Swimming back to the bow I hover about 25 feet (8m) above the wreck, from where I can take in the entire 122-foot (37m) length of it. I can see my buddy in the cargo hold, shining his light focused on whatever’s caught his imagination. It’s a dark setting. As we join up again and head back to the surface the ever- brightening emerald sea reminds us how deep the wreck is, but, we’re thankful, not nearly so deep as it might have been. Disappearing beneath the
surface of the Georgia Strait did not erase the Capilano from the collective memory. She’s out of sight but not out of mind, because the Union Steamship Company launched another vessel named
SS Capilano in the years following the demise of this one. And like her sunken sister ship before, the namesake vessel serviced local communities up and down the Georgia Strait, until about 1949. There aren’t many photographs of the first SS Capilano, given the era, but there are plenty of the second Capilano. This is unfortunate, considering it was the original Capilano that played a part in the Gold Rush, and on a much more local level, is noted as one of the ships that transported stone from a Nelson Island quarry to Victoria for construction of the iconic BC Legislature building on the harbour front. Formally designated a historic
Left: Plumose
anemones jockey for position on the ship’s hull.
Above: Capilano is a haven for marine life
wreck site in 1985, the Capilano is now on the map, not just for local divers but also for a wider circle of wreck enthusiasts, thanks in large measure to easy access from numerous BC coastal communities that include Courtenay, Campbell River and Powell River, all with dive shops providing day boat service to the wreck site.
GOOD TO KNOW
Due to its exposed position, summer is the best time to dive the SS Capilano wreck. The wreck is part of the Dive Industry Association of BC’s Wreck Trek Passport, an underwater trail of artificial reefs/wrecks across British Columbia. Pacific Pro Dive & Marine Adventures runs charters to the SS Capilano:
www.pacificprodive.com
www.divermag.com 37
Photo: Bill Coltart
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