tobermory

[Fernie]

What dive sites do people recommend there? Is there night diving there?

 

[ScubaSteve]

If you are asking for boat dives, I think the wreck of the NIagara II is one of the more enjoyable rec dives but it is an AOW dive by depth.....at least I think they require AOW (check cuz I may be wrong here - depth is about 100'+ to the sand). But it was sunk in '99 and is still in great shape.

If you are looking at shore dives, the Lighthouse is easy entry/exit and is only about 60' and is super easy to navigate safely. The Gap/Anchor is a great dive but entry and exit can be much more challenging depending on the surface conditions. The Tugs is an enjoyable dive (easy entry/exit and fairly shallow) but the worst for parking.

 

[shoredivr]

Fernie, try this for sites
Divers Den - Shipwreck Map

*edit* for night dives, Steve has it right.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Fernie, try this for sites
Divers Den - Shipwreck Map

I suppose a link to the shore dives would be a good thing as well.....for some of the shore sites.

Tobermory Dive Sites - Diving My Way

 

[paddler3d]

I don't mean to hijack this thread.

I have a question for you folks that have been to Tobermory.

Do the wreck have mooring buoys? How do the diver operators up there get one the wreck?

One of my dive buddies has a boat that trailer where ever we can and not deal with dive operators.

 

[bleeb]

When regional divers talk about Tobermory, they're actually talking mainly about Fathom Five Marine National Park that surrounds the peninsula tip, plus a few wrecks in waters just outside the park, such as the Niagara II artificial reef. The park web site has some additional useful logistical information. Diving on wrecks within the park requires a diver permit, and part of the fee goes to supporting the Tobermory Hyperbaric Chamber. I believe the publicly accessible wrecks inside the park are all buoyed by the park. (Haven't been to all of them, so can't say for certain. There are apparently also a few underwater archeological sites not open to the public, but those generally don't show up in any publicly available lists.) Because of all the traffic (glass bottom tour boats), diver access to the wrecks in Big Tub Harbour is restricted to certain times of day and requires a separate boat permit.

 

[divingbuddy]

+1 for Steve at Aquasports. I believe he is also going to have a new boat for this coming season. I think Teak Bay is getting retired.

Another strong vote for Steve with Tobermory Aquasports! He has another new boat that he'll be putting in the water this season. Top notch operation all around.

Cheers!

 

[CDNScubaMoose]

What dive sites do people recommend there? Is there night diving there?

Besides the shore dives that were mentioned - some of the charter dives that are pretty good for OW level divers would include (IMHO): Sweepstakes, Wetmore and Carolina Rose. As for a night dive - beisdes the shore dive, I know I have dove with Steve on the Sweepstakes at night, however they will take you out to just about any wreck for a night dive if you are interested (biggest issue is filling the boat for some of the longer trips)

I don't mean to hijack this thread.

I have a question for you folks that have been to Tobermory.

Do the wreck have mooring buoys? How do the diver operators up there get one the wreck?

One of my dive buddies has a boat that trailer where ever we can and not deal with dive operators.

Most of the popular dive sites in the park as well as those outside usually have bouy's (some even have multiple bouy's). The bouy's are set up so that boats can tie up to them and for the most part the operators are pretty good with allowing each other to raft off each other - not sure how they would respond to a private boat.

On some of the lesser dove wrecks, there are usually private bouys put up. I believe most of these can be used by everyone, but at times they can be harder to find (I remember a trip where it took over 45 mins to find the Newago).

As mentioned already, there are restrictions for when you can dive on the Sweepstakes and I there are some requirements about a permit for having a boat up there. Not sure on the cost - if you google Fathom Five Marine Park, I would think you should be able to get a lot of info about what is required.

That said, I would strongly caution you or your friend about taking a private boat up there, especially if you are not familiar with the area. If you dive on some of the wrecks, you will appreciate just how destructive the conditions can be up there with regards to both the weather and the very unforgiving rocks. Every year, there are at least a couple of ships that still wreck up there (Steve at Aquasports has a pretty good side business of salvage). But, if you are going to - make sure you have good charts and navigation equipment (as well as a radio).

 

[shoredivr]

for the most part the operators are pretty good with allowing each other to raft off each other - not sure how they would respond to a private boat.

I've seen this happen a couple of times, and I think Stoo on SB does this all the time.

 

[ScubaSteve]

The couple of times I have seen private boats they have removed themselves whenever another charter showed up so that they were always on the end. I have only seen it twice and both times were at The Grotto/Caves so it is not exactly a history lesson .