Vancouver: a good local dive shop?

[Sepandee]

I'm in Vancouver for only a few more days (until Monday to be exact). I don't have any equipment and I have no idea how good the diving is around here. My question is, will it be worth it? And if so, what's a good local dive shop? Oh, and what's the price approx. (with rentals)?

 

[sschlesi]

I mostly use BC Dive and Kayak BC Dive and Kayak Adventures - Kayaking and Diving in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, they have good quality rentals. A full setup including dry suit will likely be ~$90-100 per day.

dive.bc.ca - Dive Shop Listing is a pretty complete though old list, I think 1 or 2 of these shops are now out of business, but the rest still exist.

There are several good dives around Vancouver, Whytecliff and Porteau Cove being the two most common sites. If you can make it onto Vancouver Island, say Victoria or Nanaimo the diving gets even better.

Unfortunately I won't have time to dive until after Christmas otherwise I would offer to take you out somewhere. I suspect there a couple of locals who will have the time.

 

[Sepandee]

geez, thanks. That would've been awesome, but I still appreciate the gesture. I've never dived in waters below 23 degrees. Is it too late in the season to dive in a wet suit?

 

[sschlesi]

The surface temp will vary right now but is probably between 3-7C. At depth the water will be it's typical 7-9C. I'm not brave enough to do it in a wet suit any time of year. But some do.

At depth the water temp doesn't really change, so that shouldn't really matter. The problem at this time of year will be getting out of the water into the much colder air, probably 0-5C, and then changing out of your suit in the cold air while soaking wet.

My wife did her open water in a wet suit in February at Whytecliff. She never dove locally again. I'm sure some people do it, but they must be tougher than me.

Do you dive in winter around Halifax? I'm guessing it won't be any worse here. The air temp is probably even a bit warmer here.

 

[sschlesi]

Obviously if you've never been in water below 23C you don't dive in Halifax in the winter. Or I imagine any other time of year.

 

[Sepandee]

No I never dived in Halifax. All my divings have been in Cuba, Barbados, and the Persian Gulf. I was about to before I left the place for good a couple of weeks ago, but didn't find the time.

 

[bisugo767]

Sepandee, I dive wet only during the late spring, summer and early fall. I do not have a dry suit yet and, unfortunately, rental suits don't fit me because of my shoe size. I do not recommend diving wet during winter. You may be OK in shallow water up to around 60-ft. but once you get out of the water, you'll get very cold very fast. I recommend that you don't dive dry until you take a dry suit orientation course or class. I already did and there are somethings that you need to know when diving with a dry suit. If you do not know the do's and don't and ins/outs, you might get yourself in trouble.

Phil (bisugo767)

 

[Dive IDC]

Our Vancouver dive shop offers a wide range of scuba gear and PADI scuba courses seven days a week to get you wet!