrack. “Lineages split continually. Since most line- on cargo, have all Sometimes wrecks are found by and interesting links: ages go extinct, the only surprising thing is that there contributed to the random searches, which have are still Hexanchiform species around today, 200 mil- shipwrecks and many recently been greatly facilitated by Underwater Archaeological Society lion years later.” tragic losses of lives the advent of affordable sidescan of British Columbia Scientists may know more about the sixgill shark’s off the Vancouver , which build a very precise

past than they do about its current biology. Like other SOURCE: MARITIME MUSEUM OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Island coast. picture of what lies on the bottom. It Dive.bc.ca northern water sharks, and especially the deep water ones, basic information about the sixgill’s lifecycle isn’t known. Scientists aren’t sure how long it lives, how fast it grows, how often it reproduces, or even why it Graveyard of the Pacific! migrates from its usual depths of around 2500 metres www.pacificshipwrecks.ca reflect a long historical era. to the shallower British Columbia waters each year. This is an excellent website about the From Boston, Tonquin and shipwrecks off Vancouver Island. It is Lord Western which date Flora Islet is world famous as one of the only two made and operated by the Maritime back to the early years of places where a diver can count on seeing the giant Museum of British Columbia, and is trade, and exploration by sixgill shark. Some of the smaller sixgills are about 8 one of those rare pleasant surprises Americans and Europeans feet long and much larger ones have been spotted. where design, database, message around Vancouver Island, These sharks swim slowly along the bottom and can and usability actually works together to examples of how even To screenshots of the interactive wreckmap. LEFT: the easily be matched by divers. Swimming along side in a sensible whole. modern freighters are not shipwrecks in the year 1908. RIGHT: the year 1928 one of these docile giants is one of the most amazing A section called “ Times” safe from the rough coast. thrills any diver can experience. ■ features ten stories of shipwrecks Most interesting is the interactive wreck- The interactive map only seems to work along the Vancouver Island coast, map. Under the map is a slider that one properly in Internet Explorer. There seems gives a series of good exaples of how can pull along a time axis that goes from to be a problem displaying it in NetScape different the shipwrecks are, and that 1750 to present day 2005. Mozilla/Firefox. ■

43 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Artificial Reef Society ake reefs - notof Britishwar Columbia M Text edited by Peter Symes Photos courtesy of the ARSBC and Divers Choice

Artificial reefs are created down to the bare steel. As diver safe- spin-offs from the new diving attrac- when vessels are sunk in a ty is, obviously, an important consid- tion, and for a flat sandy bottom on eration it also means cutting holes for which to land the ship. All coast guard special area. This is where diver access, removing any hazardous and navigation requirements also had ARSBC comes into the pic- obstacles and either sealing off con- to be met when choosing locations. ture. The Artificial Reef Society fined spaces or opening them up for The sunken ships have quickly since of British Columbia is the easy entry and exit. became overcome with rich marine The sinking sites were often chosen life including octopus and wolf-eels, Canadian non-profit organisa- for close proximity to local dive shop and today they are testimonials to the tion behind a series of spec- operators to enable positive economic positive environmental impact that tacular and highly publicised sinkings of predominantly decommisioned warships dur- M ing the past decade.

Since 1990, the ARSBC has created six dive sites in British Columbia. The Coastal Freighter and former WW2 supplyship GB Church was was the first WW.DIVINGBCCANADA.CO

W project of the ARSBC and Vancouver Island’s first artificial reef, sunk in Princess Margaret Marine Park in 1991. It served an important role as a prov- ing ground for the larger and more complex naval artificial reef projects that were to follow. Preparation of the ships meant cleaning them down completely, including cleaning all fuel and oil lines and removing all environmental haz- PHOTO COURTESY OF DIVERS CHOICE CHARTERS.

ards, often gutting them all the way ARSBC

Sinking of HMCS Cape Breton

44 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED The HMCS The Saskatchewan was sunk in two steps. On the day prior to the sinking, the RECOMMEND engine room was flooded in an attempt to lower the X-RAY MAG ship’s center of gravity ► PHOTO: ARBSCS WEBSITE TO YOUR FRIENDS!

