Nanaimo Scuba Diving - Three Dives, One Location
Nanaimo is about a 1 1/2 hour drive north from Victoria, and is also easily assessable by BC Ferry (via the Duke Point Ferry Terminal) from Horseshoe Bay or Tsawwassen on the Lower Mainland. And after your day of diving, you can find out what else Nanaimo is famous for - their world-famous Nanaimo bar. Not a drinking establishment, but a delicious dessert. My wife won’t let me post her recipe on this site, but check out the City of Nanaimo official Nanaimo Bar recipe. The best way to try it though, is to dive in Nanaimo and then pick up and eat the decadent bar from a local bakery.
Dive Nanaimo - The Former HMCS Saskatchewan Just a few minutes away from Nanaimo, the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia, sank their fifth carefully prepared wreck on June 14, 1997 to serve as another man-made home for marine life and visiting scuba divers.
Located near Snake Island, just outside of Nanaimo Harbour, the former HMCS Saskatchewan is one of Canada's most popular and most dived artificial reefs. This 110 meter (360 foot) ex-Canadian Navy destroyer escort is situated between 12-40 meters (40 – 130 feet) of water. The location of the former HMCS Saskatchewan has a gentle bottom current which yields excellent visibility year round.
Most Nanaimo dive shop operators also combine a dive on the Saskatchewan with a trip to the nearby former HMCS Cape Breton and/or the Rivtow Lion for the ultimate in Nanaimo scuba diving.
Dive Nanaimo - The Former HMCS Cape Breton The former HMCS Cape Breton, is Canada's largest diver-prepared artificial reef and the second largest in the world!
This former WWII Victory ship was sunk on October 21, 2001, and the keel sits at 42 meters (140 feet) and is accessible to most divers. Given this ship has only been under for 6 years, there is not as much life as on the Saskatchewan. However, every day and every dive brings new creatures so you will want to dive this each year to see how fast things change under water. Diving to the keel at 140 feet and penetrating this carefully prepared wreck should only be attempted by advanced divers who are properly trained and certified. As always, for Nanaimo scuba diving and anywhere else in British Columbia, I recommend diving with a local PADI certified dive shop as part of a group. And as always, especially when going this deep, I definitely recommend wearing a scuba dry suit!
Dive Nanaimo - The Rivtow Lion The third and newest artificial wreck in the Nanaimo area is the Rivtow Lion, a 47 meter (157 foot) North Sea Rescue Tug which was sunk on February 6, 2005.
Another great local non-profit organization, The Nanaimo Dive Association (NDA) acquired the ship in early 2002, finished the remainder of the clean-up and preparation operation, and sunk her in Departure Bay. This wreck is a great shallow water artificial reef, ideal for beginner Nanaimo scuba diving wreck diver training and recreational diving all year round. Even though the sinking is pretty recent, the ship was docked for a long time and attracted a lot of marine life on her hull. You'll also see new arrivals daily.
This old tug rests near perfectly in the sand in a bow down postion with a 15 degree list to the port side. The sand at the bow is 24 meters (80 feet), the bottom of the rudder is 18 meters (60 feet), the aft main deck and the bridge windows are at 14 meters (45 feet) and the top of the funnel is only 10 meters (36 feet) down in what is usually excellent, clear waters. With all these artificial wrecks, it is easy to see why Nanaimo has some of the world’s best diving even before you leave the harbour! Please remember to plan your dive and dive your plan. Dive Safe!
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Nanaimo scuba diving offers three very good dives located close together and just minutes away from the Nanaimo harbour.
With over 10 years of growth, you can expect to see more than 100 different species of marine life, including huge metre-high plumose anemones, diver-friendly rock fish, massive pink anemones, orange sea pens, multi-coloured nudibranch, and even the occasional seal that visits the wreck and plays with the divers.
