Diving
Scuba diver, Tourism BC photo
Scuba Diving magazine ranked British Columbia's waters as offering the best diving in North America. The Jacques Cousteau Society rated us second only to the Red Sea for clarity and diversity of marine life.
Dive British Columbia's famous walls and reefs, explore ghostly shipwrecks and unique artificial reefs, or look for massive six-gill sharks.
The variety, abundance and colours of BC's ocean life will amaze: giant Pacific octopus, fierce-looking wolf eels, schools of rockfish, colourful nudibranchs and anemones, elegant coral and giant sponge formations are common sights.
Shore-accessed dive sites in Victoria and Vancouver provide an easy and safe introduction to BC diving. On Vancouver Island the wall dives in Browning Pass near Port Hardy are ranked the best in North America, and divers on the Sunshine Coast will find the emerald-coloured waters around Powell River and Skookumchuck Narrows teeming with life.
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Award-Winning Diving
The 2010 Scuba Diving magazine Readers Choice Awards ranked British Columbia "Best in North America for Overall Rating of the Diving;" "Best Wall Diving;" "Best Underwater Photography;" and second place for "Healthiest Marine Environment."
Dive Areas of British Columbia:
Vancouver Coast & Mountains
Vancouver Island
Victoria
Vancouver
Shipwrecks and Artificial Reefs
Take a “wreck trek” to historic shipwrecks, artificial reefs and purpose-sunk boats that are made diver-safe and sunk in favourable locations for both divers and the marine environment.
Popular dive sites include a WWII supply ship (the second-largest artificial reef in the world), sunken warships, a Boeing 737 jet and a bronze mermaid statue named "Emerald Princess."
Underwater Photography
British Columbia was ranked #1 for Best Underwater Photography in North America in Scuba Diving magazine’s 2010 Readers Choice Awards. Brilliant colours, remarkably diverse sea life in all shapes and sizes, rock walls carpeted in pink strawberry anemones, waving kelp forests and ghostly wrecks provide amazing photo opportunities.
Take a BC Dive Trip
Dive resorts and charter operators are the best way to experience diving in British Columbia. Packages include accommodations, boat charters, dive gear and guides. Most local dive shops offer weekend boat or shore-based dive trips, as well as expert advice, gear rentals and air fills.
Practical Points
- A full range of gear can be rented from most local dive shops. Proof of diver certification is required.
- Tidal currents can vary greatly; always consult local tide tables before entering the water. Dive shops and charter operators are the best source of information for up-to-date dive conditions.
- British Columbia's waters are temperate, ranging from 8-12C/46-53F. The best visibility occurs in the fall and winter months.
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#2- 4131 Mostar Rd
Nanaimo, British Columbia
V9T 6A6
Dive the sites the locals do by shore or boat. We offer scuba and snorkeling gear rental, scuba and snorkeling gear sales and service, PADI scuba certification courses, air and nitrox fills. To pre-arrange a dive master lead dive, contact us at the shop before your visit to Nanaimo.
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Other businesses with Diving
283A Bamfield Boardwalk
Bamfield, British Columbia
V0R 1B0
Join us for a memorable trip exploring our local area & all its wonders. You may see sea lions lounging at their haul out, harbour seals shyly watching us go by, eagles in their nests tending to their young, sea otters at home in the kelp beds, black bears foraging on the shoreline, gray whales devouring tons of krill and humpback whales playfully breaching. Diving charters, accommodations, kayak rentals & Broken Group Island kayak shuttle available.
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Km 765 Of Alaska Hwy
Muncho Lake, British Columbia
V0C 1Z0
Spectacular folded mountains, bountiful wildlife, brilliantly coloured wildflowers are just some of the wonders to discover. The southern portion of the park has the impressive geological formations of Folded Mountain, formed by tectonic deformation of limestone.
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