PHOTO: JAY STRAITH Place our banner link on your web site artificial reefs have on the 33m of water. The site is just a final salute marine ecosystem. Not north of the USA - Canadian to her tour of only do artificial reefs pro- border and marker buoys duty. She sank PHOTO: ARBSC’S WEBSITE mote marine life, they also are attached to the bow, to the bottom ▲ The HMCS Cape Breton before reduce diver impact on sur- bridge and stern of the ship in three minutes ARBSC took good care of her. rounding natural and histor- for direct access to the ship and forty-five ical shipwreck dive sites by from the surface. seconds, bow first. Donate to our diverting diver traffic from Columbia, located near Then followed the destroy- to each other the length of the contributors those sites. Campbell River, was the er Saskatchewan which was ship. Although an exit is visible fund The 111m destroyer third naval destroyer sunk sunk in 1997 off Snake Island, from any entry point along the escort Chaudiere was sunk by the ARSBC as an artificial a few miles east of Nanaimo. ship, it is still highly recommend- in Inlet in 1992, and reef, just nine months after The site has mooring buoys ed that divers receive proper aided by these experiences Mackenzie. Again, know- adjacent to the ship and wreck training before penetrat- a second naval ship soon ledge gained from two prior marker buoys attached ing the vessel. followed. On a beauti- destroyer projects further at the bow, bridge, and 2001 then saw the creation of ful September day in 1995 improved the preparation stern of Saskatchewan. This the world’s largest artificial reef surrounded by more than efficiency, diver access and fourth sinking of a destroyer sinking when the 111m former Visit our 1,200 boats, aircraft and safety features incorporated was also the subject of a WW2 Victory ship HMCS Cape sponsors or thousands of spectators, into the ship. In addition to International contest to Breton was also sent to the become one the former antisubmarine the explosives used to sink “push the button” and sink ocean floor near Snake Island destroyer Mackenzie was the ship, the crowd was the ship. Cousteau Society where she now rests at 40 metres sent to the bottom too. treated to a spectacular sponsored the contest as below the surface. She now rests on the sea- display of pyrotechnics that a fund-raiser to replace its floor off Sidney in about lit the guns of Columbia as former ship Calypso which The ARS-540 is a decommis- WWW.XRAY-MAG.COM sank two years earlier follow- sioned Boeing 737-200 airframe ing a collision in Singapore. that was donated to the Artificial The ARSBC writes on its Reef Society by Qwest Airparts website that it went through Ltd. of Memphis, Tennessee. Why Become an ARSBC Member! a great deal of trouble to the number 540? Why the cryp- make this wreck diveable for tic name ARS-540? Well, the Air Would you like to dive on the most all skill levels by cutting many Canada internal designation of interesting un-natural sites in B.C.? large holes at close proximity the plane was FIN-540, and ARS Would you like to help out to main- stands for Artificial Reef Society. tain and monitor - or just dive for The new reef project has been fun - the 6 (and soon to be 7) wreck

LESTER LIGHTSTONE, ARSBC quite a while in the making, but sites which the ARSBC has created? ▲ ABOVE: The 737 is the ARBSC’s next project. However as this the plane is still waiting for the Would you like to meet other divers magazine goes to press, the former jet is still waiting for the sinking permit to be issued by with similar interests? Then we’d like sinking permit to be issued by Environment Canada Environment Canada. The plane to invite you to become a mem- ▲ TOP LEFT: Diving the Saskatchewan is still in , but is being ber. Visit ARSBCs Members’ Page stored on a lot, which the owner for more details and an application wants to develop, so he wants form. the plane out of there asap. The Comox Valley Dive Association Click here: www.artificialreef.bc.ca has begun an impressive fund- Diving the Saskatchewan ► PHOTO: JAY STRAITH 45 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED raising and promotional effort for the 737 artificial reef. The CVDA has a limited Seafloor earthquakes signal number of advertising and sponsorship eruption off Vancouver Island opportunities available, and would be happy to discuss the possibilities with you Seismic activity on the Endeavour Ridge further. All gold level sponsors will receive a limited edition bronze statue by Simon An underwater eruption some 200 miles off Morris (morrissculpture.com) of Saltspring the coast of Vancouver Island may be under Island. Additionally, all donations can way. Recently the area has been rocked have tax receipts issued. by thousands tremors, most tiny, but some Until the sinking date, the 737 is being exceeding magnitude 4. “It has been going stored beside a marina in Courtney, in full on long enough

