Summer 2007 Cruise – Leg 3
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Joe
Cove, Eden Island to Safety Boat Cove, Plumper Island Group. |
Weather |
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Sunny with a few clouds, calm winds |
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Farewell to the XIV VII
Tide Line and
New Construction Approaching Telegraph Cove
Killer Whale Café
General Store Complete with Liquor Store
Strolling the Boardwalk
Kayak Rentals and Launch Site
Boardwalk History
Old Meets New at the end of the Boardwalk
Lukwa
at
Campers and Trailers in Telegraph Cove
Whale Interpretive Centre at Telegraph Cove
Safety Boat Cove – Our anchorage while we dive the Plumpers Blackfish Sound out through the gap
Our View from Sea Foam Pilot House Across
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The weather report today predicted calm winds in
My Captain and the Captain of the XXIV VII made one last run into Booker Lagoon to pick up the overnight prawn traps. They returned with only thirteen but they were very large. They would make a great appetizer at tonight’s dinner.
The XXIV VII was headed for
We set a course straight across
We arrived at our favorite anchorage, Safety Boat Cove,
off of
We turned into the tight anchorage and the flood current was pouring in from the small opening at the top end making it difficult to position the boat for a stern tie. There is a strong flood current that runs through the cove at high tide when the water passes over the shallows of the narrow cut that divides the islands.
We prefer to have the bow facing out onto
We dropped the anchor in the middle of the cove and backed up towards the shoreline. The Captain jumped into the Catch-Up, tied one end of our stern line to the back of the Sea Foam and, using the outboard on the Catch-Up, pulled the boat back still further toward the shore and out of the current running through the narrow opening. He climbed out of the Catch-Up on shore and tied the stern line to a tree.
Once back in the Sea Foam he was able to adjust the anchor chain to either let out more slack at the anchor or pull the stern line tighter to bring us closer to the shoreline. We were in twenty-five feet of water and checked how much the tide would be dropping at its lowest over the next twenty four hours. It would drop a further twelve feet at 0830 tomorrow morning so we had enough water under us.
We were snug in our favorite anchorage and would likely stay here for a week or so and dive all our favorite dive spots. This is the first time we have been in here with the Sea Foam. We have been in this cove on two other occasions with our previous 34’ Californian, the Fish-n-Chips.
Once settled we decided to take advantage of the good
weather and calm seas on the In 1894 the original sawmill was established at the
Cove. The mill was built by the Cove’s
original settler, Alfred Marmaduke Wastell. A
telephone station was built in 1911 to connect the northern parts of We motored across in about ten minutes and pulled up to the fuel dock on the starboard side as you enter the cove. As the Captain filled all four of our jerry cans, Kona and I set off to explore the area and look for the nearest piece of grass a dog might enjoy.
As we walked along the boardwalk we passed the Whale Interpretive Centre, Stubbs Island Whale Watching Tours, a Grizzly Bear Tour station and the local pub and eatery. Also along the way were quaint little cottages and cabins that can be rented for the day or several nights while you visit the site or fish for the day or days.
The old portion of the boardwalk ends with a new addition
of condos and parking lots available for campers and boat trailers coming
into the area for fishing and whale watching.
There is also a large area for kayakers to put into the water or rent
a kayak for the day. Under construction
is another ocean view condo complex that overlooks the whole of the
Kona and I walked back to find the Captain watching the whale watching boats, the Lukwa and the Gikumi tied to their dock waiting to load passengers in (40 per boat) for the next three hour shift of touring the local waters looking at marine life. This would include whales, porpoises, sea lions, sea birds and eagles.
Stubbs Island Whale Watching has been in business since 1980 and have been involved with the whale research community since that time. They have been involved in the planning and implementation of the Dr. Michael Bigg Ecological Reserve at Robson Bight, just south of this location, which has been set apart especially for the Orca.
Robson Bight is an area where Orcas like to go close to shore and rub their back on the large stones along the shoreline. They have strict rules for boaters to stay a certain distance outside of the area and have zodiacs on scene to keep people within the guidelines and at the same time are available to help people enjoy the whales without disturbing them.
I gave Kona to my Captain and headed into the Whale
Interpretive Centre for a quick tour around.
The museum has many skeletons of marine animals on display in the
building as well as volunteer interpreters to educate the public to the
marine mammals and the need for care and conservation in the area. The owner of Stubbs Whale Watching and the
Interpretive Centre, Jim Borrowman, extended the
interpretive centre after the addition of a 17.5 metre
fin whale skeleton was added. The
whale had been hit by a cruise ship in 2002.
