Dive Traveler
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aida Gwaii is a remote and windswept archipelago more than 60 miles (100km) off the north coast of British Columbia, inhabited
by the Haida since, well, forever. Then English explorers showed up in 1778 and, as they were inclined, named the place, in this case for the wife of their monarch. So they became the Queen Charlotte Islands. For their unique and diverse ecosystem they’ve also become
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known as Canada’s Galapagos. But to the indigenous people who’ve inhabited this mystical rain forest for thousands of years, they are simply the ‘Islands of the Haida People’, that is, Haida Gwaii. It’s a magical place that seems
to transport you back in time. If you don’t find yourself there soon enough, a visit to the ancient village, and cedar totems, of SGang Gwaay will do the trick. It’s a haunting experience standing before these weathered totems, their sightless
Nautilus Swell and Inde in
Haida Gwaii. The classic tugboat underwent a
$3.5 million refit to become a
luxurious dive live-aboard
eyes forever fixed on the sea. Little wonder this Anthony Island treasure is nurtured in Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, and is a National Historic Site of Canada as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Diving in Style It’s just after dawn as I slip into the empty lounge of Nautilus Swell for a steaming mug of coffee, then quietly move outside and forward to the bow. The java helps lift the early morning fog in my head as I peer
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