Cruising speed

Drift diving is a fun way to view the underwater world. You jump off a dive boat, descend, and let the current take you on a journey of discovery. It's like standing on one of those conveyor belts you get at airports, but cruising by walls of colour and marine life.

Campbell River's Discovery Passage is one of the best places in BC to drift dive. It has some of the highest tidal exchanges in North America, and the narrow channel results in currents in excess of 14 knots. Now, you couldn't dive in 14 knots, you'd be half way around the world before you know it! But one or two knots of current can make for a pleasurable drift dive.

This past weekend we were out with Pacific Pro Dive diving two sites, Whiskey Point, and The Rock. The current was pretty low so it was a mixture of light swimming and drifting at a leisurely rate. Hovering a few feet about the sea floor, we traveled at about 1 knot, nice and slow and smooth, keeping our eyes open for wolf eels, giant pacific octopus, ling cod, rockfish, cabezon, and any other signs of life hiding amongst the coloured sponges and anemones. It's a great ride, being a sub Aquatica passenger is a lot of fun, and a privilege. 

You can see a short video here.