It's a common saying amongst scuba divers - "the pool is open!". Meaning it's time to dive. As the summer fades and Fall begins to gently consume us, the top layer of water becomes cooler which results in less plankton and algae - this means clearer water, and great diving!
The Fall and Winter time are the best times of year to scuba dive in BC. The water can give you clear water for 100 feet, octopus are in abundance, divers start to take notice and get in the water more often (myself included), and you don't risk heat exhaustion from all the layers of thermals you still have to wear in the summer. October and November, and February are my favourite months to dive. This year I'll be exploring as much of Discovery Passage, Campbell River, as possible. I'll be diving with the wonderful folk at Oceanfix.ca. A dedicated local group of divers, with an absolutely fantastic dive boat (plus a new one arriving any day), and a great shop with fast turnaround, and a wonderful attitude towards divers, marine life, and diving. The above image was taken a few days ago at The Rock. A stone's throw away from the shores of Quadra Island, the rocky wall drops off into a high current channel of water known as Discovery Passage. From 120 to 60 feet or so, you'll see the steep vertical rock wall covered in life. A rich palette of yellows, reds, pinks, and almost glow-in-the-dark whites. It's simply a fantastic dive site and one of just a few of this caliber in the Passage. Next week the same boat and divers (with me on board!) will be diving another site, then another, and another. We'll do this until we get bored - which, will never happen! As the weeks and months go on, you'll see more images from Discovery Passage here, feel free to ask questions! Enjoy. |