view of the public. Then, after it’s sunk, ARSBC that we’re pretty every diver to the new artificial reef will sure lava is mov- see your company’s logo for years to Rivtow Lion was sucessfully sunk across the North Atlantic on a three ing,” said Edward come. Click here for more information. on February 6th, 2005. The Rivtow week voyage through winter gales Baker, an ocea- Lion is a 157-foot (47 metre) long and U-boat attacks, towing dam- nographer at the North Sea Rescue Tug. Built in 1940 aged ships in all kinds of weather. Pacific Marine Underwater Treasure Hunting in Selby England, she was originally She was part of a rescue fleet that Environmental Along the east coast of Vancouver Island • named the HMRT (His Majesty’s saved 140 American, 245 allied Laboratory, which is the city of Nanaimo, one of North Rescue Tug) Prudent, later named and neutral ships, 750 British and is part of the America’s premier dive destinations, but HMRT Cautious in 1947 and finally Commonwealth ships along with National Oceanic did you know that there are treasures to becoming Rivtow Lion in 1966. This 245 allied warships and millions of and Atmospheric be found in the emerald waters that sur- 561-ton vessel was first stationed in tons of supplies during the war. ■ Administration round the harbour city? We are not just THE LIVING EARTH® INC./EARTH IMAGING Iceland and the Shetland Islands. (NOAA). talking about the amazingly abundant Built to tow convoy ships dam- Source and photocredit: Researchers keep sea life and healthy marine environment, aged by German U-boats in WWII, www.oceanexplorersdiving.com scientific instruments packed and ready to we mean actual treasures. Well! Tokens these tugs accompanied convoys go so they can act quickly when an under- for treasures — Citizen Watches to be water eruption starts. The Juan de Fuca exact. plate, is a tectonic time bomb capable of As a part of the promotion of the Advertisements West Coast Dive Package producing earthquakes and tsunamis on wrecks, a long-time locally-owned jew- Port Alberni’s Coast Hospitality Inn is offering a year-round West Coast par with the disaster that struck the Indian elry store, Grassicks, donated women’s Dive Package from CAD155 per person based on double occupancy. Ocean in December. “ An eruption along and men’s Citizen Watches. Tokens were Package includes two dives with Six Gill Adventures, breakfast, boxed the ridge doesn’t directly raise the risk of an created and hidden amongst the wrecks lunch, dinner, and one night accommodation in a Coast Comfort Guest earthquake on the subduction zone. But the by members of the Nanaimo Dive Asso- Room. Guests will be whisked via the Alberni Inlet on a short ride to the regions are closely linked, like pieces in a puz- ciation. To date, none of the three tokens dive sites. Experience the wonder of Barkley Sound…reefs covered in zle.We really don’t know what to expect,” have been found. For those planning to stunning sponges and hard corals, sea lions, and possibly a glimpse of the Baker said. search for them, the only tip we can offer elusive Six Gill Sharks. Rental equipment available for additional charge. Among the researchers tools is a network of is that there are two tokens to be found For more information, call 250-723-8111 or visit portalberni.coasthotels.com Navy hydrophones originally used to monitor within the Cape Breton wreck—one at enemy submarines. The sensitive instruments recreational level and the second at Snorkelling with Seals can detect underwater earthquakes that technical level. The third token is some- Get up close and personal with harbour seals during a snorkelling experi- are too faint and far away to be picked up where amidst the wreck of the Saskatch- ence unique to Nanaimo. Guided excursions allow snorkellers to spend up by land-based seismographs. “It’s left over ewan. ■ to two hours in the water with the playful and curious critters that make from the Cold War, and it’s become very use-

