Dive Review of
God's Pocket Resort in
Canada/Vancouver Island

Red Sea (Sinai), Palau, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Great Barrier Reef, Belize,
Little Cayman, BVI, Honduras, Washington State

Dive Conditions

Back on boat with 300-500 PSI.  No harvesting.  No diving after drinking
alcohol.  

[None]  

Overall Rating

We've been diving for several days at God's Pocket around Labor Day every
year for more than a decade now, and we hope to be doing it the rest of our
lives.   

The coldwater diving off the north end of Vancouver Island is spectacular.
Walls and ledges covered in brilliant red soft corals, bright yellow
sponges, pink coralline algae, anemones, and more, with active critters
everywhere.  Nudibranch fans will find something exciting on every dive, as
well as on the log boom in the bay where the lodging is situated.  Wolf
eels, octopus, and BIG ling cod are the main big critter draws.  Some
years, as this year, there are schools of pacific white-sided dolphins to
snorkel with (about 200 in the school this year). Often we see orcas from
the boat on our way to or from the resort.  This year we had a very close
view (from the boat) of a solitary humpbacked whale in a small cove.

The boat is comfortable, with a heated cabin you can go into no matter how
wet you are.  Ladder is the easiest I've ever experienced anywhere in the
world. The rungs come off both sides of a central stalk that's angled
nicely, so you keep your fins on and just walk up. (They'll hand cameras
down once you're in the water, and take them from you before you come up,
if that's what you want.) Live boat pickup wherever you happen to surface,
so you never have to worry about getting back to where you started.  Nitrox
(and I think maybe argon) now available for extra fee.

Great dive sites in Browning Pass are only about 15-20 minutes from the
resort.  Other dive sites are typically within 30-60 minutes, and are
chosen based on the group's interest and the tides and weather.  Many dives
turn out to have some current, despite efforts made to dive mostly on the
slacks.  Sometimes you can drift one way along a wall, then back across
higher up as the tide changes. Conditions can be sunny and calm, or windy
and rainy, and everything in between, all in a day or two. Two or three
boat dives are offered per day, and you can jump in the bay at the resort
any time to see what's growing under the dock or on the sand bottom. The
bay is most interesting at night. Most people will want a dry suit, though
this time 3 of the 15 in our group dove with wetsuits (which you can warm
and dry in the generator shed between dives).  By the way, the generator is
now so quiet that you can barely hear it in the living and dining areas. 
With the large battery and air storage capacity now, and a small wind
turbine, the generator is not on very often anyway.

In addition to the excellent diving, God's Pocket is a warm and friendly
place to stay. It is on an island all by itself out of Port Hardy.  You
bring your own gear (except weights and tanks) and alcoholic beverages and
they take care of everything else. Because you are on an isolated island,
bring everything you might need in the way of spares, batteries, meds, etc.
Food is plentiful, always available, and always good.  Lots of veggies and
fruits served, and tremendous variety of pastries and snacks, all homemade.
 Meals are family style at a large table where the guests and staff mingle
and swap stories.  No carbonated drinks or junk food provided. 

Lodging for up to 16 guests is in 8 guest rooms that are like basic motel
rooms, very clean, each with private bath and 2 beds (one double, one
twin).  Daily housekeeping.  A well-stocked clubhouse contains space for
camera work, charging, video-watching, satellite TV, and games.  Fire pit
and hot tub on the decks. Hiking trails across the island and to the high
points.  Kayaks available to borrow whenever you want, or bring your own
out on the dive boat (which picks you up in Port Hardy).  Nature is
everywhere to watch or get wet in. And the staff all clearly appreciate
being in the great outdoors and love it as much as the guests do.

This is not the place for people who want to dive, dive, dive, 4 or 5 times
a day.  It is a great place to see some wonderful sights both above and
below water, relax and eat well between dives, and hang out with people who
love the area and the critters. 

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