Raptures of the Emerald Deep: British Columbia's Diving Wonders

Jett Britnell · Issue 55, Jul/Aug 2010 · pp. 45–51

Products mentioned: Nikon D200, Sealux housing, Inon Z240, Ikelite strobes, Nikon SB 800, Sealux strobe housing, Scandisk CF cards, Nikon 10.5 fisheye, Nikon 60mm macro lens, Nikon 105 macro

In his best-selling book, “The Silent World”, Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau waxed poetically about his intrepid 50-fathom dives into the zone of rapture, that precarious depth where…“divers become like drunken gods”. Cousteau was recounting his early experiences diving under the mind-numbing effects of nitrogen narcosis. He described these intoxicating seizures as “l’ivresse des grandes profundeurs” which when translated means “rapture or intoxication, of the great depths”. “Raptures of the Deep” is an evocative phrase that I always felt accurately described the dizzying underwater grandeur of British Columbia’s Emerald Sea. Widely regarded as having some of the best cold water diving on the planet, British Columbia’s current-swept channels are renowned for its fascinating array of diving attractions. These luxuriant plankton rich waters support a diverse population of over 350 species o…