| Date Reviewed: | March, 2002 |
|---|---|
| Location: | north of Sekiu |
| Access: | shore/boat dive |
| Site Description: | slightly remote shore dive with reef |
| Main Attraction: | Carpets of purple urchins, remote location |
Getting you and all your gear to 1 Mile Beach ranges from difficult to nearly impossible. As the name may hint at, 1 Mile Beach is about 1 mile from the Sekui Jetty, headed vaguely west. Up behind the jetty there is a dirt road that seems to wind off along the coast, a dirt road that is periodically blocked by large concrete barriers. When those barriers are not in place, it is possible to drive a vehicle up the dirt road to get your gear there.
About a mile from the start of the dirt road, pull over where there appears to be a trail that leads down a slippery, often muddy embankment to the beach. If the concrete is across the road, you will wisely drive back to the Sekui Jetty and do a dive there, skipping a long, arduous hike.
If the concrete is not blocking your way, and you are able to get to the beach, rejoice, for this is unlike many other shore dives. The beach itself is a nice sandy comfortable place to hang out for the day. We once brought some tents and camped here overnight after a dive, and ate mussels off the reef for breakfast.
The sandy beach gives way to some rocky shelves that lead to a decent reef that lies in shallow (less than 10 feet) water, and then gently slopes off to greater depths.
The reef itself is full of channels and crevices, and huge carpets of purple urchins, which make it a stunning place to snorkel once you've blown through your tank of air. Invertebrate life is the key here, as it's a little shallow for fish of any size. Crabs, urchins, Limpets, Sea Cucumbers, chitons, and gorgeous plant life makes for a nice easy, shallow dive (which also, conveniently results in really long bottom time if you care to stay down!).
The beach is remote, and the chances of seeing anyone behind the occasional tanker headed to the pacific, or fisherman offshore is fairly poor, which makes for a nice relaxing dive out in the woods. To the left of the reef is a sandy bottom bay, where you'll find eelgrass, and all the interesting critters that grow there.
If the concrete is not in the way, head out there. Otherwise, it's not worth the hike in, but then I can't think of many dives where walking two miles in full cold-water gear would be worth it.
