Areas to Dive

Victoria and South Island
For those who are staying in the Victoria area or making Victoria their gateway city to other island destinations, Victoria’s Ogden Point Breakwater, Ten Mile Point and nearby Race Rocks, offer exhilarating dive opportunities. Artificial reefs in this area include the HMCS MacKenzie, located off Sidney.

Gulf Islands
Located between the British Columbia mainland and Vancouver Island’s southern coastline are the Gulf Islands. The protected inlets and numerous narrows found throughout these islands are perfect for dive enthusiasts. Marine life abounds, ranging from seabirds and eagles to Stellar and California sea lions and occasional sightings of Orca (killer) whales. There is a rich collection of sea sponges and invertebrates.

Central Island
An exciting adventure like no other awaits divers in the waters off the central coast of Vancouver Island and the mainland; six-gill sharks! Imagine being able to swim with these gentle giants in ranges readily-accessible to the average scuba diver. This is a reality at Hornby Island, just south of Campbell River. Also in the waters off the Central Island, divers can explore wall diving that offers descents extending beyond 300 feet and showcases brilliant living gardens of brightly-colored corals and sea sponges. Artificial reefs in this area include the HMCS Cape Breton, the largest artificial reef in the world, near Nanaimo, the HMCS Saskatchewan situated near Nanaimo and just off the eastern side of Snake Island and the HMCS Columbia sunk just north of Campbell River.

West Coast
Barkley Sound and the Broken Group Islands of the Pacific Rim National Park offer a truly unique adventure in cruising and scuba diving; islands, islets and pinnacles abound. With so many rock outcroppings, it is nearly impossible to avoid contact and so many a ship has floundered in the dense fog, giving this area the nickname "Graveyard of the Pacific". Ships have sunk in this area as recently as 1972, as did the Van Lene, providing divers with yet another wreck to explore. A car freighter from Japan struck a rock off of Austin Island on a sunny clear day and eventually sunk with her cargo of Dodge Colts. At Bamfield, explore one of Canada's last boardwalk communities and one of our largest marine institutes.

North Island
The northeast coast of Vancouver Island is an area of rugged beauty, crooked forests and clusters of islands. Each trip offers the possibility of seeing a pod of killer whales. In the late summer, schools of Pacific White-sided dolphins return to this area to frolic and ride the bow wakes of boats. Without a care in the world, these friendly mammals create an exhilarating scuba diving and snorkeling opportunity. The diving is unbelievable, with the many current-swept passages creating walls that are absolute gardens of life, their pinnacles jutting up from the depths flourish in these nutrient-rich waters. The popular and well-known Wolf Eels that eagerly greet you at the bottom of the anchor chain, the valley of Gorgonian coral that entices you closer and, of course, the octopus, Puget Sound King crab, and Hooded nudibranchs all await discovery.