Saltery Bay / Powell River Aug. 21-22

[cram]

Hi all,

My wife and I are going to be camping near Saltery Bay this weekend Aug 20-22 and I'm hoping to do a couple shore dives on Saturday or Sunday (or both!). My wife doesn't dive so I'm looking for a buddy. If you're interested let me know.

 

[tregrrr]

your timing smells funny!! I am going to be there the weekend after to pick up people from Lund and was thinking of taking a dip then then... do you know of any good shore spots along there?? I visited with the mermaid already... anything else readily accessible??

 

[cram]

do you know of any good shore spots along there?? I visited with the mermaid already... anything else readily accessible??

Sorry, not a clue. This will be my first time anywhere on the sunshine coast.

 

[tregrrr]

well in that case there is a "porteau cove" in saltry bay. Not too sure of the shore-side amenities of this site since we did it by boat, but in that park there is a large mermaid statue. you can read more about it and I am sure you have, but that was the one site that comes to mind off hand

 

[Slamfire]

In addition to the Mermaid there are several other dive sites just about 2km away from the mermaid. Access is through a public park/boat launch. I'm attaching a map that shows the access point in relation to the mermaid and the ferry terminal (go to the bottom of this post).

This is a map of the different dive sites in that area:

I did all the dives in this map and then some in early July this year. Be aware that the wreck is no more -- the wooden boat desintegrated and all that's left is pieces of wood, and general junk. Octopus city does have octopii; I saw three. Closer to the shore you have areas of sea grass. Rock Garden had a big female octopus guarding eggs. The eggs looked close to maturing and female looked very pale and purplish. By now she's probably dead and the eggs have probably hatched.

Boulder Point is a sandy bottom sprinkled with occasional huge boulders - interesting dive. The reef is just that. A typical BC reef with better vis than your usual lower mainland vis.

Anywhere you choose to dive in the Kent's Beach bay will end up being an interesting dive. Current is not that bad and there are dives for all experience levels.

Here's somebody else's reviews of the dives in this bay (http://www.kentsbeach.com/diving.html):

The bottom is gently or moderately sloping in all areas, and is generally sandy with occasional areas having rock outcroppings or boulders.

1) "Octopus City": Colony of several large octopus at about 60 feet. Octopus have burrows under large rocks on a sandy bottom. Flashlights advisable for peering under rocks. An excellent night dive. A 40-foot wooden hulled wreck sunk by the Powell River SCUBA club is near the octopus dens. A dive flag on a tree on the shoreline marks the site, and an electrical cable has been laid on the bottom pointing directly to the site. Ask locally for precise instruction on how to locate the site.

2) "Rock Garden": Colony of several large octopuses with burrows under large rocks in an underwater boulder field. Depth 60-90 feet. Due south of boundary line between Kents Beach and provincial Boat Launch/Picnic Site marked by a float and a dive flag.

3) "Cabin beach": Gently sloping sand/gravel beach with extremely easy entry.
A line of eelgrass runs parallel to shoreline just below low tide mark - good for snorkelling at low tide. Deeper water has anemones, nudibranchs, sea pens, raffish, lingcod, moon snails. Bottom is fairly compacted, and careful divers won't kick up much mud. Makes an excellent dive for beginners (easy entry, safe, interesting). Area is also very good for night diving (curious dogfish will swim up to lights). Because of the area's very gentle slope and lack of underwater landmarks, good navigation is essential to avoid getting lost, although getting lost is not particularly dangerous as a dive can be finished at any point along the shoreline. This area would be very useful for training in compass navigation.

4) "Boulder Point": Jumbled boulders on shoreline extend down to 50 or 60 feet. Shallow areas have lots of seaweed. Lots of rockfish, starfish, anemones etc. to be seen. There are some octopus dens in the area. This area is a favourite of divers with cameras or video gear, and is good for snorkelling.

5)"Shallow bay": Bottom not generally below 40-50 feet. Oysters in profusion
in shallow water (check with Kents Beach before harvesting).

6)Rock shelf": Gently sloping rock shelf, covered with seaweed. Lots of rockfish, occasional rock scallops and a resident wolf eel. Good for snorkelling. Beyond this point there are a number of excellent wall dives, which are only accessible by boat.

 

[qathetDiver]

A little late to respond, but for the record, Porteau Cove is a long haul from Saltery Bay (about 80 km). However, there is a Mermaid Cove in Saltery Bay, which is a great shore dive, accessed from the Provincial Park campground. And the map above is quite accurate for the bay accessed from Kent's Beach or the Provincial Park picnic site and day use area (boat launch.) There are some more great sites a few km up the coast, too. Don't miss the wreck of the Malahat and Okeover Inlet, both shore dives, or talk to the folks at the dive store to hook up some charters.

 

[cram]

but for the record, Porteau Cove is a long haul from Saltery Bay (about 80 km)

I think he just meant that Saltery bay is like Vancouver's Porteau Cove in that it's a popular site that caters to divers.

Thanks for the other info though, I had a good time on that trip and hope to get up there again.

 

[njoynthewater]

Would you know of any books that have information on the shore dive sites along this route? I am planning a trip over that way and would like to check out some sites along the way.

 

[qathetDiver]

I think he just meant that Saltery bay is like Vancouver's Porteau Cove in that it's a popular site that caters to divers.

Thanks for the other info though, I had a good time on that trip and hope to get up there again.

Duh. I get it now. Sorry, and, yes, that's a good description. Mermaid Cove is popular and very diver-friendly.
Someone asked about a book, and Christopher Kluftinger's "Diving Pender Harbour" has a few shore dives in it along the lower Sunshine Coast. I'm pretty sure there's no book for the Powell River side, although Betty Pratt's books list a few in the Powell River area. Best bet is to drop a note to the dive store there (divepowellriver dot com). Or post how long you're planning to be up that way, comfort level, and I'm sure some of us could post a quick itinerary. And I trust someone will tell me if there's a better place to post that. I'm a newb to the board.