their home at Snake Island, a short boat trip outside of Nanaimo’s har- ful,” Baker said. “But even I’m not allowed to For information on dive charters in Nan- bour. Dive operators offer snorkelling tours from CAD 75 per person which know where the microphones are. The sen- ▲ The sinking of the HMCS Mackenzie in 1995. aimo, call 1- 250-756-0106 or visit She went under in 3 mins, 45 secs. includes all necessary equipment. sors located the shaking on the Juan de Fuca Tourism Nanaimo’s website: Photos: ARSBC’s website Stay and play in Nanaimo with a Seal Adventure Package starting at Ridge, where fresh oceanic crust forms as www.tourismnanaimo.com CAD189.95 per person based on double occupancy. Package includes tectonic plates pull apart and magma wells two nights accommodation, two snorkelling adventures, and a number of up from deep within the earth. This seafloor Tourism Vancouver Island’s website: extras. One night packages available. spreading is slowly forcing the Juan de Fuca www.islands.bc.ca For more information or to book your and accommodation plate under the North American plate, creat- package, call 1-250-753-1246 or visit www.buccaneerinn.com ing a subduction zone that has unleashed massive earthquakes in the past. ■

46 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Diving the Land of the Midnight Sun...

Text by Barb Roy Eureka Alaska!

Colorful Northern Lights danced Within seconds, across a late evening sky in I spotted several Dungeness crabs, Whittier, Alaska. As my husband, causing them Wayne Grant, and I donned to flee from our our scuba gear for our first night approaching path dive in this mysterious Land of of light. Although the water was 49 the Midnight Sun, I wondered if degrees, visibility the native legends were actu- was particle-free ally true, and that the dancing and excellent. As lights were actually happy spirits the depth gradu- ally increased, we enjoying a night of play. At the noticed an abun- same moment this beautiful and dance of red rock and hermit crabs, huge ◄ LEFT: Mountains surround Resurrection Bay unusual phenomenon took place sea stars, shrimp, and an odd-looking juve- ◄ CENTER: Snakelock Anemone nile Alaskan king crab. To walk, the baby ▲ RIGHT: Nudibranch, White-lined Dirona above us, we saw the water bub- king crab stood tall on its prickly pink spiky- bling in the boat’s wake sparkle thin legs and moved with uncanny speed. with phosphorescence below Just a few meters ahead, Wayne had a us. The lights of the sea and sky flounder in his sights and encouraged me to follow. In an undulating motion, the glimmered as if waiting to illus- flat fish slowly moved forward trying to trate a magical story. Wayne keep up with Wayne’s light. Little did we handed me my camera, and we know we were following the small flounder Text by Barb Roy submerged into the glassy, calm along a pre-marked trail to the remains of an old ‘bush’ plane. Careful not to stir Photos by Barb Roy, NOAA realm of the aquatic world. up the sediment, we surveyed the site Photo Library, Alaska Tourism PHOTOS ON THIS PAGE BY BARB ROY

47 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Did you get the previous travel issues of X-RAY MAG? They are also free

MALAYSIA. Coralreeefs after the Tsunami. Whalebeachings. Tragedy in South Africa. Nemos Nose The Science of Fish Fashion, Ice Diving in Russia. Tod Essick. Link: X-RAY #3

Diving in the Himalayas, Swimming with Orcas in Norway, El Dorado in the Philippines. Gaansbai in South Africa. Link: X-RAY#2

▲ Anemone, Fish-eating Urticina

with our torches. I noticed two big eyes attention for the rest of the dive. We took tory known in search of gold and fame. tion of Alaska’s extensive underwater ter- peeking over a portion of debris. In the the opportunity to take some close-up Today, visitors are held in awe of Alaska’s rain. For the truly daring, this cold water Featuring Belize’s ; Tasmania; process of approaching the site, we must and macro shots. extremely long summer days— hence the haven can offer a seemingly endless sup- Balmorhea, Texas; Norways Egersund, have attracted the attention of a curi- reference, land of the midnight sun—and ply of exploratory possibilities. Liveaboard on Lake Baikal, Siberia ous medium-sized giant Pacific octopus. Alaska the seemingly endless supply of majestic For our excursion, Wayne and I chose Instantly a game of hide-and-seek devel- The state of Alaska encompasses 587,878 scenic beauty. Among these adventur- the month of September to explore the Link: X-RAY#1 oped. Needless to say, this quirky, square miles (1,522,596 square km). Past ers, are often a number of curious divers Alaskan coast. By doing this, we avoided almost comical, octopus held our explorers were drawn to this vast terri- yearning for a chance to explore a por- large crowds of tourists and took advan-

