Once thought to be extinct, ancient cloud sponge seen in B.C. waters

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A B.C. diver has made an extraordinary discovery beneath the waters of Saanich Inlet.

Ancient cloud sponges were once thought to be extinct, but Ryan Swan from Be Sea Adventure captured them on video.

“It was really cool, like visually to see the sponges in their habitat, the way they are at Christmas Point was fascinating,” Swan said.

The dive site located in the Saanich Inlet is one of the few places in the world where ancient cloud sponges can be observed, but getting there isn’t easy.

“I had to take on technical dive training, which is an advanced type of scuba diving,” Swan said.

“So that helps you go beyond the limits of what recreational diving allows.”

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Timelapse of sea sponge ‘Belinda’ sneezing, hibernating and changing off coast of Vancouver Island

Using specialized equipment and breathing different gases, divers can maximize their bottom time, but when the training ends, the search begins.

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Swan documented his dive, sharing the rare footage on his YouTube channel Be Sea Adventures.

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“I want to really show scuba diving to the fullest and show what sea creatures are down there and how important they might be to the ecosystems,” Swan said.

“Cloud sponges are a type of glass sponge. While fragile and incredibly vulnerable to things like anchors and prawn traps, they play a key role, filtering nutrients and maintaining the ocean’s balance. These species are an indicator species, so it’s about protecting the ecosystem that they support and the water quality that they support.”

Which is exactly why Swan plans to continue sharing his dives.

“If I can inspire people to get into scuba diving or inspire scientists or people to make better protection efforts, even if it’s just one person, then I think we’re making a difference with Be Sea Adventures,” he added.

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