Hunt Rock

Description

This is THE featured dive site of Port Hardy. If you ever hear of the wolf eels called Hunter and Huntress, this is where they live. Of all the things I've ever heard of, or seen of Port Hardy, it's always been Hunt Rock.

The skiff takes you out in the middle of the channel to a green marker bouy. From there, the crew finds the best place to find the wolf eels, anchors and tosses you over board.

Hunt rock is pinnacle that sits in the middle of the channel. The pinnacle starts in around 30fsw and goes on down deep. How deep, I don't know. All sides of Hunt rock are surrounded by steep vertical walls. On the pinnacle itself, you'll fine some valleys that slope down to the steep walls.

Look in these valleys. That's where you'll find the wolf eels.

Location

Directions from Seattle donated by Jeff Rosenfeld (jeffrose@cks.ssd.k12.wa.us)

Basically, you take I-5 to the border. I-5 then turns into Canadian Highway 1. You take it for about 10-15 miles, excuse me 20km (you're in Canada now...) and get off at the exit for the Tsawassen Ferry. I think it's exit 20, but just follow the signs to the Tsawassen Ferry Terminal. Check out their page at http://www.bcferries.bc.ca/index.html for schedules, rates, and other info.

You'll want to take the Ferry to Namaimo (Duke Point Ferry Terminal). It's a 2 hour crossing. You'll want to arrive at least 30-45 minutes early.

Once you're on Vancouver Island, you just follow Hwy. 19 North to Port Hardy. Hwy. 19 is basically the only Island Highway, you're on it tight out of the Duke Point Terminal, and all the signs for it mention Port Hardy. It'll take about 5 hours from Nanaimo to Port Hardy, depending on traffic.

Once in Port Hardy, you want to go to the Public Dock right near I.V.'s Pub. You'll have to get directions from ExtaSea since I don't know the street names.

Comments

We all dropped down the anchor line and headed right over the vertical wall. All of the divers took off to their right, heading along the wall.

In my years of diving, I had seen pictures and video of Hunt Rock and knew that the wolf eels lived in valleys, not vertical walls, so I grabbed Micaela's attention and took off back up the pinnacle and towards a valley. Sure enough, sitting in around 80fsw, were 3 large male wolf eels. One, the obvious dominant eel came right out of it's hole and stayed with us the entire dive! This wolfie would wrap itself around you and not leave you alone! What a treat! One of the other males was in it's hole and was very much afraid of the dominant male. A third, smaller male was swimming about, but would be attacked by the dominant male. So, Micaela and I spent the whole dive playing with this wolf eel.

On the Parker's Port Hardy Scale, Parker gives this site two Thumbs Up. The wolf eel at this site RULED!