Diver's Guide: Vancouver Island South

DIVER’S GUIDE

Vancouver Island South

Greg Dombowsky

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

MIKE KALINA has been a faithful dive buddy for a long time and was there at a moment’s notice whenever I needed to get out. Thank you Mike.

GORD OLIVER gave me a lot of support and patience and was instrumental in the completion of this book.

JACQUES MARC is a member of the Underwater Archaeological Society of BC and his experience was crucial in several of the dive sites.

JIM COSGROVE is a prominent marine biologist in British Columbia. Jim was a great help with the Marine Life section in the Introduction of this book.

KEVIN VAN KLEEMPUT’S knowledge of the dive sites and currents around Victoria was a great help.

JASON GALVIN’S artistic talents were used to help me create the maps of the G.B. Church.

OLIVER BROST contributed a map of Henderson Point that I used as a basis for my map of that site.

IONNE DOMBOWSKY (my mom) encouraged and helped me in my endeavours.

And last but not least...ANN-MARIE BARRETT supported my efforts all the way and re-inspired me when I needed it.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

BOAT LAUNCHES AND DIVE STORES

TOP TEN SITES

SECTION I

Victoria Area

Shore Dives

Clover Point

Ogden Point (The Breakwater)*

Saxe Point

Spring Bay

Ten Mile Point*

Boat Dives

Brotchie Ledge

Discovery Island

Strongtide Island*

Wreck of the S.F. Tolmie

Other Sites

SECTION II

Race Rocks & Metchosin Area

Boat Dives

Beechey Head

Race Rocks*

South Bedford Island (Wreck of the Swordfish)*

Swordfish Island*

Wreck of the Barnard Castle

SECTION III

Saanich Inlet

Shore Dives

Henderson Point

McKenzie Bight

Willis Point

Boat Dives

McCurdy Point

Senanus Island

Tozier Rock

White Lady (Repulse Rock)

Other Sites

SECTION IV

Sidney Area

Shore Dives

Sidney Pier

Boat Dives

Arbutus Island

G.B. Church (Artificial Reef)

Graham’s Wall*

HMCS MacKenzie (Artificial Reef)*

North Cod Reef*

Rubly Island

Other Sites

SECTION V

Sansum Narrows

Boat Dives

Bold Bluff Point

Burial Islet

Octopus Point*

Sansum Point

*An asterisk indicates the site is a Top Ten Selection

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing Diver’s Guide: Vancouver Island South. I hope you have as much fun using this book to explore the exciting waters around Victoria as I had writing it.

Since I was certified as a PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) Open Water diver in 1990, I’ve had the opportunity to visit many diving meccas around the world—California, Hawaii, Mexico, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. My experiences on these travels convince me that the diving in Victoria is among the best in the world.

Skill Levels and Common Sense

In this book I will not go over basic scuba rules that you should already know and skills that you should already have mastered. I do hope that all divers use common sense when it comes to a sport as potentially dangerous as diving. The danger only arises when divers do not follow the rules that they have been taught or do not use common sense.

Under certain conditions, any site can become more than a beginning diver is able to handle. For this reason I have not labelled the sites in this book with a difficulty rating. I consider it every diver’s responsibility to know his or her own abilities and limitations. You should also know the abilities and limitations of your diving buddy and make dive site choices that are acceptable to both of you. After reading the information contained in this book and checking the current, visibility, and weather conditions, you should be able to evaluate a dive site to determine its acceptability for you and your buddy.

Marine Life

Most people get interested in diving because of the possibility it offers to encounter marine life or life in diver terminology. Seeing the larger animals can be exhilarating for some and scary for others. No matter which category you fall into, your training and common sense will guide you safely through most encounters with marine life.

Even though we do not have coral reefs in Canada, we do have a lot of fragile animals. Fins, gauges, and hands can cause fatal damage to many sea creatures. Our interactions with a marine organism can affect that animal more than we can imagine. Try to keep your impact on all life to a minimum, preferably observation only. Do not attempt to touch any creature as you may harm it or it may harm you.

If you spearfish or harvest seafood, please use some restraint. The following are a few suggestions when collecting:

• Take only what you can personally consume. Most seafood gifts go to waste.

• Unless you have a good shot at a fish, don’t take it. Injured fish often die.

• Keep up on all the latest regulations in the sport-fishing guide. Even when the season is open for a species, there are often smaller areas that are closed all year.

• Don’t harvest from known dive sites.

Invertebrates come in a rainbow of colours and a variety of sizes. There are thousands of different species in British Columbia. Most species filter the water and remove the particles that it contains, but some species, like the starfish, actually attack other animals. Wherever you find strong current, you are likely to find a good selection of invertebrates.

Countless numbers of fish species live in our waters, far too many for me to mention. The most commonly seen are ling cod and rockfish. Identifying the fish you see on each dive can be a lot of fun. Most fish guidebooks will refer to the various parts of a fish when describing them. The diagram below shows you what those guides are referring to.