The whale was undetected and still attached to the bow of the ship
when it docked in
After taking several pictures of the museum and the area surrounding we returned to the Catch-Up and headed back to our vessel in Safety Boat Cove.
It had been an eventful day and we had a late dinner and retired. |
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Date |
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Weather |
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Cloudy with a few sunny periods |
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CA cooling off before the Dive
Rick donning his weight belt
Rick floating around after a dive
Sea Lions spotted
off the
Kona enjoying the Sea Lions?
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After breakfast my Captain got the scuba gear out from the stern lazarette and we made ready for our first dive of the trip. We have ten dive spots in the area that were given to Rick when he dove in this area out of Telegraph Cove in 1997. We decided to start with the dive spot closest to our anchorage, right around the corner from it in fact.
Once we got all our gear into the Catch-Up and put on our warm fleecies and dry suits we were ready to go. Because this was our first dive we took longer than usual to get organized. As it turned out we were late getting into the water and the current had already switched and started back into a flood. This area is tricky to dive in because the currents are so strong and the time for slack is very short. You have to look for just the right time to get in where you can float gently along on the current of a slowing current, then enjoy ten or fifteen minutes of no current at all effecting you, and then feel the switch and slowly head back towards the boat on the changed direction of the next current. It’s tricky business as you are underwater sixty to one hundred feet and when you start back to the surface the currents can be stronger than what you experienced while you were deeper.
While we were down there I spotted a dead seal that had a starfish happily attached to what used to be its head. I flashed Rick with my dive light and he went ahead to check it out. We don’t know what killed the seal but it didn’t look like it had been dead for long. We were only down for about fifteen minutes and the current was too strong to continue so we moved back to the Catch-up waiting in a more sheltered indent out of the main current. Rick decided to go back down as the water was not too turbulent and it was only about thirty feet deep and a nice kelp forest was there to enjoy. The dead seal had put me off so I got out and started to take my gear off.
We returned to the Sea Foam and took all our gear out of the Catch-Up and started to refill our tanks for tomorrow’s dive. It started to rain so we left all our stuff out to get a fresh water rinse off.
We have been told that the whale watching boats monitor
VHF channel 07 on the radio so we listened to what they were saying and where
the whales are being spotted. There
are several whale watching research stations in the area and many small boats
that take folks out to see the whales.
They have underwater microphones at the Ocra
Lab Station on
The best way to spot whales is to be out on the water so
we decided to go out in the Catch-Up and head out into Blackfish Sound. The currents were running fast around
As we moved away and headed back towards our anchorage, a short distance away, there were many sea birds flying low and diving into the water as well as several types of gulls sitting in the water. Often when there are larger animals feeding on the bait fish, like herring, under the water, the diving birds and gulls hang around to get the leftovers. As it turned out it was another four to six sea lions feeding off a kelp bed just outside our anchorage.
After supper, as we were looking across Johnstone Strait towards Telegraph Cove I spotted a black fin come out of the water in the distance. We both got out a pair of binoculars and watched a pod of killer whales go right by our anchorage as we watched from the pilot house.
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Weather |
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Foggy until |
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Sea Lion (or Kelp Grizzly) off Check Out Those Teeth!
“Lukwa” off of
Kayak beach on the
Kayak camp in the Rainforest on the Plumper
Harbor Seals hauled out near Safety Boat Cove
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We woke up to a fogged in anchorage and after checking the
current tables for today it was determined our dive time would be 1300. There would be a small amount of time, like
fifteen minutes, when the water would be slack, with current coming from
neither ebb nor flood currents. What
makes this area so popular for marine life is the currents that flow through,
at times very powerfully. With these
currents come rich food sources that attract all kinds of sea life. The
We timed our dive better today and enjoyed a great dive
for about thirty minutes. When we
returned home we had a hot bowl of soup and a sandwich and decided to go out
again to
We motored the Catch-Up close to them and they came up out of the water to check us out. First there were two and then next thing we saw were six heads all coming out of the water and running parallel to the boat. They look like polar bears swimming along. One of the big headed males had a torn nostril and I wondered if they had been fighting or playing very rough over females in the group.
After a few minutes more of picture taking we decided to turn the boat off and just sit in the back side of the current where the boat was not being pulled in any direction. The sea lions then came up behind us and got really close. One of them went right under the boat and I thought he might be planning to come up right beside us and threaten us but they were just being curious. I thought we had been bugging them but they had approached us this time which was exciting. Kona doesn’t agree. She whines and wonders what manner of dog these creatures are!
