The Rendezvous Dive Resort

The Rendezvous Dive Resort is a rustic scuba diving lodge located in the middle of some of the most beautiful wilderness imaginable.

It is in Rainy Bay, which is at the mouth of the Alberni Inlet in Barkley Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island, in the triangle with Bamfield to the south, Ucluelet on the north, and Port Alberni in the middle.

The current owners/hosts, Peter and Kathy, are both PADI certified dive instructors, very familiar with the area's best dive sites, and are both terrific hosts (you gotta try Kathy's home-baked cookies).

The Rendezvous Dive Resort was one of the first dive lodges in British Columbia, and was built by hand in 1978 by the first owner, Dave Christie, and his wife Renate.

It is perched on the face of a mountain, over-looking Barkley Sound to the west, a group of islands in the front, and mountains to the north.

The views are spectacular, and it isn't unusual to see bears, deer, eagles, seals and sealions in the area.

It is quite isolated and makes for an unforgettable wilderness dive adventure.

Barkley Sound Dive Sites

- Renate's Reef

- Vanlene Shipwreck (freighter carrying Dodge Colt cars that sank in 1972)

- Thiepval (fisheries patrol ship that sank in 1930)

- Mahk Reef (Ratfish City)

- Kyen Point

Each of the areas are rich in scenery and at a minimum you can usually see Wolfeels, Giant Pacific Octopus, Rockfish, Seals, Sealions, sometimes whales and even an elusive Six Gill Shark, to go along with all the other colorful marine life.

Barkley Sound Dive Boats

It has a fully closed and heated galley, an aluminum covered stern, a custom ladder for easy exit and a swim platform for easy entry, and a full marine head.

They also have a smaller boat, the Cookiestar, for smaller groups and for use as a tender and a pick-up shuttle boat.

The Rendezvous Dive Lodge

Their dive packages generally include great company, clean and comfortable accommodations, great meals and awesome Barkley Sound diving.

The rooms have single and twin beds with lots of room underneath to store your gear.

The rooms and decks (with a hottub) look west and offer incredible scenery and west coast sunsets.

They also have a meeting/classroom/rec room area that can be used for dive group meetings, or for, well, recreation!

Power is via a generator and phone/fax service is available.

The Rendezvous Lodge - Other Activities/Amenities

- Limited rental gear is available so ensure you have extras and your "Save-a-dive" kit.

- The area has wreck dives, reef dives, wall dives, and/or night dives.

- the incredible views, scenery, and wildlife are included at no extra charge!

- They also have 5 single and 2 double ocean kayaks for use by their guests, which is a perfect way to explore the Barkley Sound area while you're not diving.

- Hottub on the deck.

- Free pacific Northwest fish and invertebrate identification course.

- Other PADI courses are available.

- They adhere to a strict no-take policy. However, they can arrange for fishing trips with other recommended fishing charter operators in the area.

- They can offer special charter services for film crews, research trips, scenic charters, search and recovery for overboard items, etc.

- There are nearby hikes for the adventurous types.

- Family activities at the Rendezvous Dive Resort can be arranged for the non-divers and children in your group.

They have developed a Barkley Sound Explorers program, that includes fun activities such as wildlife viewing, tide pool exploration, photography, and more.

They also have videos and films available for the kids.

Getting To The Rendezvous Lodge

No roads run through this area but this allows you to enjoy this spectacular, natural wilderness location to its fullest.

There are different ways to get to them and although they are fairly remote, they are still easy to get to.

By Land:

Although there isn't a direct route overland to them, once you are on Vancouver Island, you can take a car or bus to Port Alberni, the closest land-link to The Rendezvous.

This will give you a taste for the beautiful landscape of the Island.

Ferries run from Vancouver to Schwartz Bay, Nanaimo and Victoria, however, the shortest route to us is by catching a Nanaimo ferry.

Their pick up time in Port Alberni is 4 PM, but if you need an adapted pick up or drop off time, they can try to arrange this for you - notify them well in advance .

The time you have to consider to get from Port Alberni to the Nanaimo ferries is at least 1 hour and 40 minutes.

If you are diving on the last day of your stay, they are usually in Port Alberni at 4 PM.

If you don't have your own car or want to rent a car, the Grayline bus service is a good alternative and will take you all the way into Port Alberni.

Once you have arrived in Port Alberni, you will have to transfer to a boat.

By Air:

If you come by air, your best option is to fly into Vancouver or Victoria.

The advantage of Victoria is that you are on the Island and you save yourself the transfer from Vancouver to the Island.

However you may find substantially better ticket prices flying into Vancouver and the transfer doesn't cost a lot.

Smaller regional airlines have begun flying into Nanaimo or Comox and could be a time saver.

Float planes are available from either Vancouver or Victoria for charter directly to their docks.

By Boat:

The easiest way to get to the Rendezvous Dive Resort is by boat.

For larger groups they have a pick up service in Port Alberni.

Individuals can either book a water taxi themselves or take the motor vessel "Lady Rose" or the "Francis Barkley".

Built in 1937 and running three times a week in the winter and every day during the summer, these beautiful ships will offer you a stunning ride through the Alberni Inlet. Return tickets around cost $40 per person.

If you want to come with your own boat you will need to launch it in Port Alberni, Bamfield, Toquart Bay or Ucluelet.

More information about the Rendezvous Dive Resort pricing and availability can be found by just completing the form below to contact them with your questions.

For best pricing, state CoolDives09-2 when you call or email Peter or Kathy.

Return to Best Diving in British Columbia vacations home page.