Coral Island

Coral Island — A Rare Opportunity to Dive Among Gorgonian Corals

Across much of British Columbia, spectacular gorgonian coral gardens are found at depths beyond ordinary recreational scuba diving. Reaching these deeper habitats often requires technical diving training, specialized breathing gases or rebreathers.

Coral Island is different.

Here, powerful tidal currents deliver an enormous supply of food from the open Pacific Ocean. Combined with the right rocky formations, these conditions support extensive gardens of branching gorgonian corals in beautiful shades of red, white, orange, pink and yellow.

What makes Coral Island particularly remarkable is that these coral gardens are found at depths accessible to experienced recreational divers, without the need for exotic breathing gas mixtures or specialized rebreather equipment.

Among the coral branches are basket stars, often extending their intricately branched arms into the current to capture passing food. Some of the most fascinating observations of this relationship were documented by Neil McDaniel, a respected British Columbia marine naturalist, underwater photographer and author.

In his article Finding Cool Corals, McDaniel describes the remarkable gorgonian populations around Port Hardy and the presence of juvenile basket stars, sometimes numbering in the dozens, attached to individual coral fans. His observations have helped document and explain the extraordinary marine life found in this environment.

The corals appear to provide both an elevated feeding position and habitat for these basket stars. The precise biological relationship remains an interesting subject of marine research.

For underwater photographers, Coral Island offers colourful coral fields, basket stars, rockfish, anemones and an exceptional variety of marine life, all at depths that properly trained sport divers can explore.

The powerful currents that feed these coral gardens also make careful dive planning essential. Good buoyancy control, proficient drysuit skills are important. But when conditions are right, Coral Island gives recreational divers an opportunity to experience a coral habitat that would be considerably harder to reach in many other parts of British Columbia.