Victoria, BC diving - what's it like and what's your favorite site?

[jlbartley]

Hi everyone. I'm going to be in Victoria for a day on a cruise ship and was debating on taking the day to dive. I'm wondering if I someone would mind sharing some more info about diving in Victoria? What should I expect diving there? What types of sealife, I've only been diving in the carribean, places like Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, and the Great Lakes. What would I expect form diving in Victoria?

What are your favorite dive sites that you think would be possible to hit during the time I'm at port? I'm in town from 9:00am to 5:30pm.

Any recommendations on dive shops?

This is probably stupid to ask this since this is a dive forum but if you had only 1 day to spend in Victoria would you spend it diving or above ground doing something else

 

[wedivebc]

You are likely docking at Ogden Point. There is a dive shop right there and there is a pretty decent shore dive right there at the Breakwater.

Have fun.

Hi everyone. I'm going to be in Victoria for a day on a cruise ship and was debating on taking the day to dive. I'm wondering if I someone would mind sharing some more info about diving in Victoria? What should I expect diving there? What types of sealife, I've only been diving in the carribean, places like Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, and the Great Lakes. What would I expect form diving in Victoria?

What are your favorite dive sites that you think would be possible to hit during the time I'm at port? I'm in town from 9:00am to 5:30pm.

Any recommendations on dive shops?

This is probably stupid to ask this since this is a dive forum but if you had only 1 day to spend in Victoria would you spend it diving or above ground doing something else

 

[gcarter]

Ogden Point Dive Center, Vancouver Island's Premier Dive Center located in Victoria, BC

Literally right at the cruise ship terminal. I just spent a week in Victoria a week ago, came back Monday, and did 9 dives on the breakwater. Great diving, lots to see at various levels / depths.

Some info on the breakwater can also be found on the Ogden Point Dive Centre site: Ogden Point Dive Center, Vancouver Island's Premier Dive Center located in Victoria, BC

Keep in mind the water is cold - it is no Carribean dive, so be prepared for either drysuit of heavy wetsuit. We wore 7MM john + shorty, 5mm hood / boots / gloves. Water temp over the 9 dives varied from 6.7C to 7.8C.

 

[Scuba_Noob]

Ogden Point's a great site. Visibility around the dive sites at the Saanich Inlet (Henderson, Willis, Mckenzie) appears to be good right now.

But if you have time and can plan the current/tide properly (and have drift diving experience), Ten Mile Point is my favorite. But you have to plan around the current so that you dive during slack tide.

 

[decompression]

Seeing as you only have one day and are on foot, Ogden is a really easy choice. As mentioned, you'll need a 7mil or drysuit, might be a good time to try a drysuit course through the shop. That way you'll have a course and a guided dive in the breakwater. Contact them for details. You can easily do several dives on the breakwater as there are 5 unique sites on it, each marked with a plaque and directions to the next plaque. The most common life you'll see there are varieties of rock fish, convict fish, anemones of all types, green lings, large lingcod, and the resident wolf eels and octopus!

 

[Darnold9999]

For 1 day in Victoria I would make sure I saw Butchart Gardens. In the spring it is spectacular and for the rest of the summer is is just slightly less than spectacular.

If you have not been cold water diving Ogden Point breakwaterwould be my first choice, very easy dive with lots to see. Like the idea of a dry suit course to get a guided dive and help on a dry suit dive. If you have been cold water diving and you are there on a Saturday a trip to Race Rocks would also be an easy to arrange dive and be my first choice. (If you want to do this check with the Ogden point dive Centre to see if it is possible, they meet at 8:30 on Saturday AM steps from the cruise ship terminal, not sure when the charter gets back - it might not be back in time.) If you can't do Race Rocks I would dive the breakwater. It is a great dive - one of the best in Victoria - and easy to do. Anywhere else would be difficult to arrange and for very little improvement IMHO.

Ogden Point is a long breakwater with a kelp forest all along it. Lots of rock fish, scallops, crabs, nudi, wolf eels, octo... pretty much everything you can see in these waters can be found here.

 

[coldwaterlloyd]

Ogden Point is world class . A buffet of Pacific Northwest dive life . The dive centre will set you up with no stress . enjoy

 

[Vidar]

I really like Ogden, and it gets better the further along (further from shore) the breakwater you go. I'd suggest walking on the top (takes some work getting the gear past the fence thing though) and go all the way until you get to the blocks by the little lighthouse and just head towards shore along the wall. When I did that, at around 60 fsw I saw six wolf eels as well as a big red irish lord and other kinds of sculpins, rockfish, decorator crabs, hermit crabs, tunicates, sea squirts, various nudibranchs etc. If you take it slow, look at the little things on the rocks, look inside holes in the wall, you'll see a lot more than if you just look for the big 'exciting' things.

My favourite spot around is Ten Mile Point, but that requires someone with experience there who knows when currents will be decent as otherwise you may get swept away or just have a really quick dive. And if you're in town for less than a day the currents may not work at all.

 

[jlbartley]

Thanks for all of the info. I'll check out Ogden Point Dive Center to talk through more detail with them. I appreciate you pointing me in the right direction on this. It's nice that there's diving so close to the ship dock. I have not done drysuit diving so might be a good opportunity to try it. I have done cold water diving with a thick wetsuit though (Lake Michigan). Wasn't an overly pleasant experience due to how cold I was the whole time.

Thanks again for all of the info!