Where To Dive In BC If Only 3 Days?

[cleung]

If we still cannot travel internationally this year due to COVID, I'm thinking of staying within Canada and going to BC to dive this fall. However, I would have only about 3 days available to dive so if my top priorities are to dive with decent experiences with seals/sea lions followed by wolf eels, where would the best places in BC to dive given this relatively short trip?

 

[Saboteur]

Just stay in Victoria. There are numerous fabulous shore dives around Victoria and Saanich inlet. Local dive shops can give their recommendations on local conditions and tides (important). There is a board member MarkH who has posted several videos of Victoria area dives.

 

[KaptaniDerya]

Nanaimo or Campbell River. Hornby Island is well worth the trip also.

 

[cleung]

I saw the videos of the stellar seals encounters at Hornby Island. Are any of the seals encounters around Victoria going to be anywhere near as good as those at Hornby? Isn't Nanaimo a bit closer by ferry compared to Victoria from Vancouver?

 

[Saboteur]

I saw the videos of the stellar seals encounters at Hornby Island. Are any of the seals encounters around Victoria going to be anywhere near as good as those at Hornby? Isn't Nanaimo a bit closer by ferry compared to Victoria from Vancouver?

Check out videos of Race rocks just offshore Victoria.

 

[Darnold9999]

Check out videos of Race rocks just offshore Victoria.

For pretty much guaranteed sea lions race rocks is excellent - and the diving there is as good as it gets. Huge current sweeps the rocks so lots of life. Best dive in Victoria. Note - it is a boat dive and very exposed to weather and late fall is when we get weather. September and most of October are usually good. Late October and November is iffy. One of the best local dives is the Ogden Point breakwater. A marine park with a kelp forest and lots of rocks for critters to hide in. An easy access shore dive. Seals - not so much, but ling cod, octopus and lots of pretty much everything.

Nanaimo has artificial wrecks that are worth doing. Can’t think where around Nanaimo you are likely to see seals, but I don’t do wrecks so if I am traveling to dive locally I will go further north to Quadra island or Browning pass. Neither of which is really a three day trip. Have never done Hornby Island but the diving there is excellent and could possibly be a good choice, but this is boat diving so you would need to find someone going out in your three day window.

 

[decompression]

If you are ok with just great diving and nothing for amenities, then I’d choose Hornby.
If you want really good diving, wrecks, wolf eels, octopus, seals then base out of Nanaimo and use dive outfitters.
If you want good diving and a great city, then choose Victoria.

 

[cleung]

If you are ok with just great diving and nothing for amenities, then I’d choose Hornby.
If you want really good diving, wrecks, wolf eels, octopus, seals then base out of Nanaimo and use dive outfitters.
If you want good diving and a great city, then choose Victoria.

Thanks. I read somewhere that Hornby Lodge is closed until 2021. Is there any other way to dive it without the Hornby Lodge?

 

[decompression]

Thanks. I read somewhere that Hornby Lodge is closed until 2021. Is there any other way to dive it without the Hornby Lodge?

Not really as it would be a bit of a sail for a charter, but not 100% on that. I’d still email Rob and Amanda (hornby island dive) and confirm.

 

[girlwithbigtanks]

Check out UB diving. He’s got a ridiculous fast boat and I’m pretty sure he does sea lion runs I would do all my diving with him if I had a limited schedule.