48 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Alaska PHOTO BY BARB ROY

▲ Denali National Park ◄ Prince William Sound ▼ Alaskan Railroad NOAA PHOTO LIBRARY tage of the water’s clear visibility. Since that due to the melting glaciers, spring community of mud flats with Opting for the rail transport, it didn’t Alaska is so big, our main focus would be and summer water run-off carries fine silt Whittier. incoming tides. take long for the gentle rocking to put the South Central portion of the state, to the ocean sometimes producing an Beluga whales Wayne to sleep. We passed beauti- beginning in Anchorage, the largest city underwater ‘cloud layer.’ Therefore, vis- The Seward can also be seen ful wildflower fields, tinted with colours PHOTO BY BARB ROY and home to an international airport. ibility is usually best during late fall, winter Highway contently feeding of autumn and scenic waterfalls rolling For two hours, we mulled over maps and early spring months ranging from From Anchorage offshore during the off the mountainside. As we exited the and possible dive sites at a popular java 35 to 90 feet depending on the loca- we headed summer. I had to last tunnel, the train entered into a val- joint called Café Del Mundo. Our plan tion. With water of 30 to south past the keep telling myself ley nestled between more mountains. was to squeeze in the sight-seeing, wild- 45 degrees F, winter snowfall can pose a Potter Point State this was all REAL Continuing past a magnificent display of life photography, gold panning and sou- problem with regard to access to some Game Refuge and not a show on water falling from the base of blue-green venir shopping around the diving. Faced shore locations. Summer months, how- for about 46 miles (75.2 km) down the the Discovery channel! mountaintop glacier, and past a colony with a possible mutiny, I reluctantly ever, tend to yield 20 to 60 feet, with Seward Highway. I could not believe the Although visitors can now drive to of nesting shorebirds, we pulled to a stop agreed. water temperatures of 50 to 60 degrees scenery! Shades of lavender Lupine flow- Whittier, through two consecutive tun- in the middle of town. F. With this in mind, I’m glad we brought ers bordered the winding curves around nels, the Alaskan Railroad also offers a Diving drysuits! After obtaining a map of our first Turnagain Arm, a shallow stretch of water passenger/vehicle train, which travels Whitter Several dive facilities are available in underwater destination, Smitty’s Cove, extending from Cook Inlet. This is where along the same path. If time permits, The U.S. Army established Whittier dur- Anchorage for rentals, air and overall we were on our way to catch an auto bore-tides, up to five feet high, are often Portage Glacier is a great side trip, only a ing World War II for its secluded strategic site information. They informed us, shuttle train, or rail-ferry, to the secluded seen as walls of water race across the few extra miles beyond the train depot. location in Prince William Sound. To this

49 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Alaska

day, Whittier still possesses a quaint bottom to 90 feet (27 meters), at ish brown tubesnouts and a variety remote-location charm, attract- the outer perimeters of the cove. of colourful nudibranchs. Reddish- ing thousands each year for fishing There, we found a field of white, orange California sea cucumbers, and whale-watching charters, kay- thin, five to six-feet tall Sea Whips. multi-coloured sunflower stars and aking and wildlife tours and scuba A few tiny Basket Stars clung to small white metridium anemones diving. several whips, gently swaying in added even more to the collage. We headed for Smitty’s Cove a slight current. Heading back to Both wide angle and close-up (where we later did our night dive) shallower depths, we paused at photography worked well at this down a gravel road along the 50 feet (15 meters), to watch an location. waters edge. Parking is readily adult wolf eel out in the open. It available, for a nominal fee, but paid us little attention as it foraged Glacier gazing public washrooms are scarce on through an overgrowth of ground- With an ample supply of accom- site. A wide concrete path leads covering kelp in search of a tasty modations, restaurants and camp- COUNTER-CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: into the water making entries and snack of green urchins, crabs or grounds, Whittier also offered some Portage Glacier ► exits easy. Other divers, already perhaps a bed of swimming scal- excellent hiking trails. After a short Grunt Sculpin fish ▲ finishing their first dive, were warm- lops. Shrimp, lingcod and painted hike and our night dive, Wayne Curious Lingcod ▲ ing up pots of water for some tea. greenlings were among the cove’s and I opted to stay overnight and Diver encounters wolf-eel ► Visitors might want to add a port- other many residents.Tiny deco- take in a bit of sightseeing on able stove and a pot to the pack- rator crabs busied themselves, Phillips’ 26 Glacier Cruise the fol- ing list. gathering new décor for their lowing day. shells near a bunch of old pipes During our cruise we passed gla- Smitty’s Cove and other debris. At 30 feet (9 cier after magnificent glacier. Bird Wayne and I geared up and meters) we came across the skel- rookeries, breaching whales and entered the cool refreshing cove. etal remains of an old barge. This furry sea otters filled our view. As Once underwater, we gradu- was my favorite attraction, as the divers though, we really wanted to

