Southern Gulf Islands
Best Features
In the Southern Gulf Islands you'll see the same things that you'll find in Saanich Inlet, but lots more of it! The reefs and walls amongst the Southern Gulf Islands are home to everything from shallow shoals that give away to amazing underwater pinnacles, barren rocky outcrops with thriving bird sanctuaries to larger populated islands all surrounded by the Emerald Sea that ebbs and floods bringing never-ending nutrients to feed one of the most amazing ecosystems in the world. There are huge pillars of bull kelp reaching up to the sun, anemone beds woven with every imaginable colour, sheer rock walls hidden by mass gatherings of decorators crabs, Triton snails, cup corals, sea stars, spectacular nudibranchs, basket stars, sponges and so much more. Curious octopuses, shy wolf eels and every once in a while a passing skate find show their interest in the "creatures from above". Once upon a time Spiny Pacific Dogfish (sharks) were prevalent, but now divers only occasionally see the glowing green eyes as they pass by, sometimes coming in for a closer look. Dive sites can range from those heavily subjected by current that are ONLY suitable for experienced divers that are ready to take on the challenge, while other sites are great to explore off-slack, allowing us to plan dives to include novice divers while also ensuring experienced divers are left wanting more.
The Artificial Reef Society of BC has sunken several wrecks off the coast of BC. Two of these lie in the Southern Gulf Islands off Sidney, BC. While many divers enjoy the magnitude of life that called these vessels home, in addition to the topography and structure of the vessels, holes have been cut into various locations of the reef to allow trained divers an opportunity to penetrate into the bridge, engine compartment, and various various holds.
Sansum Narrows are best characterized by steep walls with lots of fissures and cracks that are home to all sorts of species that thrive on current. This includes the Northern Feather Duster tube worms, a wide variety of nudibranches, waves of Plumose anemone, transiting marine mammals (seals and sea lions) passing through, and stunning scenery both above and below the surface. Due to the topography of the narrows, this area can experience very high currents that bring nutrients that feed the diversity of life both underwater and the sea birds above. While there are some sites that are NOT suitable for novice divers or those without experience in strong up-wellings, down-wellings and fast moving water, there are other spots where divers can tuck out of the current and check out creature covered walls and kelp forests with curious seals.
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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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DIVE SITE INFORMATION
There are so many dive site options to choose from that offer something for everyone from stunning topography to diverse marine life; it is impossible to list them all. Below are three key destinations within the Southern Gulf Islands to choose from with specific sites that highlight some of the best experiences for divers. We have dive professionals and local subject matter 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 charter 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. While there are some sites suitable for novice divers, advanced certification is a minimum recommended for most sites. Wetsuit divers will be comfortable between May to October; although drysuits are recommended for the rest of the year. 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!
Southern Gulf Islands Dive SitesDive site difficulty ranges from Green Circle to Double Black Diamond. Familiarity of tide and current tables are very important for this area.
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Artificial Reefs - Wrecks
The GB Church Reef is a 53m/175ft vessel that was the first project for the ARSBC; sunk in 1991 off Portland Island. The "wreck" falls within the boundaries of the Princess Margaret Marine Park, and provides a safe haven for some of the areas biggest fish: rockfish, lingcod, and cabezon, not to mention how covered the vessel is in anemones, tube worms, and much more. Giant Pacific octopus often take shelter under the hull of the vessel, and wolf eels have been known to tuck in under the stern of the vessel. Even in the strongest currents, divers can still enjoy a good dive along the lee side of the vessel.
The HMCS McKenzie is a 111m/366ft Destroyer Class vessel that after being decommissioned by the Royal Canadian Navy was prepared and sunk in 1995 off Gooch Island for divers. Especially when the water visibility is clear, seeing this vessel underwater is breathtaking. After over 2 decades of being underwater, the nutrient rich waters of this region have encouraged a wealth of life to thrive on this vessel. The surface of the McKenzie is covered in acorn barnacles, plumose anemones, brittle stars, nudobranchs, cabezon, feather duster tube worms, pudget sound king crab, decorator crabs, and the list continues. However, the geographical position of this "wreck" leads it to be heavily subjected by current and this is NOT a site for novice dives.
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Sansum Narrows Dive SitesDive site difficulty ranges from Blue Square to Double Black Diamond. Familiarity of tide and current tables are very important for this area.
Southern Gulf Islands (By Pfly (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons)
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