When astronomer Sara Ellison arrives on the Sunshine Coast next week, she will turn her attention not to the clear skies, but to what’s below the surface of Sechelt Inlet.
Ellison, a professor at the University of Victoria, published her book Snorkelling Adventures Around Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands: The Ultimate Guide with Harbour Publishing earlier this year after the pandemic prevented her from travelling to more tropical waters. Instead, she turned to her local — and colder — environment of Vancouver Island.
Ellison admits she was intimidated by the cold water, despite being an avid snorkeller. So she researched how to stay warm and the best wetsuit to invest in.
“That was really the trigger for writing the book, because all of the information was very hard won for me, took a lot of research and a lot of conversations and a lot of trial by fire, that then I could distill for other people who wanted to get into it,” she said. “So my goal with the book was basically to write the book I wish I had, when I was getting into it.”
She found the underwater world teeming with life: octopus, sea stars, anemones. Her favourite is the colourful nudibrach. “They’re basically giant sea slugs, which sounds very unromantic. But they’re actually these spectacular creatures. They can grow up to almost a foot long, and they’re covered in all of these sort of frilly, colourful tendrils.”
“I found that the marine biodiversity is very specialized in different locations around Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands,” she said. “This book was the result of a couple of years of research where I really travelled around as much of the coastline on the islands as I could. I was really struck at how locations that were not too different geographically could have very, very different species on them.”
The Strait of Georgia is vastly different from the outer coast of Vancouver Island because of the rivers feeding into the saltwater. The area is good for beginners, Ellison said, because it’s much warmer in the summer. Even when temperatures dip, the visibility is very clear.
On Sept. 6, Ellison will give a free presentation at Sechelt’s Seaside Centre at 7 p.m. Her talk will feature three parts: Photographs of her underwater sightseeing, a show-and-tell of her gear, and tips on locations.
But before her presentation, Ellison will snorkel on the Sunshine Coast for the first time. She has her eyes set on Tuwanek where the rocky seashore will be a prime place to see intertidal life.
People who attend Ellison’s Sechelt talk will be treated to photos from Sechelt Inlet taken just hours before.
There are many reasons people snorkel: for the thrill of adventure, the exercise, seeing and photographing wildlife and meditative qualities. Ellison also praises the accessibility of the activity: unlike scuba diving, which requires classes and certification and specialized equipment, snorkelling needs a wetsuit, mask and snorkel, and can be done regardless of age or fitness level.
“Snorkelling fulfills so many niches,” she said.