ALL PHOTOS THIS PAGE BY BARB ROY ally descended with the sloping area teamed with juvenile green- have them stop their high-speed

50 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED CORAL_Dirt_Day_8.25x10.875.qxd 11/19/04 1:25 PM Page 1

Trawling to be banned near Aleutian Islands

banned from more than a million coral-rich areas that already are off square kilometers of ocean near the limits. It will prevent the industry from Aleutian Islands. This is the largest spreading out into the Aleutians and area ever closed to fishing solely for further destroying coral, which ulti- conservation. mately could prove to be essential to A whole new approach to protect- the ecosystem. It’s called ing the rocky, colourful seafloor habi- The action was mainly fueled by tat has thus been initiated. Coming an explosion in coral exploration, shortly after two scientific panels and the quest to understand its role proclaimed the world’s seas were in the ecosystem. In recent years, Earth Day. in ecological trouble, the decision scientists have been taking deep- WWW.NOAA.GOV signals a shift in thinking about how sea submersibles 350 meters or more to manage oceans, and puts new deep along the volcanic flanks of Trawling, in which boats drag on the bodies that oversee the Aleutians. Here they found acres mammoth nets along the sea fishing in Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf of coral gardens: red corals shaped Coast waters to follow suit. like a Joshua tree; sponges shaped That’s not to say bottom for miles, can easily Typically, entire oceans are open like spatulas, barrels or crooked crush the long-lived, brittle to fishing except in areas that have human fingers; and a 1½ meter creatures on the Aleutian sea been specifically set aside to protect sponge that looked like a little girl’s floor, which scientists believe sea lions or rare birds, or to rebuild pigtails. They were a brilliant green, we need to treat it fallen crab stocks, for example. In violent shades of orange and bright may be the most diverse and this case, the opposite approach yellow. Scientists even saw a lone abundant cold-water coral was taken. It recommended outlaw- predatory sponge that captured and sponge habitat on Earth. ing bottom-trawling everywhere in crustaceans for food. More than like Dirt Day. Scientists believe the coral the Aleutians, except in the some two dozen were coral species found 65,000 square kilometers of seas nowhere else on earth. ■ may help incubate a fertile where boats fish today, minus a few fishing area that helps supply a significant portion of U.S. seafood.

Therefore, in a plan to protect the deep-water corals and sponges that help nurse Alaska’s fishing grounds, commercial trawling nets will be

After more than thirty years, we thought it was time that the other 72% of the planet got some attention. Which is why we’re asking people to Dive In To Earth Day the week of April 18 to 24. So grab some friends and install a mooring, do a reef survey, or organize an underwater cleanup. Everybody into the water. For more information, visit www.coral.org or call (415) 834-0900. WWW.NOAA.GOV. ALASKA FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER, MARINE OBSERVER PROGRAM Bringing a huge trawl aboard a commercial fishing vessel. (Filephoto NOAA)

