Road Trip - Cowichan Bay - Part 2

Part 1 of this series introduced you to our relaxing stay at the Cowibbean Cottage in Cowichan Bay on the east coast of Vancouver Island. It was a day to rest and recharge with nothing to do but watch the tide go out, the ocean bottom come alive as the water lowered, and get a sense of harbour life on a summer day. In order to give you the full sense of what and when things happened, I'm presenting this post with the actual timings, just like I did in Part 1.

Cowibbean Cottage, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

10:30 am - With our dock close to resting on the ocean floor, Nelson used an available net to carefully scoop up something and then hurried up the ramp with his dripping net to where I was waiting. We weren't sure why there was a small net available for our use, or if someone had left it behind, but we were thankful for the experience of getting a close view of what we saw below the water on the ocean floor.

Hairy Shore Crab, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

10:30 am - Nelson's net held a tiny Hairy Shore crab. I snatched a few photos before he quickly returned it back where he'd found it.

Hairy Shore Crab, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

10:30 Our Hairy Shore crab was green and I worried that it was a European green crab, a species that is invading the waters along our Pacific coast. However after researching it, Crystal confirmed we had found a native hairy shore crab that can be found in several colours and that just because it was green didn't mean it was one of the invasive crabs.

Graceful Crab, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

10:40 am - The second crab Nelson presented for identification and photographing turned out to be a Graceful crab. This is the crab that was walking upright in the screenshot mentioned in Part 1. The four legs on either side are the walking legs. There are two claws that control the food intake, with the right claw being bigger and blunt for crashing shells etc, while the left claw is smaller and sharper for cutting. 

Cowibbean Cottage, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

10:42 am - Nelson slipped the eager Graceful crab back into the water where he'd found it. The tide was still going out and the dock seemed to be sitting on the bottom. This last foot or so of water was the murkiest as if the bottom was stirred by all the creatures clamouring to keep up with the tide.

Bald Eagle, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

11:00 - A Bald Eagle flew overhead, searching across the bay for a chance to dive down and snatch a living fish right out of the water. I would have loved to photograph that event, but the eagle just flew on by.

Cowibbean Cottage, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

12:10 pm - At the end of our dock, Nelson took a break from looking down in the water and relaxed in the 22 degree celcius weather with a soft breeze cooling his skin. 

2025 Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

12:13 pm - Above is a photo similar to one in Part 1, however, we now see the water level lower than the base of the post and the tide is still going out. Barnacles covered almost every surface of wood and metal making it hard to distinguish their identity.

2025 Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

This photo shows a close-up of the barnacle-encrusted piece of metal beneath the deck in the photo above it. I suppose it's some type of marine equipment, but it's unrecognizable in this state. Barnacles live on the hulls of boats and ships that stay in the water. The barnacles start small but stubbornly attach themselves to the hull as they grow, much like to the metal in this photo. Ships need to be cleaned periodically to keep the integrity of the hull from corrosion. Barnacles will slow down the vessel, add weight, and reduce fuel efficiency. 

2025 Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

12:15 pm - In the above photo, I had leaned over the deck railing to take photos of the ocean floor close to our cottage. The blue circle in the top left corner shows what appears to be a rock covered with acorn barnacles. To its right is a blue circle showing a Pacific Littleneck clam. And the blue circle on the bottom middle shows the distinctive waves of an oyster shell. 

2025 Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

12:19 pm -  A bit farther out I aimed my camera at some oyster shells disguised as pineapple tops that caught my eye among the mucky, littered ocean floor in the above image. The litter is caused by birds, mainly gulls, dropping the shells onto rocks so that they break apart exposing the inner meat. As well, I see four complete oyster shells in the top centre with varying stages from almost-closed to open enough to show the inside lustre.  

Part 3 of the Cowichan Bay series will feature the tide at its lowest water level at Cowibbean Cottage. As the day wanes we will see several of the birds and animals that inhabit the area that have come out to search for their evening meal. Part 3 will be posted June 20th.

Our stay at the Cowibbean Cottage in Cowichan Bay relates to the June calendar page.