Dive Sites in British Columbia - Scuba Diving at its Best!

Diving Overview for British Columbia

British Columbia (BC) is Canada's westernmost province offering impressive mountain ranges, lush forests, rugged coastline and huge marine diversity amongst its archipelagoes in the North Pacific.

The wildlife around BC is absolutely stunning both above and below the water. Dive sites include deep drop-offs, walls, shipwrecks, caves, reefs, drifts and tunnels. Cool water run-offs provide rich nutrients making the marine life some of the most diverse in the world, including octopus, crabs, cold water fish, an abundance of brightly coloured invertebrates, algaes, kelp and even the occasional bear fishing for salmon!

There are many well preserved underwater shipwrecks including several navy ships. Head to Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands where you can dive the 400 ft HMCS Saskatchewan and HMCS Cape Breton as well as the more recently sunk Boeing 737-200. The rarely seen 6-gilled shark can sometimes be spotted around Vancouver Island.

The North of British Columbia includes Queen Charlotte Islands which lies 150 km from the coast. Diving is beautiful, colourful and diverse with a fantastic display of marine flora and fauna.

Don't miss the salmon run from mid-July through to early October on the Campbell River -local dive centres can organise snorkelling trips at the best spots along the River.

Water temperatures range from 12-18 Celsius (54-64˚F) in summer and may drop as low as 4˚C (39˚F) in winter. Below 10m the water is a fairly constant 7˚C (45 F). Visibility is fantastically clear often reaching 30m (100 ft) or more but may be affected during spring with increased water run-off or during the plankton blooms (there is usually one bloom around April time and another in September -contact your Dive Centre for more details on the next bloom).

Videos of British Columbia