If you have a lust for life and a curiosity for the unfamiliar, diving in the Vancouver, Coast and Mountains region is a must-do outdoor experience. In our cold, clear waters lives an amazing diversity of marine life that is both beautiful and bizarre. Plumose anemones, wolf eels, giant Pacific Ocean octopi, urchins and starfish all live here. Many ships and vessels have been scuttled to create awe-inspiring artificial reefs, and steep drop-offs provide the perfect environment to explore underwater walls. Everything you need for a safe, pleasant diving experience is available: from professional dive stores and charter boat operators to equipment repair and guided tours. In the waterways of Vancouver, Coast and Mountains, a world of exploration awaits you!

Metro Vancouver

Diverse marine life, protected coastline, and the ease of access are three of the reasons that Metro Vancouver is home to some of the most popular dive sites in Vancouver, Coast and Mountains. In particular, Whytcliff Park and Porteau Cove Provincial Park are two of the best-known dive sites in British Columbia. Visibility is best from late summer through winter, as the increase of sunlight in the springtime brings thick algae blooms.

Where to dive in Howe Sound:

• Porteau Cover - A diver's playground. Artifical reefs were sunk to attract marine life in an area that is out of bounds to boaters. Features include a 90' wall dive, the Nayaka (a38m/125ft wreck) and Grant Hall (a 28m/92ft tugboat).
  
• Passage Island - There are three good dive sports on Passage Island, the South Islet, the Reefs and the North Island. Very interesting geography with rocky pinnacles.
  
• Whytecliff Park - Whytecliff Park is a very popular dive site. On weekends, dive classes of all levels take place near the Islet, especially on its northern side. There are no fewer than eight good dive destinations within the park. Features include the walls and amazing marine life. Octopi in Whytecliff Marine Park are gentle natured.
  
• Pam Rocks - Pam Rocks is the areas best seal dive. Some seals join divers underwater, swimming with amazing speed and grace despite their bulky appearance. The bottom is a mix of gentle sand slopes, rocky outcroppings, ledges and rock walls.

Sunshine Coast

Jacques Cousteau - famous for introducing the public to an underwater world of sharks, whales, dolphines, sunken treasure, and coral reefs - once travelled to the Sunshine Coast to study its octopi and wolf eels. He observed that the habitat was one of the most productive marine sites in the world and declared the temperate waters of British Columbia second only to the Red Sea as the best diving in the world. In addition to an abundance of marine life, the Sunshine Coast also boasts underwater caves, shipwrecks, fallen statues, and excellent diving visibility - an average visibility of 15.2 m (50 ft), and winter visibility exceeding 30.4 m (100ft). Another attractive feature about diving on the Sunshine Coast is the protected coastline, which creates safe and accessible diving.

Where to dive on the Sunshine Coast:

• HMCS Chaudiere - An artificial reef created by the scuttling of a 112 m (367 ft) destroyer in 1992. The Chaudiere is one of the largest diving wrecks on the Pacific Coast.
  
• Skookumchuk Narrows - This narrow passage is one of the world's fastest tidal rapids and is home to spectacular sea life.
  
• Tuwanek Point - A popular shore dive with a reef, wrecks, islands, octopus dens, and a great mix of sea life.
  
• Saltery Bay/Mermaid Cove - A shore dive to sculpture anchored in 18 m (60 ft) of water off the shore at Saltery Bay Provincial Park.
  
• Agamememnon Channel - Deep vertical wall diving. Here you can expect to find hard corals, soft corals, and cloud sponges.
  
• Fearney Bluffs - 85 m (280 ft) vertical drop wall, giant cloud sponges, chimney sponges, octopi, and a colourful medley of anemones, corals, starfish and rockfish.
  
• Savary Island - Boat dive to Gulfstream, a steam yacht 52 m (170 ft) under the surface. This 44 m (144 ft) yacht is near Lund on the Upper Sunshine Coast.
  
• SS Capilano - Near Texada Island in the Strait of Georgia, this is a 43 m (140 ft) deep boat dive.
  
• Malahat - A 5-masted wooden schooner that sunk in 1946. The Malahat is 75 m (246 ft) long and 11-26 m (36-85 ft) deep.

Safety Tip: Always go with a guide when diving in unknown waters. Be prepared for the temperature of British Columbia's waters - wear a dry suit or thick wet suit with hood, gloves and booties. Average underwater dive temperatures are 8-12°C (46.4-53.6°F).