New to BC Diving - Vancouver Dive Shop Recommendations

[Westbound]

Hello everyone, this is my first post on scubaboard!!

I'm looking for some input and recommendations for which dive shops you like best in the Vancouver area for training courses. I'm fairly new to BC, and have not been diving here yet, and I'm looking to do an AOW course to further my skills and learn to use a drysuit.

My experience and diving background is as follows:
- OW certified two years ago in Ontario (cold, freshwater diving)
- Nova Scotia shore diving
- Reef and Cavern diving in the Mayan Riviera in Mexico.
- about 25 dives total.

I've heard that BC has the best cold water diving in North America and I'm eager to check it out, as well as meet some local divers!!

I look forward to some recommendations and I hope to meet some local divers soon!

Thanks,

Peter

 

[BradnerBoy]

Hi Westbound...welcome to the Wet Coast and ScubaBoard.

There have been may requests, like yours, made in this forum, so please do a search first on "recommend" or similar and check the recent posts for this information. There's lots.

Here are a couple of recent threads on this topic to get you started:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/western-canada/271667-dive-shops-vancouver.html

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/western-canada/214092-vancouver-good-local-dive-shop.html

Best of luck in your efforts.

 

[cooldives]

Hey Peter - Welcome to BC.

How's the diving at Whistler!?

You are right - British Columbia has some awesome dive sites and I'm sure you'll love diving here.

The links above are good references, this board is full of great experienced local divers, and we also keep a list of some favorite dive sites, dive stores and dive operators at Scuba Diving Vacations In British Columbia, Canada

Enjoy the diving and drop us a line sometime to say how it's going.

Cheers.

 

[Westbound]

thanks for the responses guys.

I've called around to a few places and I really like the staff at the Edge Diving Center. I'm likely going to do my AOW with them later this month, and learn to use a drysuit.

the diving in Whistler is non-existant!

 

[bluelagoon09]

Hi Westbound, I just completed the Open water 60 ft at Dive & Sea shop in New Westminster. We did our ocean dives at Whyte Cliff and Porteua Cove.

 

[Westbound]

I've heard those are nice sites. I think that's where I'll be going in a couple weeks for my first dives in BC!

How were they?

 

[StuartT]

Hello everyone, this is my first post on scubaboard!!

I'm looking for some input and recommendations for which dive shops you like best in the Vancouver area for training courses. I'm fairly new to BC, and have not been diving here yet, and I'm looking to do an AOW course to further my skills and learn to use a drysuit.

My experience and diving background is as follows:
- OW certified two years ago in Ontario (cold, freshwater diving)
- Nova Scotia shore diving
- Reef and Cavern diving in the Mayan Riviera in Mexico.
- about 25 dives total.

I've heard that BC has the best cold water diving in North America and I'm eager to check it out, as well as meet some local divers!!

I look forward to some recommendations and I hope to meet some local divers soon!

Thanks,

Peter

Just keep an eye out on the board as many of us go out regularly for dives all around the vancouver howe sound area. Welcome to the board and will meet up soon. We are doing a couple of dives this monday somewhere arond west van if you are up to it.

Cheers

Stuart

 

[ry]

Just dove Porteau Cove today, awesome site. Viz was 20 feet or so

 

[Westbound]

Just keep an eye out on the board as many of us go out regularly for dives all around the vancouver howe sound area. Welcome to the board and will meet up soon. We are doing a couple of dives this monday somewhere arond west van if you are up to it.

Cheers

Stuart

Thanks for the invite, Stuart. This monday isn't convenient for me, but I look forward to meeting some new divers in the near future!

Peter