Browning Pass Hideaway – fire

By The Marine Detective on May 1, 2025

The Browning Pass Hideaway in Clam Cove burned today.

There has been a file from the BC Ministry of Forests regarding the tenure of this dive lodge dating back to 2016 (see notice below). There were very significant concerns about long-term neglect (see photos below) and resulting environmental impacts.

The fire was discovered and reported by a dive group from God’s Pocket Resort. No one was injured. Documentation is by Bryan Hillyer.

“At approximately 11:15am, our group of divers noticed smoke billowing out of Clam Cove, located on the north end of Browning Passage. We took the boat into the cove to check for danger and found The Hideaway, a scuba dive lodge, burning. We notified Coast Guard and stayed to monitor the flames to ensure the surrounding forest did not catch on fire. Once the flames receded and the majority of the floating structure had burned, we notified Coast Guard of the status of the fire and took our leave.”

There is no information currently about the cause of the fire, and speculation is not welcome.

Why am I sharing this information?

Because many of us in the BC dive community have a connection to this site be it because of concerns about the neglect and/or because of knowing the owner. Also, it provides insight into how there can be these realities of long-term neglect from those who lease sites, all the way up and down our coast. Who pays? The environment in astoundingly beautiful and important places that, of course, are connected to millennia of First Nations culture.

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