Know Before You Go

 

 

 

Diving Edition

email: team@godspocket.com 

lodge phone: +1-250-949-1755

THE GP EXPERIENCE

Nestled in the temperate rainforest on a small island in a remote corner of the Pacific coast of Canada, God’s Pocket offers a comfortable and convenient launching pad to some of the world’s best cold-water diving.

The world class dive sites of Browning Pass are just a short boat ride away from God’s Pocket Bay (aptly named for its protected waters and cozy cove). This area is home to a mind-boggling concentration and diversity of marine life.

Strong currents flow through Browning Passage for most of the day, mixing nutrients from the deep and surface waters creating the perfect environment for marine life. Giant acorn barnacles grow in huge proliferations creating massive underwater reefs. Their hard shells provide habitat for a plethora of colourful encrusting marine life. Hidden in the reef you will find decorated warbonnets, grunt sculpins, giant pacific octopus, wolfeels and too many other species of fish to count.  This area is remote, and it is rare that we ever see another dive boat in this area. There are no crowds on our dives!

It is because of these strong currents this is such an incredible place to dive, but it also means we have to plan our dives carefully every day to put our divers in at the very best time, so they have the best conditions. Diving in Browning Passage is an incredible experience, but it can also be challenging for inexperienced divers. Divers can expect water temperatures between 7°-9° C (44°-48° F)

Divers looking to come visit us should be experienced in diving in cold water, current, and in their drysuits. Divers are required to have a minimum of 100 total dives and a minimum of 50 of those dives in cold water/drysuit diving. God’s Pocket does not offer an in-water guide so divers should be comfortable with independent diving planning after a thorough dive briefing from our knowledgeable crew. Some of our dives can only be safely experienced at slack tide which changes time every day, and some will be drift dives. We do not use reef hooks.

The first dive of the trip is always done in a protected and shallow bay with a soft bottom so guests can check out their gear, weights and get comfortable with our systems.  Our Captains and dive crew are very experienced and know our dive sites intimately, they will plan your dives for the best conditions at the time so you can enjoy the very best Browning Passage and the surrounding area has to offer!

In between dives, guests are welcome to take advantage of being on shore by hiking some of the forest trails around Hurst Island, kayaking in the surrounding waters, relaxing on the covered sundeck or accessing our excellent marine species reference library in the cozy and bright communal clubhouse.

THE LOGISTICS

Where to meet / Pick Up and Drop Off:

Timing: Pick up time 4PM on your first trip day and drop off time 9AM on the final day. Please arrive early and be ready to load your gear onto the dive boat by 4pm, and let us know via e-mail if you think you’ll be late. As with everything to do with water transportation, the times are very weather dependent.

Location: Quarterdeck Marina (Fuel dock) at 6555 Hardy Bay Road, Port Hardy, BC V0N 2P0

Click here for the:  Google Map

Parking: There is weekly pay parking on both sides of the Marina.

What to bring:

Please Note: During the COVID-19 Pandemic we ask guests to bring their own face masks to wear in indoor public spaces. We have cloth masks in the gift shop and a limited number of disposable masks available.

  1. Certification cards and log book.
  2. All personal dive gear.  We will supply steel 85 cf LP steel cylinders with convertible valves and weights. If you want a larger tank you are welcome to bring your own.  Please let us know ahead of time as many larger tanks and high pressure tanks make filling more complicated (our banks would not be able to manage a full group of high pressure tanks). 
  3. Dive Computer, we require our guests to dive with a computer.
  4. Alcohol and snack food.  We supply juice, hot liquids (coffee, tea, hot chocolate) as well as cookies/muffins/fruit for in between meals.  If you like sodas or nuts/chips/chocolate bars and such, you will need to bring them. There is a Save-On Foods and a BC Liquor store in Port Hardy, but make sure to budget extra time, if you’re going to go there before the 4pm pick up.
  5. Sunglasses and sunblock, hiking boots (or rainboots), rain jacket and warm clothing for between dives.
  6. Head lamp or small flashlight for evening or early morning.
  7. We supply all towels and linens.  We also have hand soap in a pump dispenser.  If you prefer bar soap please bring your own.
  8. Shampoo/conditioner.
  9. All toiletries.
  10. Camera.
  11. Underwater light.
  12. Spare dive gear.  We have a limited save-a-dive kit.  It’s best for you to pack spare parts rather than counting on us to have these for you.  When in doubt bring extra wrist and neck seals.
  13. North American electrical plug adaptors. Rooms have 120 volts outlets. In order to protect from Lithium Ion battery issues, we do not leave anything plugged in to charge while everyone is out at sea.
  14. Dive insurance & trip insurance
  15. Heating Elements (hair dryer, hair curler, small heaters etc) are not allowed as they are too hard on our off-grid batteries!

