What would you expect to see in the depths of Burrard Inlet off Port Moody?
A few grasses? Some salmon smolts? A crab or three?
In fact, a whole ecosystem awaits and a trio of intrepid divers is letting us in on Port Moody’s biggest secret.
In repeated dives to inspect sea pens for coho smolts, divers Lukasz Szlachta, his brother Kamil Szlachta and Serena Moore have found an underwater world as colourful and exciting as any as you’ll find in a tropical sea. There are gigantic tube worms waving in the tide, dock shrimp, blue mussels, plumose anemone, California sea cucumbers and purple sea stars living off of anchor lines and sea pens operated by the Mossom Creek Hatchery.
All three of the young adults work in the film industry but they also do volunteer work, helping maintain the hatchery or working with its operator, the Burrard Inlet Marine Enhancement Society.
But they are also veteran divers with an interest in oceanography.
“I have hours and hours of film,” said Lukasz Szlachta, an underwater photographer who has a YouTube channel where he posts his work, including footage of some exotic dives off Thailand and Australia.
The three say people would be surprised at what lies beneath the ocean and they hope the videos will encourage people to take more responsibility in fighting pollution and development that may encroach on the ocean.
“If you see it, you are more likely going to appreciate it,” said Kamil Szlachta, who recently graduated from SFU with a biology degree.
The water is also surprisingly deep under the sea pen near the Ioco Boat Club, and murky, but with a flashlight, you can see many of the creatures, they said.
Moore, who also has a degree in biology, said the inlet ecosystem is important for salmon and other creatures in the area. Recently, she and Kamil Szlachta helped transport coho smolts from Mossom to the sea pen, where the fish fattened up before heading out to sea.
Lukasz Szlachta is hoping his YouTube channel will generate some interest, and possibly funding in the future, so he can continue his dives. He uses an underwater GoPro camera and an iPhone in a watertight case to do most of his filming but he would like to get more equipment.
He also writes his own scripts, chooses music and does the narration for his films.
“When you’re diving, you feel weightless, isolated and at the same time you feel grounded," he said. "I want to share that with people."
• Watch Lukasz Szlachta's videos at Ocean Pictures on YouTube.
