Diving
For scuba diving fans, Sechelt and the rest of the Sunshine Coast offer some of the world's finest cold-water diving year-round.
In fact, legendary explorer Jacques Cousteau ranked this region as the third-best place in the world to dive after Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the Red Sea. With abundant, healthy marine life to view beneath unspoiled coastal waters, divers are in for a treat. While many divers like to train in the summer, underwater visibility on the Sunshine Coast is even better in the winter due to the lack of algae bloom.
The Sunshine Coast's sheer variety of dive sites makes it a genuine Pacific Ocean diving mecca. Dramatic walls and pinnacles offer adventure and natural beauty, and drift dives are also popular. Scuba divers can expect to see plenty of marine life. There is a vast host of colourful invertebrates, such as giant Pacific octopi, starfish, and jellyfish. Close encounters with playful porpoises, sea lions and seals are also on the menu.
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Dive Sites near Sechelt
Looking for a challenging wreck dive? Board a boat and head out to the HMCS Chaudière, a former Canadian Navy sunken at Kunechin Point in Sechelt Inlet. The 112m/366ft World War II submarine hunter was sunk in 1992 by the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia, and is now home to a healthy diverse marine ecosystem.
From Sechelt, it's just a 51km/32mi drive north on Highway 101 to Egmont, where veteran divers explore the power of the Skookumchuck Narrows. Beneath these frothing tidal rapids (the fastest-moving saltwater rapids in North America at up to 16 knots), there are great opportunities to view anemones, king crabs, rock fish, and more.
Calmer waters prevail at the Tzoonie Narrows in Sechelt Inlet, noted for its rocky reef walls and accessible shallow waters. For those who prefer a shore dive, Tuwanek Point (north of Porpoise Bay Provincial Park) beckons, going as deep as 52m/170ft and featuring octopi, eels, and other creatures.
Sunshine Coast Diving Rentals
As the Sunshine Coast's only full-fledged dive centre, Suncoast Diving (5648 Teredo St.) offers diving training, dive charters, and diving gear rentals and sales. It's been in business for more than a decade and has been endorsed by National Geographic. In Egmont, Porpoise Bay Charters (5718 Anchor Pl.) offers dive charters, waterfront accommodations, kayaking, and other water activities. The company has been operated by a husband-and-wife team since 1991.
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