On a moonless night in 1942, four British carriers — the Saganaga, Lord Strathcona, Rose Castle, and PLM 27 — succumbed to a German U-boat attack, while transporting iron ore in support of the war effort. Today, these wrecks lie in close proximity on the ocean floor, spanning depths ranging from 70 to 160 feet. After completing my peak performance buoyancy training, I felt well-prepared for my first wreck dive!
Taking a giant stride off the stern of the dive boat, we began our descent to the bottom. Out of the blue appeared the ghostly ruins of the ship, with the anchor, catapulted midship during the attack, still lying upright on the deck. Swimming the length of the wreck, we admired the snow-white anemones and green urchins covering the hull. Our tanks were filled to 3000 PSI of nitrox, so following the rule of thirds, we turned back at 2000 PSI to be safe. During our decompression stop, I spotted a red lion’s mane jellyfish pulsating through the water column — one of the largest jellyfish species in the world.
After our surface interval, we embarked on a second dive closer to shore, descending to approximately 35 feet. At this depth, we encountered a gaping crevice in the bedrock, teeming with arctic marine life from red sculpins to lumpsucker fish. It was carved by retreating glaciers during the last ice age, and when sea levels rose, the ocean flooded in. Now adorned with colonies of mussels, we watched as sea stars, each the size of dinner plates, slowly crawled over the mussels in search of a meal. Upon surfacing, we returned to the boat, brimming with excitement and exchanging high fives after such an incredible dive.
