British Columbia Canada

The Jacques Cousteau Society has rated the emerald coloured waters off Vancouver Island second only to the Red Sea for clarity and diversity of marine life. We have more life per square inch than anywhere in the world, and the Open Ocean and sheltered inlets of the West Coast are famous to divers world wide.

Although the cool waters of the North Pacific may be discouraging to some tropical divers, their rich diversity of marine life has made British Columbia a world-class diving destination for years.  British Columbia is home to over 70 different sea star species, the world's largest octopus species, and two distinct killer whale populations - just to name a few.  Our waters are also part of the important Baja-to-Alaska migratory route for several marine mammal species.

Diving during the winter months permits divers to truly appreciate the diverse marine life, as the water is clear and divers are able to experience 100 feet or more of visibility without a suspended particle in sight.  Divers may be snorkeling on the surface, and when they look down, they can see a sponge reef that may be 90 feet below.

British Columbia's extensive coastline not only offers divers a range of underwater habitats, from sponge reefs to kelp forests, it also provides divers with the best temperate water diving in the world - second only to the Red Sea.