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!
West Shore (Off Sooke, East Sooke and Metchosin, BC)
DIVE SITE DETAILSSite Description: The West Shore of the Southern most part of Vancouver Island is known to locals as having some of the best kept secrets when it comes to diving. Stunning walls and reefs covered in some of the most sought after displays of marine life: Strawberry anemone gardens, Orange Peel nudibranchs, Red Irish Lords, Cabezon, large schools of rockfish, kelp forests visiting pinnipeds (seals and seal lions) and so much more that has rarely been explored. Humpback Whales and and Orcas (Killer Whales, although we like to call them Sea Pandas) are frequent visitors to Race too! Despite the opportunity for strong currents, there are some incredible dive sites in this area where divers of all levels can tuck out of way.
Shore Diving: The shore diving on the West Shore can be good, however, this is area can have very strong currents! Due to the strong currents, the Saanich Inlet and Central Victoria are much more popular and frankly are safer to dive from shore. 
Dive Site Difficulty Ranking: 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, Rockfish has introduced a Dive Site Difficulty Ranking System to better educate divers on the hazards of diving at these. Dive site difficulty along the West Shore ranges from Green Circle to Black Diamond, so familiarity of tide and current tables are very important for this area. Wetsuit divers find the water temperatures on the chillier side, but are generally comfortable between May to October; although drysuits are recommended for the rest of the year.
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. |
Dive Site Options:
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