August 03, 2009
CoolDives.com – British Columbia’s Scuba Diving Information Source
Hello divers, and welcome to our newsletter!
What a great year and especially a great summer for diving in British Columbia, and this Cooldives/Best-Scuba-Diving-Vacations-In-British-Columbia website is pleased to have helped many local divers as well as divers from all over the world find their perfect dive location.
In addition to continually adding valuable information about what makes British Columbia such a great dive and adventure destination, we are constantly working to add valuable information and special offers to this website.
And we rely on viewers like you to help - please send in more pictures, dive site reviews, dive operator reviews and your comments on what you would like to see on this site.
Annapolis Sinking - Update
Your Help is Needed
Divers from around the world are eagerly awaiting the sinking of the HMCS Annapolis, and we now know where she may be sunk.
The Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia, who, along with volunteers, is working tirelessy to prepare the Annapolis for sinking, is undergoing the permitting process to sink the ship in Halkett Bay, which is about 15 kilometers from Horseshoe Bay 40 kilometers from Vancouver.
Located in scenic Howe Sound, Halkett Bay is a beautiful location on Gambier Island, with steeply sloped mountains, rugged coastlines, and scattered islands and blue waters of the sound that offer a breathtaking visual experience.
Howe Sound has long been popular with pleasure boaters because of its close proximity to Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast and Squamish population.
Halkett Bay is currently used by boaters for both day-use and recreational activities such as swimming, wilderness camping, kayaking, picnicking, hiking to Mount Artaban and overnight moorage.
“Halkett Bay has all the right physical and biological features we look for in site selection. The bay is also sheltered for winter diving and has a gentle current that will deposit all manner of aquatic organisms onto the superstructure and is only 10 km from Horseshoe Bay.” said Howie Robins, President of the Reef Society. “We are currently under the permitting review process and once completed we will be in a position to set a sink date."
“With the sinking of Annapolis on the mainland side, we effectively close an eco-dive tourism travel loop allowing divers to visit each sink site thereby adding to a unique WRECK TREK adventure experience second to none in the world.” Robins said.
However, local residents and boaters are currently protesting the addition of divers to their area. The ARSBC has prepared an Annapolis discussion paper, and is looking for divers to review and send in their comments.
Please help support this exciting addition to diving in British Columbia.
With your help, we will become even more popular as one of the best wreck dive destinations in the world.
Our Most Popular Dive Destination Request - Tofino
This summer, family snorkeling and diving in the spectacular Tofino/Ucluelet area of Vancouver Island has been our most popular request.
Andy Edwards of Ocean Planet Adventures has been praised for his great service and great dive sites.
Some diver reviews can be found on this Scubaboard forum page.
Spectacular scenery, wildlife, surfing, kayaking, hiking, marine whale watching tours, and diving can all be found in this great vacation spot on Vancouver Island.
Special Offers:
Awesome Kayaking Adventures - BC or Mexico:
CoolDives is pleased to offer a 5% discount on any remaining 2009 sea kayak with orcas adventure trips in Johnstone Strait (home of the world's only orca preserve - Robson Bight) in northern Vancouver Island with Sea Kayak Adventures.
Or book your 2010 trip by Dec 31, 2009 to receive 5% off any exciting British Columbia ocean kayaking trip during the summer of 2010.
This includes kayaking in areas such as Johnstone Strait, Robson Bight Ecological Reserve, God's Pocket and Port Hardy area, and the Queen Charlotte Strait.
And if you're going near Loreto, Mexico on the Baja Peninsula, you can kayak and snorkel in Loreto Bay National Marine Park with Sea Kayak Adventures and receive free rental snorkel gear.
Book any trip by Sept 1, 2009 and receive 5% off any Baja camping tour with Sea Kayak Adventures!
These trips are National Geographic award winners and will leave you breathless.
They have been operating since 1993 and the reviews are spectacular.
Check out their British Columbia kayaking sea tour website for more exciting details.
Group Dive Offers:
We currently have arrangements with dive resort operators in the following areas, so if you are interested in putting some group scuba trips together, get in contact with us and we'll point you in the right direction and get you the best rates:
Barkley Sound , Campbell River , Chemainus, Nootka Sound, Powell River, Port Hardy, and the beautiful Sunshine Coast of British Columbia.
We only have a limited number of all-inclusive dive resorts and they tend to book up very fast. If you are considering diving with a group, please contact us right away and let us know the areas that you would like to dive.
Featured New Dive Product:
Introducing the H.E.L.P.- the Handheld Emergency Location Pinpointer - the world's first extendable emergency location device.
While we don't ever recall seeing an incident of a diver being left behind while diving BC, we have all heard a number of recent cases of missing divers (or missing dive boats!?) in tropical locations - a divers second-worst fear!
The Dive Flag is a telescopic flag designed specifically to give scuba divers a method of getting attention on rising to the surface.
The H.E.L.P. dive flag is a brand new piece of kit that we think every diver, snorkeler, boater, and even hiker should carry with them, and is:
- only 200mm long, extendable to 1500mm and is easy to store in your life jacket, BCD or knapsack for hikers.
- lightweight and made primarily of fibreglass composite
- visible in the water from 3,000 meters away
Just pop the top and extend the flag when you are at the surface - and you can easily be seen by the dive boat.
Increase your diving safety factor and check out this new piece of scuba diving safety equipment.
British Columbia - An Awesome Dive Destination:
As a reminder, we are asking for your help. Share your diving stories, tips, trips and pix with us, so we can share with others.Help make British Columbia one of the best scuba diving vacation destination locations in the world.
Thank you all, and please remember to:
Plan your dive and dive your plan. Dive Safe!
Sincerely,
Cool Dives BC Ltd.