Victoria Shore Diving can be divided into 3 distinct areas: Saanich Inlet, Central Victoria & West Shore. Although the information below is reasonably complete, there are always new areas to be explored. For ease of simplicity, we have only included the most popular shore diving sites.
Frankly speaking, there is a local diver in Victoria who has put together an amazing website of local dive sites. He has been working at this for years and there is no way we could replicate it, nor would we want to. We encourage you to take a look at his site. The appropriate legal jargon applies though - we are not responsible for his advice or you if you head out to local dive sites!
Frankly speaking, there is a local diver in Victoria who has put together an amazing website of local dive sites. He has been working at this for years and there is no way we could replicate it, nor would we want to. We encourage you to take a look at his site. The appropriate legal jargon applies though - we are not responsible for his advice or you if you head out to local dive sites!
Saanich Inlet
Best Features
Saanich Inlet is one of the best places for novice divers, but it also offers some incredible dives for those at any experience level. At the most southern part of the inlet you'll find the Finlayson Arm fed by the Goldstream Estuary, which is the only major tributary leading into the inlet and sees thousands of returning salmon each year. Here divers can find shallow nudibranch covered rocky reefs with all sorts of other macro life, swimming scallops, sea stars, sea cucumbers, schools of fish, massive lingcod, octopus, wolf eels and seals. Advanced trained divers can descend the sheer walls to see incredible boot sponges, and massive, fragile glass sponge gardens. Seasonally we see California and Stellar sea lions and Orca whales following the salmon runs, Humpback whales chasing the herring balls, endless prawns, shrimp and squat lobsters covering the sea floor, and we've have recent sightings of the elusive Six-Gill sharks that frequent the depths. Tod Inlet off Brentwood Bay is where you can find thick blooms of moon jelly fish and sensitive eels grass beds that act as Mother Nature's nursery for all sorts of creatures from Opalescent squid, all sorts of fish and nudibranches, and more. As you head out towards the mouth of the inlet with more tidal water exchange, you begin to see expansive kelp forests, urchin barrens, plumose anemones, feather sea stars, skates swimming along the bottom, and the list goes on. Whether you are a new or student diver, or a diver with experience, you won't be disappointed.
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Saanich Inlet Dive Sites
There are many dive site options to choose from that offer something for everyone from stunning topography to diverse marine life. We've listed some of the key dive sites to choose from that feature the best experiences for divers. We have dive professionals and local subject natter experts who are extremely familiar with diving in the Pacific Northwest, and safety is our primary concern. As such, for your safety and the comfort of our staff, when considering what sites would be best suited for you, it is very important to match your experience with the charter opportunities provided by Rockfish. As such, Rockfish has introduced a Dive Site Difficulty Ranking System to better educate divers on the hazards of diving at these. Dive site difficulty ranges from Green Circle to Blue Square for most of the Saanich Inlet dives. Wetsuit divers will be comfortable between May to October; although drysuits are recommended for the rest of the year, especially when the surface ices over (this has happened on and off in recent years from December to February). If you have any questions regarding your experience and sites that would be best suited for your personal interests, do not hesitate to contact us!
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Click on the map above for an interactive link so you can zoom into specific dive sites.
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