We saw the Lukwa, the whale watching tour boat, come into the area and we motored over to take a closer look. They were just outside our anchorage and there were sea lions there as well.
After we had enough of wildlife viewing we decided to take Kona to the Kayak camp for a romp in the forest. This camp is just across a waterway from our anchorage and has been used for several years as a place for kayakers to haul out their boats and camp in the canopy forest.
My Captain has been over here several times already since
anchoring here and not ever found anyone at home. There are two kayaks, utensils, a tent with
gear inside but no humans. A newly
erected small building is now overlooking the point facing across
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Date |
Safety Boat Cove, Plumper |
Weather |
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Foggy and rainy, sometimes a downpour, all day |
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CA making bread on a Rainy Day
More Sea Lions near the Plumpers
Polar Bears or Sea Lions off the Plumpers
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We woke up to the sound of a foghorn in the area, likely a cruise ship going through and the sound of rain on the hatches. We decided because of the poor visibility outside and the rain coming down that we would make this an inside day and catch up on e-mail, pictures, dive logs and ships logs.
We listened to the whale-watching channel on our VHF radio and were surprised to hear they were out with passengers looking for marine mammals. It was difficult to see very far in front of you but they were out there meandering around using radar.
The transmissions said they could hear the whales blowing but couldn’t see them. They also had soundings from their “pickles” which we think means microphones hanging into the water that pick up the whales “songs” under the water.
They refer to the whales by numbers and some by name. They
also mentioned that they are pleased to see there are more sea lions showing
up around
From what we can tell, there are about six whale watching boats and two or three research boats that give each other information about the whales and their whereabouts.
Yesterday one of the boats reported they had found a dead six-gilled shark on the shore but we didn’t catch the name of the location. If we had we would likely have gone out and had a look ourselves. |
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Date |
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Weather |
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Rainy, sometimes a downpour, all day |
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Orca off
Orcas “Resting” in a Line
Female Orca and Two Calves
StraitWatchers Smiling in the Rain
Diving for Dinner
Eagle With Talons Full of Herring
Open Wide and Good-bye Herring
Humpback On His Side Closing His Mouth
Humping Up
Going Down for a Dive
SV Tuan Close to Humpback
Meeting With the Boys
Mr. Big Stands Alone
Greg and John the Kayakers
My Captain Smiling in the Rain |
We woke up to another rainy day but at least today there
is not nearly as much fog. When we
turned on the radio to the whale channel there was much excitement as a pod
of orcas had arrived from the north.
The research boat told the charter boats that there were some whales
from the “C” and “D” pod and there were as many as 26 whales “resting” off of
From the pictures you can see that one of the dorsal fins is taller then the rest. That is the bull whale traveling with the pod.
We decided to put our rain gear on and head out for a look ourselves. Kona needed to go to shore anyway. We climbed up on a large rock near our anchorage and spotted more sea lions and harbor seals right below us. I had taken my binoculars this time so I could get a closer look at things.
After Kona had her moment we jumped back into the Catch-Up
and headed out around the corner to
We ventured off towards
There were many other small boats around as well as several charter boats bringing their paying customers out for a good look. We were careful to stay away from the whales but at the same time trying to position ourselves so that we would be where they might next be heading. Several times they went under the water and did not surface for about five minutes.
At one point we were ahead of them and Rick was in a good position to take pictures as they approached. There was one big bull whale that got quite close and I wanted to move the boat away but Rick told me to shut the engine off and just drift. They came close and then dove again and resurfaced a distance away from us.
As we sat and watched them move away from us we were approached by another zodiac with two young women onboard. They were working for an organization called StraitWatch sponsored by Cetus Research & Conservation. This organization operates the StraitWatch and Robson Bight Marine Warden programs in this area.
The aim of these programs is to reduce human impact on local marine wildlife by educating boaters about the marine wildlife viewing guidelines and conservation concerns facing these animals. This area is potentially a critical habitat for killer whales and other marine animals and the need to educate and monitor in the area is important with so many boaters wanting to view the animals.
They gave us pamphlets and information and the following websites to view for more information.
Some of the sponsors of these programs include the Vancouver Aquarium, Seattle Aquarium, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, NOAA and US Coast Guard to name a few.