51 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Alaska catamaran, so we could jump in and check out all these critters below all the breathtaking scenery! Yes, another day in Alaska’s paradise, I thought to myself as we boarded the train. Seward Seward, our next destination was another 80 miles (129 km) south over Turnagain Pass (elev. 988 feet / 301 m) and through Chugach National Forest. Coming into Seward, we detoured long enough to visit Exit Glacier. Although they do not permit this now, I had never touched a real glacier before today! It wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be… The Alaska SeaLife Center is another attraction wor- thy of investigation, located on the water down- town. A diver can see firsthand the various species of marine fish and invertebrates they may encoun- ter, before they even get wet. While shore diving in Seward is limited to a handful of sites, most requiring a climb over large boulders, there are several seasonal dive charters available. We came across two, one based in Anchorage, Dive Alaska, and another based in Sterling, The Dive Shop. PHOTO BY BARB ROY Barwell Island It was great to have an opportunity to explore Resurrection Bay, so we arranged a dive to Barwell Island the next morning with Ed Lindquist, owner of The Dive Shop. Ed met us at the boat harbor with his 22-foot (6.6 meters) Seasport boat. In no time at all we are heading down the long narrow pas- sage of Resurrection Bay. The water was as smooth PHOTO BY BARB ROY as satin sheets, making it easy to spot a small group of sea otters lounging in the sun. Sea Lions, Bald 1,849 Eagles, and shore birds were all around. I was really impressed with the rugged mountain coastline run- 400 ning parallel on one side of the bay and the weath- Cup er-beaten islands on the other. Gorgonian Barwell Island turned out to be a very remote Hydrocoral Soft chunk of rock, open to the fury or the Gulf of 200 Alaska. It was surrounded by clean blue ocean water. Looking at the island up close, I could see Frequency ◄ TOP LEFT: Barwell Island reef wall ◄ BOTTOM LEFT: Chart of coral growth 0 NOAA PHOTO LIBRARY in Alaska regions Aleutians Bering Sea Gulf of Alaska ► TOP RIGHT: View of The Sleeping Lady from Anchorage, Alaska

► BOTTOM RIGHT: Map of marine parks ALASKA TOURSIM in south eastern Alaska

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years of erosion caused that nature had from enormous pound- painted a can- ing ocean swells and vas of orange surf. Today however, it tunicates, yellow was calm and weather cup corals, tan permitted an explora- feather stars and tory dive on the open white sea squirts. ocean-side, which was In some areas I normally unreachable. found pink mouth We descended to a hydroids and multi- carpet of tan and yel- coloured painted low encrusting northern anemones. Huge staghorn bryozoan Snakelock (or covering the ocean’s Crimson) anemo- floor. Macro size brit- nes sat high on tle stars stretched tiny rocks, with their red arms out from the long delicate tentacles gathering food their tangled shelter to in the surge. White-spotted (Tealia) filter the water. Clusters anemones, yellow and white coloured of red and pink sea strawberries (soft swimming anemones and lacy orange coral) dotted the terrain as we contin- peel nudibranchs were everywhere. ued to the 60-foot (18 meters) range. Both dives proved to be superb for wide The various porifera (sponge) included; angle, close-up or macro photography. yellow breadcrumb sponge, orange fin- Before heading back Ed took us ger sponge and brown chimney sponge around the island to get some shots. An housing juvenile rockfish. Stripped old wartime shelter could be seen from prawns, orange and red anemones and the highest point. It must have been an assortment of invertebrates filled my some kind of a lookout where soldiers macro framer, causing me to fly through would watch for approaching enemy my film way to fast! ships during times of war. Now, the only A similar environment was discovered fighting that goes one is from squab- on the inside of the island during our bling nesting seabirds. second dive. Thankfully I had switched As we passed by Fox Island, Ed point- to a 50mm lens, because a friendly wolf ed out the location of a sunken barge. eel peeked out from its den of inver- Covered in a growth of kelp, the wreck tebrate-covered boulders. With huge is home to a countless number of fish, round eyes on a flabby gray mottled nudibranchs, a pair of wolf eels and sev- face, the eel stared out at us with curi- eral giant Pacific octopuses. osity. Realizing that some adults can ▲ TOP LEFT: Orange Peel Nudibranch attain a length of up to eight-feet, we Afterwords ▲ BOTTOM LEFT: Year-round diving at Whittier guessed this one to be pretty close During our journey back to Seward, ► TOP RIGHT: Weathered Island, Resurrection Bay to that. With a diet of giant red sea Wayne and I were already planning ► BOTTOM RIGHT: Sculpin at Barwell Island urchins, no wonder they are so unusual our return journey. Homer, Seldovia, critters. Kodiak Island and hiking through Denali As we continued on, we came across National Park were added to the next huge rock faces, also blanketed in inver- adventure’s agenda and I’m sure time tebrate life. In some areas it appeared won’t pass by quickly enough! ■ ALL PHOTOS THIS PAGE BY BARB ROY

