Dive Into BC: 10 Epic Underwater Adventures

By Elke Porter | WBN News Vancouver | May 8, 2025

Scuba diving is not only an exhilarating hobby, but also a highly practical and admirable skill. It teaches discipline, focus, and problem-solving under pressure — qualities that employers value in any profession. Certified divers often demonstrate teamwork, environmental awareness, and the ability to stay calm in challenging situations. For those working in marine biology, tourism, film, or environmental science, diving can open up exciting career opportunities and enhance your professional credibility. Even beyond those fields, it’s a unique and impressive addition to any résumé that reflects a well-rounded, adventurous, and capable individual.

In Vancouver and along the BC coastline, good diving is defined by easy access, rich biodiversity, and dramatic underwater scenery. The nutrient-dense waters of the Pacific support an astonishing variety of life, from giant Pacific octopuses to technicolour nudibranchs, and even the occasional six-gill shark. With its plunging rock walls, kelp forests, and hidden coves, this region offers both beginner-friendly shore dives and thrilling advanced sites. It’s no surprise that legendary ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau once called British Columbia’s waters “the best temperate-water diving in the world” — a true emerald sea.

10 Cool Dive Sites in British Columbia

1. The Pinnacle (Whytecliff Park, West Vancouver)
A popular shore dive with vertical rock walls, sponges, lingcod, and octopus — accessible and stunning.

2. Lions Bay
Tranquil and less trafficked, this spot features rocky topography and occasional seal encounters.

3. Porteau Cove (Sea-to-Sky Highway)
Sunken vessels and artificial reefs make this marine park perfect for newer divers. Porteau Cove should be renamed Diver's Paradise! The park went all out to make this an appealing marine park for all levels of divers. Easy entry, marine life, marked wrecks, and a stair-side shower for your return make this site a two-tanker! Directions: Heading North from Horseshoe Bay, after about 23km, you'll see the park on your left.

4. Race Rocks (Victoria)
Strong currents bring in big marine life like sea lions and sharks — best for experienced divers.

5. Browning Pass (Port Hardy)
Renowned globally, this site offers steep walls, vibrant coral, and mind-blowing marine biodiversity.

6. Rainy Bay (near Port Alberni)
A quiet, scenic dive with great visibility, dramatic walls, and the chance to see wolf eels. Rainy Bay hides on the North side of Junction Passage next to Tyler Rock at the entrance to the Alberni Inlet. You may feel like you have gone through time into a prehistoric era. Deep, clean, underwater islands beside sharp craggy cliffs that you’d imagine rock climbers would like to scale. It’s a haven for seals, and at night the luminescent eyeballs of sharks may be seen.

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7. Kelvin Grove (Lions Bay area)
Deep dives, beautiful rock faces, and good photography opportunities make this a favourite. Kelvin Grove Beach offers glorious sunsets and superb diving for all skill levels. Underwater features include rocky reef structures and a stepped wall with a sandy ledge at 26-28 meters and a further drop-off ideal for deep dives drops down far beyond recreational dive limits. Sea life includes urchins, shells, sea stars, sea cucumbers and a variety of small fishes like grunt sculpins, rockfish and painted greenlings. In deeper water you can see cloud sponges and if you're lucky, some deepwater sixgill sharks.

8. Tyee Cove (Nanoose Bay)
Easy shore access with sandy flats and hidden gems like pipefish and small octopus. This site is one of the best and most versatile shore dives sites in the Greater Nanaimo / Nanoose Bay area. Based on the amount of visitors this site attracts, plus its popularity with the dive clubs for teaching purposes, there is no doubt of it being one of the best dive sites in the Central Island area.

For the adventurous there is an interesting variation to this dive.
Use a tide guide and pick a day when there is a fairly large ebbing tide.
Go in at Tyee Cove when the water is at it's highest and as I said, actively on the Ebb, and then you can ride and swim a mild current to another site a few tenths of a km south that is called Nankivell Point.

9. Octopus Hole (Saanich Inlet)
Calm waters and a high chance of spotting giant Pacific octopus, along with cloud sponges.

Marine life at Henderson Point is distinct compared to other more exposed dive sites. Notable species include the elusive Red Irish Lord and swarms of shrimp, which are often seen darting around the sandy areas alongside tube-dwelling anemones. The site is also home to several octopus dens, making it a prime spot for those seeking to observe these fascinating creatures.

Diving deeper reveals a drop-off that can reach over 35m (120ft), with most reefs found between 6-18m (20-60ft). During the summer and fall months, divers may encounter large red jellyfish, including lion’s mane and moon jellyfish, adding vibrant color to the underwater scene. Coralline algae coats the rocks, contributing a pink hue that becomes more prominent with the use of dive lights.

10. Ansell Point (West Vancouver)
A rope-assisted entry leads to steep walls and hidden marine life — a thrill for adventurous divers. Ansell Point is roughly a mile ahead of Whytecliffe Park if one is traveling north. It is a great dive site, even though it entails a rather long walk from the parking site to the dive itself. The wall seems to slope rather rapidly to the right of the entry area.

If you’re new to the sport, many dive shops across Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island offer affordable “Discover Scuba” experiences in warm, safe swimming pools. It's a perfect way to dip your toes into the underwater world before heading out into BC's breathtaking ocean dives.

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