Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
While the diving in Campbell River is beautiful, it can be a bit chilly with temperatures ranging from 6-12 degrees Celsius. In the summer months (July-September), you can dive a 7mm John/Jacket wetsuit, however, we recommend everybody to dive a drysuit. In the winter months (October-June), we require everybody to dive drysuit. Check out our Drysuit Specialty if you are not drysuit certified!
We dive in Discovery Passage, which is the body of water between Campbell River and Quadra Island. The best dive sites are located on Quadra Island, and because of the high volume of nutrient-rich water moving through the Passage, the life is abundant and colourful.
Join us for weekly trips to our favourite sites such as Row and be Damned, Grouse Island, Whiskey Point, the HMCS Columbia, and many many more!
Join us for weekly trips to our favourite sites such as Row and be Damned, Grouse Island, Whiskey Point, the HMCS Columbia, and many many more!
The nutrient-rich currents bring an abundance of life to Discovery Passage. Most sites have surfaces covered in fields of soft corals, sponges, and anemones. Often times, there are no bare surfaces to put a finger down! Hanging close to the walls and structures are schools of rockfish and perch. Hiding in cracks and crevices, you can find Giant Pacific Octopus, Ruby Red Octopus, and resident Wolfeels. In the summertime, bull kelp creates impressive forests where harbour seals tend to reside. On the surface, you may spot orcas, humpback whales, porpoises, and Stellar sealions!
In the summer, plankton blooms can affect the visibility, making it 10m/30ft or less, but because of the high volume of water moving through Discovery Passage, it usually stays nice and clear. In the winter, expect 30m/100ft visibility! Why go to the tropics when we have this amazing visibility on our doorstep?
While the waters around Campbell River are some of the most beautiful and productive in the world, the geography creates special challenges. Constrictive passages create tidal currents that can reach upwards of 16 knots (30km/hr). The currents in Discovery Passage are a serious consideration on all of our courses and trips. This is why dive times are going to be different each day, at each site.
The majority of diving we do here is drift diving with a live boat, where the boat drops you off at a certain point at the site, you drift with the current, and the boat picks you up where you surface.
When taking a course with us, we teach you how to safely dive in mild to moderate current. Our boat captains, instructors, and divemasters are very experienced with local tides and currents and will go out of their way to make your diving experience a safe and fun one.
The majority of diving we do here is drift diving with a live boat, where the boat drops you off at a certain point at the site, you drift with the current, and the boat picks you up where you surface.
When taking a course with us, we teach you how to safely dive in mild to moderate current. Our boat captains, instructors, and divemasters are very experienced with local tides and currents and will go out of their way to make your diving experience a safe and fun one.
Our boats Ocean Guardian and Gizmo are docked at the Fisherman's Wharf in Campbell River. If you're joining us for a charter, please arrive at least 30 mins prior to departure time. You can drive right down to the loading dock to unload you gear, and park in the marina parking lot.
We normally use the Strathcona Gardens pool, but because of their temporary closure due to the strike, we are using the Comox Valley Aquatic Centre. We occasionally use McIvor Lake in the summer months.
If you are coming for a charter with us, make sure you bring the following equipment:
- BCD
- Regulator (with drysuit hose if diving drysuit)
- Drysuit or wetsuit
- Drysuit undergarments
- Tanks
- Weights
- Hood
- Gloves
- Boots
- Mask & Snorkel
- Fins
We also require all of our divers to have a dive computer or bottom timer, and signalling devices: SMB (surface marker buoy) and whistle.
If you need to rent any gear, we carry a full line of rental equipment, including drysuit undergarments, dive computers and signalling devices. Check out our rental prices and let us know in advance if you need to rent gear. Please note: we require proof of drysuit certification if you plan to rent a drysuit.
- BCD
- Regulator (with drysuit hose if diving drysuit)
- Drysuit or wetsuit
- Drysuit undergarments
- Tanks
- Weights
- Hood
- Gloves
- Boots
- Mask & Snorkel
- Fins
We also require all of our divers to have a dive computer or bottom timer, and signalling devices: SMB (surface marker buoy) and whistle.
If you need to rent any gear, we carry a full line of rental equipment, including drysuit undergarments, dive computers and signalling devices. Check out our rental prices and let us know in advance if you need to rent gear. Please note: we require proof of drysuit certification if you plan to rent a drysuit.