While we were talking to the young women they told us that when the orcas are “resting” it is very important not to disturb them. One woman went on to say that half their brain is asleep and the other half has to stay “awake” to tell them when to breath and so on. Very interesting information all in all.
Stubbs Island Whale Watching has a website where they have lots of information about the marine life in the area and their operation. Each of their two boats, the Lukwa and the Gikumi, has hydrophones on board so the passengers can hear the vocalizations of the whales as they pass them in the water. They log what animals and birds were seen on each of their trips. Here is an example from their site for today. Sightings Log - From the
Wheelhouse: "Wow! What a day! We saw lots of
orcas out there today. It was super to see 26 orcas traveling together
in a large line. Just beautiful. They were quite active as well, spy hopping
and tail slapping. And it doesn't end there. We had some really great looks
at humpback whales, bow riding Dall's porpoises, Steller sea lions, and lots of sea birds. It was a bit
rainy today, but the seas were calm. Super deluxe!" We headed back to the Sea Foam to get some lunch and get out of the rain for awhile.
After we had eaten and relaxed a bit we heard of more
whales being spotted outside our anchorage around As we moved out into Weynton Passage, there was a large group of sea birds diving into the water, including eagles. It didn’t take long to figure out that there was a herring ball at the surface, being driving up by some underwater predator, attracting the gulls and other sea birds to feed. The eagles swooped down and grabbed several herring in their talons before flying off. The gulls appeared to dance on water as they moved in to get their beaks full. As should be expected, there was a reason the herring were moving to the surface. The next thing we saw was a humpback whale coming up to take a mouthful himself! We were lucky to get a picture of him coming to the surface with his mouth open to scoop up the herring. Another whale watching boat, the SV Tuan, came into the
area with his passengers all out on the bow taking pictures. The Captain, Jeremy, often communicates
with the other whale watching tour boats and has a hydrophone that he puts
down in the water to listen to the vocalizations. He is heard on the radio giving and
receiving information back and forth with the Orca Research Station on As we waited for the whale to appear again we heard in the
distance by After we got several pictures of the humpback we motored
over to After taking several pictures we moved away and took Kona to the kayak camp forest for a much needed romp through the woods. As we were getting ready to leave I said to Rick that I thought I heard voices. He said it was just the crows. Just as we were getting into our boat to men came up behind us. They had heard our voices and we introduced ourselves and were glad to meet them. Greg and John live on They told us they were kayaking around our anchorage just yesterday and the Stellar Sea Lions had approached them in a way that appeared aggressive to them. They back paddled to get out of their way and were happy to find a little bay where they could climb out of their kayaks and pull themselves and their boats to safety. We told them we had spent the last several days photographing the sea lions and they had not displayed any aggressive behavior towards us. Greg and John said they approached their kayaks head on, pulled their bodies out of the water up to chest level and roared at them. They did not back off and when they paddled away from them the sea lions pursued them. I told Greg and John that Rick wants me to dive off the island where nine of them live and now I am more convinced then ever that I will be doing no such thing! Greg went on to say that he spent a summer in this area taking kayakers out on tours and he had never been approached in this way by any of the mammals in the area. He said it was new to have this number of sea lions in the area. He went on to say that they are all young bachelor males that are not allowed to be with the large breeding colony. Only one “grand-poo-bah” male gets to be there and the rest have to find their own colony or fight next year for the position of “king of the road”. From the pictures we got today, the big guy with the mane will likely be a contender next year! We invited Greg and John to the Sea Foam and they said they would like that and would get in touch with us by radio in the next few days. We returned to our anchorage and enjoyed a lasagna dinner, some picture and log work and retired. Another eventful day on the water.
