Looking for places to Snorkel/Dive around Ottawa

[69Thunderbird]

Hi there

I am brand new to the Board but not to snorkeling.

I have an Open Water Cert and am very new to scuba diving only done 4 dives last year.

I am an experienced snorkeler and am looking for good places to snorkel and perhaps dive and take underwater photos around the Ottawa area / Renfrew County.

Anyone ever dive in Algonquin Park?

Is snorkelling allowed in Gatineau park?

Marty

 

[underH2Oman]

not sure about the snorkeling. There are some unique dives in the area that I have wanted to check out but the 6 hour drive has held me back.

Black Donald Lake (Calabogie) has a submerged town.
Barrys Bay has the wreck of the Mayflower

You could also look at Deep River Underwater Club Dive Sites and Reports for some ideas.

 

[CGE925]

Another good possibility would be Morrison's Quarry just across the border here in the Democratic People's Republic of Quebec. It's about a half hour from Ottawa and the diving is good and somewhat varied (it's a busy training site), but you will have to have the FQAS permit. Don't know if they can be had for one-off dives as part of the admission to the quarry.

 

[Pinecube]

I haven't had much luck finding good spots in the Ottawa River (within Ottawa) in the short time I've been searching. The beaches would be perfect but the way the topography works, you'd still be standing up half-way across the river by the time it finally drops off.
There is Red Pine Bay up in Arnprior, however the visibility seems to range from Yes to No and it's right next to a somewhat busy boat ramp.
Morrison's Quarry is great, there are temp FQAS permits but I'm not entirely sure how to get those.

I hear about Calabogie quite a bit. Though I haven't been there myself that sounds like it's worth looking into.

 

[JBFG]

go to the saint-Laurence! depending where you are in ottawa you are 45 min to 1 hrs away. most people dive there

 

[Dillon Hillier]

I dove black Donald this fall, on Thanksgiving, and would not recommend it for someone with only four dives. The vis is not great and what I believe is the open pit mine or the natural shoreline was a little bit disorienting, basically a giant black hole that spanned an unknown distanced north, east, and west. The edge of the pit started at 40', not sure how deep it went but I have heard 300 and the vis dropped significantly. It was a decent dive though, there isn't much left except old foundations.