Dan
Contributor
Jonathan Bird of Blue World talks about diving in Brittish Columbia in the video, below. He is specifically comparing Atlantic Wolf Fish vs. Pacific Wolf Eel, including diving there with drysuit.
Wow! Someone has figured out how to market diving!
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Fantastic videos.
Notice that bun freezing water temperature was not mentioned in any of the videos and everyone wearing drysuit.
This morning it was actually warmer in the water up here on the upper Sunshine Coast! at 10 am it was still 3-4 Celsius in the shade where we parked, nice in the sun at the beach, then around 8-9c in the water. Great dive despite the chill, saw a big octo and a wolf eel and probably would have seen more of each (last Sun. we saw 7 eel and 2 octos at the same site) if we hadn't had current to deal with.
Someone asked the best time to come visit and I'd say Nov - Mar? Cold water is much clearer, less algae blooms.
And the question about rental gear; remember, the exchange rate gives amuricans (please don't get upset, I'm one myself...) a roughly 30% "discount" up here.
Cheers
Eric Sedletzky
Contributor
That looks a lot like Northern California at many of the offshore sites in Mendocino County.
We have 48 - 53 degree water too. All the big lingcod, blue rockfish in the water column, the bull kelp, big plumose anemones, wolf eels, carpets of strawberry anemones, big nudi’s, even the Puget Sound King Crab, we have them.
The problem is we are exposed to the open ocean and all it’s drama. From everything I’ve heard about BC, it has a lot more protected areas. Plus they have a lot more diving infrastructure in the way of operators, we have none of that. It’s almost like we’ve been skipped over and nobody realizes that any of this stuff is here. I would rather go to BC than many other tropical locations. Cold water diving is so rich!
Another great thing about cold water diving is that it requires a higher level of skill and commitment. This means a higher skilled group of divers overall and less crowds of hungover incompetent tourists.
I never thought I’d be saying this, but at 57 I might be in the market for a drysuit (again).
However a good custom 9 or 10 mil wetsuit would probably work too, I just won’t go too deep.
We have 48 - 53 degree water too. All the big lingcod, blue rockfish in the water column, the bull kelp, big plumose anemones, wolf eels, carpets of strawberry anemones, big nudi’s, even the Puget Sound King Crab, we have them.
The problem is we are exposed to the open ocean and all it’s drama. From everything I’ve heard about BC, it has a lot more protected areas. Plus they have a lot more diving infrastructure in the way of operators, we have none of that. It’s almost like we’ve been skipped over and nobody realizes that any of this stuff is here. I would rather go to BC than many other tropical locations. Cold water diving is so rich!
Another great thing about cold water diving is that it requires a higher level of skill and commitment. This means a higher skilled group of divers overall and less crowds of hungover incompetent tourists.
I never thought I’d be saying this, but at 57 I might be in the market for a drysuit (again).
However a good custom 9 or 10 mil wetsuit would probably work too, I just won’t go too deep.
I was in the water yesterday - it was 8 degrees Celcius, while the air temperature was 3 degrees Celcius.
Late October to early March are the best times to dive here in the mid island. Cooler water kills off all the algae and plankton, making visibility very good.
After the herring fishery in March, the water is stirred up quite bad, and a couple of warm days can result in a plankton bloom. Some sites go from great visibility, where I can navigate without my compass, to very poor visibility where it is "dive by braille".
Several good dive shops in the mid island area that provide equipment rentals, service, and can arrange charters.
Divegoose
Late October to early March are the best times to dive here in the mid island. Cooler water kills off all the algae and plankton, making visibility very good.
After the herring fishery in March, the water is stirred up quite bad, and a couple of warm days can result in a plankton bloom. Some sites go from great visibility, where I can navigate without my compass, to very poor visibility where it is "dive by braille".
Several good dive shops in the mid island area that provide equipment rentals, service, and can arrange charters.
Divegoose
W W Meixner
Banned
W W Meixner
Banned
During my first trip to British Columbia, we had a diver from Texas wearing a wetsuit. He said he wasn't cold, but I went to high school in Texas and know better. Texans tell tall tales.
MBT...
There's two things wet suit divers love to lie about...as it relates to their suit...I've never pee'd in it...and...I'm not cold...and they don't have to be from Texas...
There's no end to what divers are willing to learn as it relates to the sport...with one exception...the merits of diving with a properly fitting dry-suit...
W.W...
I know exactly what I'm missing and have no regrets. I like to dive to see the wonders of natural sealife underwater- not lifeless shipwrecks. No offense to those who do enjoy that type of diving - it's just not of interest to me.
I live in NJ but I don't dive here - completing my rescue cert this past summer and getting a few dives in at Dutch Springs in reinforced my dislike of cold water (49F at depth), low viz diving in bulky gear. After that training I got trip in to Rangiroa, Bora Bora, Cayman Brac and Grand Cayman and enjoyed warm water, outstanding visibility and colorful reefs teeming with life - exactly how Iike it. YMMV...
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The inflator and exhaust valves aren't "accessories", they're standard equipment on a drysuit, like the pedals and the steering wheel is on a car. And the suit hose comes with the suit, just unscrew one of the LP port plugs from your 1st stage and screw in the suit hose.
And you don't need a pee valve, nor do you need to glue a condom catheter to your junk to dive dry. I know very few non-tech divers who bother with that, we just make sure not to over-hydrate and to take a leak not too long before we zip up. Most of us are able to hold it for an hour or so, which is the typical run time for a rec dive in these waters. I have much less problems holding it in my drysuit than I have if I'm diving wet in warmer water.
W W Meixner
Banned
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