Nova Scotia diving recommendations needed

[belmax]

Hello fellow east coast divers,

I will be meeting up with my girlfriend in Halifax next week and we plan to drive out in the country for a couple of days and discover Nova Scotia and its great outdoors and oceanside a bit while doing some nice dives. We like Wreck diving a lot (did a few in the Thousand Islands - Lake Ontario area), and also any marine life makes us happy (we love Les Escoumins and Percé).

We have been reading around and are torn between driving west around Lunenberg, to do the Saguenay and other wrecks (they seem to abound in that area) or moving up East to Cape Breton Island (Port Hawkesbury, West Bay?) and do the Arrow and other dives...

Any recommendations would be appreciated, dive sites, dive operators (we'll need to rent, I can't bring everything on the plane) or must-see sites (on the ground too!) and even accommodations (something nice and simple, B&B or such).

Thanks for any input,
Max

[anassrat]

Hey Max:

I have been diving in Halifax for the past five years. Diving in Lunenberg and Cape Breton are both really nice. The Saguenay is one of the nicest wreck dives in the area, but my recommendation would definitely be Cape Breton. Going to Lunenberg will limit you to mainly diving, but going to Cape Breton will let you do more than that like driving the Cabot Trail (if you haven't been there before) which I consider one of the most beautiful places on earth. There are many interesting wrecks in Cape Breton.

Now, since you are starting your tour in Halifax you can dive the Saguenay and continue to Cape Breton. I am not sure though if you can do all that in a couple of days though. The other challenge about diving the Saguenay is that you need to match your dates with a charter that can get you there. There isn't many charters here so it is not a site that you can dive everyday.

Here are the dive operator I recommend depending on where you are heading:

Lunenberg: Torpedo Rays Welcome To Torpedo Rays Scuba (http://www.torpedorays.com/) (Halifax is the closest and they run charters to the Saguenay). Accommodations: There are many cottages that can be rented in the area within the $100-$120 per night. Just Google it.

Cape Breton: Two great dive operators there are: Easy Dive Welcome to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (http://www.sporting-mountain.com/) (They also have accommodations that are very well priced) & Louisbourg Scuba Diving Louisbourg Scuba Diving Services (http://www.louisbourgscuba.com/index.html) (I don't think you will be able to rent gear from them though). Accommodations: Great hotel company in Cape Breton which I stayed with many times and owns many hotels/cottages is Nova Scotia Resort | Hotel | Cape Breton | Cabot Trail (http://www.capebretonresorts.com/).

Hope this helps & if you decide to do some diving in Halifax I can definitely show you some of the nice shore dives here. I also have extra gear so you won't need to rent much but wet suits.

Ahmed Nassrat
Owner/President
Atlantic Adventure Divers
Atlantic Adventure Divers - Atlantic Adventure Divers (http://www.atlanticadventuredivers.com)

[ScubaSteve]

In the Halifax area, I did shore dives at a site called Bear Cove (http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=44.537801,-63.545791&spn=0.000948,0.001719&t=h&z=19) (this map linked shows the parking lot....to the right of the parking lot is the path you walk down to get to the shore) just outside of Halifax Harbour. I though it was a great dive. I also did a night dive at Cranberry Cove (http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=44.526412,-63.948938&spn=0.001897,0.003439&t=h&z=18) (Google map location linked) which was down closer to Peggy's Cove....shallow and tons of wildlife there. I then have family around Hubbards and dove off their beach and had a blast. Personally I could recommend either.

[AndyMtl]

Are dives off Halifax have to be done in dry suit? I tolerate cold water to about 40-45 F in wetsuit.

Thanks,

Andras

[ScubaSteve]

I did all my dives in Aug/Sept comfortably in a 7mm john/jane. My buddy there told me that the water was warmer than normal (mid 60's).....good luck for me I guess. There is an old wreck at Bear Cove......truth be told it is a bunch of boards and nails but I had a great dive. I just looked and it was The Humbolt wreck and the max depth was 83', average depth was 47' and temperature at depth was 59°.

[anassrat]

I am a wetsuit diver myself and I have been diving since May. It's all about cold tolerance. The water currently is beautiful. Today it was over 55.