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Date |
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Weather |
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July 21, 2007 |
Rain, not rain, and more rain, calm seas |
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Another Charter Boat on Scene
The MV Gikumi (Geek-ah-me)
Herring Ball Feasters
Houdini and Her Calf (Mom’s Tail, Calf’s Hump)
Lone Humpback Goin’ Down
Three Curious Sea Otters |
We slept in late today because again it was raining and not looking very pleasant. The weather report predicts that it will be very stormy tonight, with gale force winds coming in from the southwest. We stayed in until 1300 and Rick took Kona to the kayak camp to ask Greg and John to come over tonight for supper. They had left the camp and likely left early in the morning to paddle home to Malcolm Island before the gales start tonight. We worked further on the log and the pictures and then headed out again to see what the whales were doing. It was raining but the water was calm. We motored out across Blackfish Sound and headed to Swanson Island where the charter boats, Lukwa and Gikumi were showing their guests some orcas and humpbacks. We took more pictures of a humpback and her calf, the whale watchers call her “Houdini” and then went to check on the sea lions at Stubbs Island. There were no sea lions to be seen. We then slowly motored over towards our anchorage where another eight or nine sea lions have been seen over the last few days and they were not there either. We next spotted about four to six black creatures scurrying from the water onto the rocks. We motored slowly over and they disappeared over the top of the rocks. As we traveled along the backside of the rock on our way back to the boat I looked over my shoulder and they were watching us as we motored away. We turned around to go back and have a look at what they were and Rick got his camera ready. He fired off about six shots before they took off again over the top of the rocks. We think they are sea otters. We returned to the Sea Foam after Kona had a quick trip to shore. We took off all our wet gear and hung it up in various places in the boat to dry out. I started a pot of soup for dinner and we both settled in to more picture and log work. After supper we retired early to read and relax. The wind started to pick up and I am hoping that this anchorage is as sheltered as it has always been for us over the last several years. I don’t recall having been in here while a gale from the south was predicted so we will see what we will see by morning. |
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Weather |
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July 22nd, 2007 |
Windy Morning, Rain, Cloudy Afternoon |
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View from Grassy Looking Across Blackfish Sound Up Queen Charlotte Strait
Captain and Kona Looking Out Across Blackfish Sound
View from Grassy Island west To Queen Charlotte Straight
Two Cruise Ships On Their Return
From Passing our
Two Curious Seals
in our |
We made it through the gales last night but I was up and awake for most of it. I am a light sleeper and the slapping of the ripples of waves against the hull in the bow kept me awake. The gusting of the wind was somewhat unnerving as well. My Captain sleeps through these storms, snoring away! At one point I nudged him (he’ll tell you it was a punch) and said, “Stop snoring!” He answered half asleep, “You’re on anchor watch, it’s okay?” REPORT: Safety Boat Cove is safe from a SE Gale force wind! The wind died down by 1100 and we made plans to go diving today. The rain stopped and we got our gear ready and headed for “Marg’s Wall”. The tides and currents are not as severe now as the full moon has passed several days ago. We found this dive site that has a very forgiving current so we can dive without having to be so well timed. The dive was great and after we got back we put our gear away and took Kona to “Grassy Island” to look out across Blackfish Sound. The sun was trying really hard to make its way through the clouds. When we arrived back at the boat we had a phone call from Mark and April on their way home aboard the XXIV VII. They had been tucked in at the northern most end of Texada Island, at Blubber Bay, for two days waiting out the gales that are blowing in the Strait of Georgia. They said they had a heck of a ride in 35 knot winds and were happy to find a sheltered anchorage. They were on their way to Smuggler’s Cove on the Sunshine Coast as the winds had died down some and they are hoping to get back to Vancouver by Tuesday. Rick also made a call over the VHF radio to Jim Borrowman, the Stubbs Island Whale Watch owner. Rick knew Jim over twenty years ago when he used to dive in the area. Many years ago Jim had a dive charter business and so did Rick so they had crossed paths many times. Jim remembered him right away and they switched to a different VHF channel and had a quick chat as Jim was still on the job touring people around looking at whales. Rick was pleased that Jim still remembered him after all these years. Loose plans were made to try to meet face to face before we leave the area.
