Historic Shipwreck
ghostly white outline of the wreck, compliments of the giant plumose anemones lining her gunwales and edges of her compartments. It’s a striking visual (pictured pgs. 34-35). The luminous flower-like anemones blanket the hull, too, helping define her shape in the dim depths. The wreck is the only structure
on the sandy bottom affording protection and so it’s a haven for marine life. Descending on the Capilano, large schools of fish become visible to divers. Copper and Quillback rockfish hang in the current over her anemone-covered bow. And I can see several Lingcod within her hull. All of them are seemingly well fed and content, none move until I’m eyeball to
36 Magazine
eyeball, at which point they swim off lazily to nap somewhere else. There’s not much left of the
wooden superstructure, which has disintegrated over the years. Evidence of the ship’s last cargo – drums and rolls of cable – remains in the holds, but it’s hard to tell what we’re looking at for all the marine life cover. Swimming toward the stern where the bridge used to be, we see magnificent clumps of Cloud Sponge amid the plumose anemones. Hanging off the outside of the hull and perched in other spots these sponges continue to grow upon themselves, becoming ideal havens for little Rockfish and other juvenile critters. In several places large Lingcod are resting on
Top left: DIVER’s Art Director
inspects the remains of an old shoe. Top center: A
commemorative
plaque placed by the Underwater Archaeological Society of BC. Above left:
Capilano’s bow, like the rest of
her, is covered in plumose anemones
or near the Cloud Sponges, in anticipation of a snack emerging, I’m thinking. In the hold, there are chimney sponges. Aptly named, they rise above the substrate to which they’ve attached, and I look down them expecting to see…what? A little smoke floating up? More likely a few sheltering Rockfish. Offering as much shelter as it does, the wreck has become one giant nursery for juvenile fish, and a haven for mums and dads too.
Historic Wreck Not surprisingly, the wreck has become a favourite sport-fishing site, as evidenced by the snagged lures all over the structure.
Photos: Bill Coltart, Eiko Jones
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