Please in-water test any gear you plan on bringing up BEFORE you get here. We are good at fixing things but we are not a full service dive shop and do not have rental gear

Additional Costs:

Your Package Price includes:

  • 3x boat dives per day[1]
  • 1x night/evening dive per week, in the bay[2]
  • Boat transfers between Port Hardy (the Quarterdeck Marina) to God’s Pocket Resort on Hurst Island at the predetermined “Pickup and Drop off” dates and times.
  • Accommodations (double occupancy by default, or single occupancy at a premium of 20% of your package price).
  • 3x delicious meals per day + baked snacks
  • A tasty meal when you arrive at God’s Pocket on pickup day
  • Quick Breakfast on Drop off day before heading in to Port Hardy
  • Housekeeping[3]
  • Nitrox fills for your tank
  • 1x LP 85cf Steel tank per guest
  • All the lead weight you need for your buoyancy
  • Use of a kayak; we have 3 singles and 2 doubles, plus gear

Your Package Price does not include:

  • Gratuities – The industry norm is 10% – 20% of your overall trip cost, and is greatly appreciated! 100% of the tips (minus any credit card fees) go to the crew that was with you at the lodge. The tips get pooled together, and each of the crew gets an equal share. Cash is definitely preferred; there’s no need to send part of your tip to VISA or MasterCard!
  • Merchandise – We finally have some merchandise for sale at the resort!
  • Wifi – Free to use but very limited data and very limited speed. You’ll be able to send messages, but will be asked not to send pictures, use data heavy apps or otherwise use too much data. The crew needs the bandwidth to check conditions, make food orders, and plan out the week
  • Lost lead weights – the replacement cost is $10 per pound.
  • Transfers to and from God’s Pocket outside the included group Pick up and Drop off – A pick up in the “Hurst Isle” is $450, in the “Ratfish” is $350, and market rate for local water taxi (this will be similar to the Hurst Isle in price). Fares can be split among the passengers.

 

Our dive boat

We are proud to dive off our 40’ aluminium hull boat, the “Hurst Isle”, powered by 2x strong engines below decks and air banks that can fill your tanks for a second dive. A favourite feature of our boat is the hydraulic lift, which will effortlessly pick you up out of the water without having to take any gear off.

Other features of the boat include:

  • Heated wet cabin (wet and dry suits permitted inside)[5]
  • Tank racks and gear baskets for each diver
  • Hot water for warming gloves and hoods
  • Camera rinsing tank[6] (weather and space permitting)
  • New air filling manifold (Spring of 2021)
  • Hydraulic lift and a back up a dive ladder to get you back on board
  • Divemaster on board to help fill your tanks and prep you for each dive site[7]
  • Hot drinks and snacks[8]
  • Up to date safety equipment, including first aid kit & oxygen
  • “Save the dive kit” with minimal dive shop items and
  • A head in the cabin

Deposit and Cancelation Policy:

Please check our full:  Deposit and Cancelation Policy.

[1] Dives are weather dependant, and the Captain makes the final call on whether it’s safe and otherwise feasible to go out

[2] Same as above

[3] Twice weekly and on-demand during COVID affected periods

[4] N/A

[5] COVID protocols apply

[6] COVID protocols apply

[7] In water dive guides may be available with prior notice and at extra cost

[8] COVID protocols apply

OFF-GRID LIVING

God’s Pocket is completely off the grid, we make and store all of our own power and we operate as lightly as possible on Hurst Island. This has several important implications.

Nature – Please be aware you are sharing space with nature and wildlife when you visit us. It is not uncommon to see eagles, herons, seagulls, crows, mink and many more animals right in the GP bay. Hurst Island and the surrounding islands are also home to coastal wolves, we are incredibly lucky to have them as our neighbours, they respect our space and we respect theirs, we have never had a negative interaction with the local wolves. To continue to be good neighbours to the wildlife we ask guests not leave food where it can be accessed by animals.

Electricity – We operate off a bank of batteries that we maintain and charge using generators, wind, and solar. This means we need to manage our power consumption actively, and prefer to err on the side of lighter use when we can. As mentioned in the logistics section, heating elements aren’t great for the battery bank – therefore personal heating elements (hair dryer, hair curler, small heaters etc) are not permitted. We are constantly looking for ways to become greener and welcome any experience and knowledge that will help us reduce our footprint even faster!

Water – We gather our mains water from a natural spring about a kilometre away, and we desalinate saltwater to make drinking water (available through a separate spigot in each bathroom), bringing it well beyond required ppm levels with our 900psi reverse osmosis unit. Both systems go through several levels of filtration, and both are blasted with UV filtration, as well. Needless to say we work hard for our water, and there is a limited supply! We ask you to be very conscious about usage, and limit showers and flushes as much as possible. No need to limit your drinking water intake though – stay hydrated!!

Septic – We run a septic system that also needs care. This means not flushing anything other than human waste and toilet paper down the toilet! We also ask that you limit the amount of toilet paper that is flushed & provide a fresh natural waste bag to place your used wipes when it’s agreeable.

Garbage – All the garbage needs to come off the island at some point. We don’t want to leave anything drifting off into the amazing environment of the forest or bay. We have a set of sorted recycling bins, compost buckets and garbage bins, and ask your help in making sure that all garbage gets deposited in those, so we can take it with us to Port Hardy.

In order to keep accessing such a magical part of the planet we need to continue to act with respect to the wildlife and ecosystems around us. We thank our guests in advance for joining us in these actions.