53 X-RAY MAG : 4 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED factAlaska, file USA

History The 13 American colonies coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and of the decisions. The federal and state broke with Britain in 1776. They were southeast; mud slides in California; for- governments buy most of the needed recognized as a new nation called est fires in the west; flooding; perma- goods and services in the private mar- the United States of America after the frost in northern Alaska, a major obsta- ketplace. 1783 Treaty of Paris. Thirty-seven new cle to development; Note: The U.S. is states and overseas possessions were the third-largest country in the world Travel: added during the 19th and 20th cen- by size after Russia and Canada, and The Alaska Marine Highway turies as the nation expanded west- by population after China and India. ward over the North American conti- 1-800-526-6731 nent. The Civil War (1861-65) and the Climate is mostly temperate, but www.akferry.com Great Depression of the 1930s were arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great Alaska Travel Industry Association Map of the United States of America including Alaska and Hawaii the two most traumatic experiences in plains west of the Mississippi River, arid www.travelalaska.com the nation’s history. Victories in World in the Great Basin of the southwest, Alaska Railroad Corporation Wars I and II as well as the end of the and tropical in Hawaii and Florida; low 1-800-544-0552 or 907-265-2494 Cold War in 1991, has boosted the US winter temperatures in the northwest www.akrr.com are relieved occasionally in January into a seat as the world’s most pow- Denali National Park and Preserve and February by warm chinook winds erful nation state. Rapid advances 907-683-2294 (winter phone) in technology encourage a steadily from the eastern slopes of the Rocky 907-683-1266 (summer phone) growing economy marked by low Mountains. unemployment and inflation. www.nps.gov/dena Population 293,027,571(2004) Geography Located in North white 77.1%, black 12.9%, Asian 4.2%, Diving: America, the U.S. borders both the Amerindian and Alaska native 1.5%, The Dive Shop North Atlantic Ocean and the North native Hawaiian and other Pacific Ed Linguist, 907-252-9017 Pacific Ocean, between Canada and islander 0.3%, other 4% (2000); Note: www.scubaalaska.com Mexico; Total area: 9,631,418 sq km, Census bureau Hispanic numbers are Dive Alaska land: 9,161,923 sq km, water: 469,495 included in the percentages of white, Scott Anderson, 907-770-1778 sq km; Coastline: 19,924 km; Terrain: black and Asian groups. Religions: www.divealaska.net Protestant 52%, Roman Catholic 24%, vast central plains, mountains in the Last Frontier Diving West, hills and low mountains in the Mormon 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 1%, Loic Thomas, 907-222-6706 East; broad river valleys and rugged other 10%, none 10% (2002 est.); Below mountains in Alaska; rugged, volcanic poverty: 12% www.lastfrontierdiving.com topography in Hawaii; Lowest point: www.nps.gov Death Valley -86 m; Highest point: Currency US Dollar (USD$); Ex- Reference Books: Mount McKinley 6,194 m; Natural change rate: USD 1 = EUR .77 Under Alaskan Seas, by Lou and resources: coal, copper, lead, molyb- Language English, Spanish Nancy Barr denum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, Alaska Wildlife Viewing Guide, by gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, sil- Economy With a per capita GDP Michelle Sydeman, Annabel Lund ver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural of $37,800, the U.S. has the largest Natural Wonders of Alaska – A Guide gas, timber; Natural hazards: tsunamis, and most technologically powerful to Parks, Preserves & Wild Places, by volcanoes, and earthquake activ- economy in the world. It is market-ori- Kent Sturgis ity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes ented and driven by private individu- The Milepost, An annual publication of along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico als and business firms who make most Morris Communications Corporation ■

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