Be Sea Adventures

06/05/2026

Cleaning Up a Reef.

Last fall, me and buddies went on cannonball recovery dive. Lost fishing gear had been collecting and piling up along this reef.

Cannonballs are a nickname for downrigging weighting used in trolling. Anglers drag these weights behind their boat to help lower their fishing lines to depth. This reef sticks out much shallower than the rest of the seafloor in that area, creating a magnet for these lead balls.

We recovered over 700 lbs of lead and various other pieces of fishing gear like down riggers, flashers, fisjing line, and lures from this area. Lead is especially toxic to the surrounding reef and waters.

This was a pretty significant scuba diving operation including lift bags because of the amount of lead down there and the depths we were dealing with.

And to think, how much is still down there? How much has collected since we got it? What do other reefs look like in the area?

06/05/2026

Have you ever heard of, "The Underwater Universe of Chuck Coozetoe"?

Check out my friend Charlie Fox's video on diving Seven Tree Island on our trip to God's Pocket in April.

Nice job Charlie Fox. And looking good Pat Fogarty.

A dive trip with God's Pocket Resort in April of 2026.

06/04/2026

Happy World Seaweed Day.

Today we celebrate the importance of seaweed in our oceans and on our planet.

Did you know that kelp is seaweed? But not all seaweed is kelp.

Kelp and kelp forests are especially important as they do so many wonderful things for the planet.

Kelp forest are ecosystems and habitats fir so many marine sea creatures.

Kelp forests help remove CO2 from planet earth 20x faster than land based forests.

Kelp and seaweed products support healthy nutrition, healthy hearts, healthy guts and sustainable farming practices.

Kelp forests are under threat by increasing ocean temperatures, increasing urchin populations that graze on the kelp, and declining urchin predators like sunflower sea stars and sea otters. Kelp ecosystems are so important and sensitive too.

Awareness on this is key. You can follow my friend Rachel to learn more about the importance of kelp and seaweed.

06/03/2026

The Lions Mane Surprised Us

I took the boys snorkeling at McKenzie Bight last week and it turned into one of those Vancouver Island adventures I'll remember for a long time. It was my youngest's first time snorkeling in the ocean and within minutes he was completely hooked. We found purple sea stars, a crab, and a fried egg jellyfish drifting through the shallows. Then, just before we got out, a lion's mane jellyfish drifted right between us.

McKenzie Bight is one of my favourite spots near Victoria, BC. The marine life here is incredible and it's a great reminder of just how much there is to discover beneath the surface around Vancouver Island. The cold waters of the Pacific Northwest are home to some of the best underwater wildlife in Canada.

Thanks for hooking up the gear and the rentals.



Pacific Ocean, Explore BC, British Columbia, Ocean Adventure, Underwater World, Sea Life, Jellyfish, Lion Mane Jellyfish, Fried Egg Jellyfish, Sea Star, Kelp Forest, Wildlife Photography, Ocean Lovers, Outdoor Adventure, Family Adventure, Scuba Diving, Cold Water Diving, Vancouver Island Life, Explore Vancouver Island, Be Sea Adventures

06/02/2026

🤿 Diving with a Giant Pacific Octopus 🐙

Octopus are one of most fascinating creatures on planet earth 🌏. The Giant Pacific Octopus (GPO) is the largest weighing around 15-25 kg on average. The biggest one ever recorded was 270 kg 🤯.

They have 8 arms, equipped with 200-300 suckers on each arm. Each arm has a ganglia (it's own brain 🧠 ). Counting their central brain, that makes 9 brains total ‼️ The suckers are individually controlled and have chemical receptors to sense, taste, touch, and smell.

An adult GPO is usually 4-5 m in length. Thats the length of a small car 🚗. But some can grow as long as 12 m. That is the size of a school bus 🚌.

Giant Pacific Octopus are my favourite sea creature. What is your favourite?

06/01/2026

Ocean Week Scuba Diving with Wilson Diving in Victoria, BC.

A group of divers, organized through Wilson Diving, and lead by Be Sea Adventures, went diving at Henderson Point to celebrate ocean week yesterday.

The group saw Jellyfish, Rockfish, Anemones, Nudibranchs, and Sculpins.

05/31/2026

🌊🌿From towering kelp forests to encounters with Giant Pacific Octopus, this episode explores why Vancouver Island's South Coast offers some of the most underrated scuba diving in the Pacific Northwest. 🤿🤯

‼️New Episode - Exploring Vancouver Island's South Coast 🌊

🎥 Video Link in the Comments

In this episode we explore some of my favourite places to go scuba diving on the southern coast of Vancouver Island. Scuba diving off the coast of Sooke, Metchosin, and Victoria, we find some of best underwater marine life in the Pacific Northwest.

Encounters with Giant Pacific Octopus, Hooded Nudibranchs, Wolf Eels, and more. We discuss the challenges kelp forests face with impacts from increasing Sea Urchin populations and the decline of the Sunflower Seastar.

We have more collaborations and experiences with other divers from all around Canada. We also link up with underwater videographer, Chris Mullen, and YouTube influencer, Chris Samson from PNW Samson. Both contributed some video to this project from the different dives we did together.

If you want to see what scuba diving is like on the south coast of Vancouver Island, check this video out. You won't be disappointed.

05/28/2026

Ocean Week is Coming!

My name is Ryan Swan and I host a YouTube Show called Be Sea Adventures https://youtube.com/

Be Sea Adventures is all about promoting scuba diving on Vancouver Island, showcasing our local marine life, collaborating with other like-minded individuals, and sharing some awareness on ocean conservation.

Next Week is Ocean Week in Canada. There are lots of ocean events all across Canada like: community cleanups, activities for kids, paddling, diving, snorkeling, and more.

You might live in an Ocean Week hub city. Check out www.oceanweekcan.ca to find an event near you.

If you are in Victoria, Be Sea Adventures is collaborating with Wilson Diving and hosting 2 scuba diving tours. We have Open Water friendly dive on Sunday May 31st and an Advanced Dive on Wednesday June 3rd. Wilson Diving also has a snorkeling tour on June 7th.

Be Sea Adventures has a brand new episode scheduled to come out on YouTube, May 31st. It is all about diving the southern part of Vancouver Island and why I love diving here. We explore kelp forests, talk about impacts from sea urchins and sunflower seastars, explore new dive sites, and have an amazing encounter with one of biggest octopus I have ever seen.

There will be lots of fun content shared on social media too, so make sure you are following and .

05/26/2026

This is what a kelp forest collapse looks like up close.

A green sea urchin feeding on the last remnants of a walking stick (stalked) kelp forest at Otter Point, BC. Looks like sea palm but its a bit different. When sea urchin populations go unchecked, they devour entire kelp ecosystems leaving nothing but bare ocean floor behind.

Healthy kelp forests support thousands of marine species. Once they're gone, the whole food web feels it.

Observed the other day while scuba diving off the coast of Sooke, British Columbia.