Dive Site Reviews

Here are some reviews of dive sites around the province organized by geographic area. Unless noted I am the reviews author.

• General B.C. Dive Info
• Lower Mainland
  
  • Whytecliff
  • Lookout Point
  • Passage Island Reef
  • Caufield Cove
  • Kelvin Grove
  • Porteau Cove
  • Whiskey Cove
  • North Indian Arm Reef
  • Best Point
  • South West Indian Arm
  • Sasamat Lake
  • Bedwell Bay West Side Wrecks
  • Bedwell Bay Minesweeper

   

• Sunshine Coast
  • Artificial Reef ex-HMCS Chaudiere
  • Tuwanek Point
  • Cooper's Green
  • Francis Peninsula

   

• Powell River
  • Mermaid Cove
  • Octopus City
  • Grief Point
  • Agamemnon Channel Power Lines

   

• Barkley Sound
  • Renate's Reef
  • Tyler Rock
  • Chup Point
  • Pill Point
  • Hornby Rocks
  • Kyen Point

   

• Port Hardy
  • Browning Wall
  • Hunt Rock
  • Snowflake Island
  • Hussar Point
  • God's Pocket Bay

   

• Seymore Inlet
  
  • Turncoat
  • Bremner Island
  • Cotton Channel
  • Butress Island
  • Lou's Hole
  • Turret Rock
  • Outer Narrows
  • Cliffhanger

• Victoria
  • Introduction to Victoia Area
  • The South Side Area
    • Ogden Point Breakwater
    • San Jose Cresent
    • Clover Point
    • McMicking Bay
  • Arbutus Ridge Area
    • Smugglers Cove
    • 10 Mile Point
    • Spring Bay
    • Telegraph Bay
    • Spindrift Cove
  • Esquimalt
    • Saxe Point Park
  • Saanich Inlet Shore Dives
    • Deep Cove
    • Henderson Point
    • McKenzie Bight

     

• Nanaimo
  • Dodd Narrows
  • 4 Fathom Reef

   

• The Southern Gulf Islands
  • Artificial Reef ex HMCS Mackenzie
  • Coon Bay
  • North Galiano Government Wharf
  • Virago Point
  • Active Pass (Galiano side)
  • Georgina Shoals

   

• Campbell River
  • Copper Cliffs
  • Steep Island
  • Row and Be Damned
  • Whiskey Point

****General British Columbia Diving Conditions****

Visibility:
Around British Columbia the waters are very rich in nutrients which explains the vast amount of life that can be found here. This does however pose some problems. In summer visibility can decrease to 5 feet in some areas, this is usually confined to the first 30 feet of depth with visibility improving as you go deeper (it will however be dark). This is not to say that the visibility is always bad in summer. Visibility is a strange thing great one day and poor the next, there is also great variance from site to site. In general 25 foot visibility is often found in summer but many areas may get up to 40-50 feet. In winter visibility can reach 100+ feet in some locations and as a rule is always better than you would find in summer.

Currents:
British Columbia is blessed and cursed with some of the fastest currents in the world. They make dive planning important, but they also move nutrients around to stationary invertebrates so these creatures thrive here. Just what do I mean by strong currents, well over 10 knots! In some locations up to 20 knots! Dive on the slack and go with a good charter operator/guide in the high current areas. This is important since slack can vary at least 1/2 hour from the predicted time so find someone who can "read" the tides. Many areas experience lighter currents in the under 5 knot range that can still make diving hazardous. This is however why there is so much life here and drift diving is easy once you get the hang of it. There are of course non-current dives in the province, in fact Barkley Sound is with a few exceptions current free (surge however is a different story). just remember you do not have to fear currents just respect them

Animal Life:
They grow them big up here. There are several distinctive species that are loved by divers up here. One is the Pacific octopus which can get to 12 feet in arm span and 120 lbs. This is a secretive creature most often found in a rock den near a sandy area. Look for it's distinctive midden or octopus' garden of old shells and crab parts. Another is the wolfeel which is not a true eel but a big blenny fish that can grow to 8 feet in length (although 6 feet is more common). these animals are quite friendly and are often "tamed" by diver contact. This behavior is in stark contrast to those of you who know the Atlantic wolf fish, a close relative. The sixgill shark is an illusive resident of very deep water that for reasons unknown comes shallow at a few special spots in B.C. This member of the cow shark family is "usually" docile and a good thing since they can reach 15 feet in length. We are lucky in B.C. since not much up here can hurt a diver, only one species of jelly fish is a problem (red jellyfish) and nothing like fire coral or that kind of thing. No real aggressive animals with the possible exception of large groups of sealions. If you exercise common sense (don't step on the urchins) there is no reason you should have any trouble with marine life.

Water Temperature and Weather:
Ok I use a drysuit and I'm proud of it. The water is B.C. is not ice cold but it is cold, in winter it can drop below 40 F in summer it might get up to 52 F. Of course down deep the temperature rarely varies much. You can dive up here in a good 2 piece 1/4" wetsuit, but I don't. The coastal areas of B.C. have a moderate climate compared to the rest of Canada, but there is still the chance of snow (after all Whistler ski resort is close to Vancouver). Temperatures along the coast range from -10 C to +10 C in the winter. Summers are great.