considering dive trip to Vancouver Island in Aug - looking for dive buddy/ies

[Homunculus]

Hello

im planning a trip to Victoria in August 2024 (17-24) and looking for a dive buddy. Not familiar to the area at all but have plenty of cold water diving experience. Will likely rent a car. Will bring my own gear except weights and tanks. Any recommendations for a dive club or a dive shop that organize diving trips. Thank you!

P.S.
I'm familiar with the blog below but i don't know anyone i can dive with there.

index

 

[xan]

GUE BC has "all are welcome" (i.e., you don't need to be a GUE-trained diver) Wednesday night dives, though it's not guaranteed you'll always find someone that needs a buddy/team. They ask you reach out first if you're new to the dives, so presumably there will be a way to know before you show up if it's possible.

Frank Whites is the place to rent gear, and they also do some diving trips, including free drop-in ones.

 

[rjack321]

My only suggestion is if you are staying in Victoria to definitely dive the breakwater. And to not plan on driving north of Parksville. You don't want to spend you whole trip driving afterall.

 

[grantmac]

Lots of drop in dives in Victoria. Wednesday night GUE, Saturday White's (OW depth only) or Wilson's. Sunday is Rockfish. All organized through facebook these days. There are also amazing drop in's available in Nanaimo most weekends and realistically the diving is even better up there.
I'd recommend getting equipment through Rockfish, it's in better shape than White's for the same cost.

Plan on too much wind in the afternoon to dive the breakwater and relatively poor visibility above 10m in the Saanich Inlet. Nanaimo is better overall in the summer in my limited experience.

 

[Gandalf-the-Diver]

There are a number of FB groups in the Victoria area to help you find buddies. Frank White's has their Buddy Up page. The group that was diving out of Rockfish on Sundays, is now called: Friends Who Dive, Victoria B.C., Dive Buddy Central. Bei Facebook anmelden
That group is from now on, going to be diving out of Frank's on Sundays. Feel free to reach out on the page, before you get to Victoria.