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Weather |
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July 23rd, 2007 |
Rain in the early morning, cloudy with sunny breaks in late afternoon |
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Resident Eagle outside Safety Boat Cove
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After we heard the rain again this morning we slept late until 1100. After doing our domestic chores around the boat we set out at 1300 for a dive. We were late getting into the water and the ebb current had started making it difficult to find a spot we could dive in comfortably. I got into the water at our first location and after sticking my head under for a moment decided the current had picked up enough that I wasn’t comfortable to dive in this location. While we were getting geared up the water was flat but in the space of ten minutes it had switched and was on the move. We were in a main channel so we moved off to look for a more protected spot. We found a spot in a back eddy and we went down for 30 minutes. It was a great dive – like diving in a giant aquarium tank! The visibility was great. We could see about forty feet all around. There are not many fish to look at as we go along. I’m guessing they don’t like the current in the area. It is too much effort to swim around. We did swim into an area of giant white plumose anemones. They can get as large as 3 feet high. These ones were about two feet. They look like giant heads of cauliflower that would stand about up to your waist. If you touch them they collapse and fold in on themselves and become a tube shape about the size of a presto log. There are many small macro organisms to look at as you swim along the shoreline. As we came up from the depths of about 75 feet and looked up at the surface the sun was shining through the kelp beds and you could see the clouds and the blue sky. It was awesome! When we got back to the boat the sun was still shining and it was great to see it back again. Tomorrow is predicted to be even sunnier and for the next two weeks it looks good as well. We will likely dive again tomorrow before it gets too hot in the days to come. Having fleecies on and then a dry suit makes for very warm conditions top side. It’s like being dressed in flannel pajamas and then having a sleeping bag wrapped around you. Once you’re in the water its about 48 degrees Fahrenheit so you need the warmth but when you’re gearing up in 72 degrees it make you feel like you’re going to expire. When we first arrived in this anchorage there were six or seven eagles sitting on the rocks just at the entrance to the cove. Several were juvenile eagles and don’t yet have their white bald head. We watched some of the eagles that live nearby flying around in the thermal cline today. There is a huge nest around the corner from the anchorage that apparently has been hatching eaglets for many years. They come to the same nest year after year making it a bit bigger each time and this one is huge. Once the sun comes out we will go by and get a good picture of it. It started to rain again and the Captain took Kona to shore. We had an early dinner and spent a quiet evening writing in my dive log and organizing more pictures. |
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Weather |
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July 24th, 2007 |
Sunny – Hooray!! |
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Kayakers in Blackfish Sound While We Wait for the Current to Slow
Closely Examining the Kelp for Current Speed |
Woke up, had breakfast, took Kona to shore and went to check out our dive spot for today. We took the slow way around and enjoyed the beautiful sunny day and the calm seas. We putted around and watched the boats, fishermen and kayakers go by. We returned and got ready to dive. We were over an hour early getting to the site but wanted to study the currents and get in at just the right time. The dive was well worth the wait! The live undersea was gorgeous. We actually saw some fish, too. A big ling cod sat unperturbed on a rock shelf and watched us swim by. There were several sightings of rocks fish and kelp greenlings, a type of cod fish. Even some small black fish that might also be a type of cod. Lots and lots of “garden” plants, colorful corral many species of nudibranchs. The giant cauliflowers were down there too! It was the best dive we have while being here to be sure. We returned to the Sea Foam and Kona and relaxed with a few cold beers in the sun. We ate dinner at 2000 and retired early. A good dive at ninety feet for 30 minutes makes you very sleepy! |
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Weather |
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July 25th, 2007 |
Beautiful and Sunny!! |
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Kona Kelp Watching Looking West Out Across Towards Malcolm Island |
We slept late and the Captain took Kona to shore after breakfast. Today was a chore day. Captain Rick sanded the cap rails in preparation for a coat of teak oil. We plan to do one more dive today and move on to Port McNeil tomorrow to provision and get a full tank of fresh water. Then on further up the mainland coast northward most likely. As we were puttering around the boat a kayak charter came through our anchorage and commented that they liked our spot. I thought I spotted a flounder under the boat, the water is so clear you can see the bottom at 25 feet, so I hung a hook and a piece of raw salmon over the side to see what would happen. All the little fish were very interested in the weight but didn’t seem the least bit interested in nibbling on the salmon chunk. We geared up for our last dive in this area. The dive was wonderful. I saw the largest orange peel nudibranch I’ve seen yet. We also saw a Puget Sound King Crab. These guys are very large crabs with a really bumpy surface to their bodies and are orange and purple. They have huge front claws yet are very docile. Rick touched it and it curled its claws around itself rather than threatening to pinch him like most smaller Dungeness crabs would do. We came back to the boat very pleased with the dive and had supper. I had left my fishing line out all the while and there was not a thing on the hook when we got back. After we had retired I forgot that I had left my fishing line out. It was about midnight by now and I decided to get up and bring my line in, just in case a curious seal got caught up in it. I was surprised to find a boat just outside our anchorage with spotlights on and messing around with something. I put my binoculars on the boat and determined that it was probably someone local setting some kind of trap or laying a line down for halibut. The natives are allowed to fish like this in the area but not the recreational fisherman. From what I understand, they lay a line down on the bottom with several baited hooks along it and a float to mark its whereabouts. After leaving it there awhile they come and pick it up hoping to find several halibut attached to the hooks. We had dinner and retired early. Tomorrow we would depart from Safety Boat Cove after a stay of ten days. What a great time and a place to return to each year to be sure!!
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