best combination of price/diving in BC

[dvleemin]

Hi,
My wife and I are thinking of going a 5 day or so trip to BC this summer. There are SO many options, I don't know what to do. WE could stay on the mainland, go to the island, or do a liveabord (although we don't prefer this option).

What do you reccommend as the best bang for the buck so to speak - the best diving for the best price.

Darryl

 

[MechDiver]

Ocean Explorers is excellent. They have a dive/lodging deal that is very reasonable, and the diving is great.

For liveaboard, Nautilus Explorer.

And, like you said, way too many places. All of them good. Sechelt Inlet is also excellent diving.

MD

 

[jimisurf]

Hi,

Best Bang for the Buck: Nanaimo - Technically Speaking at $75 for a two tank Charter. Stay in a local or Courtenay hotel for about $90 and your lloking at $240 per day per couple. Campbell River - Abyssal Charters at $140 for 2 tank dive, food and 1 night acomodations can't be beat. Sechelt - Porpoise Bay is about $95 for the night and I think $80 for a two tank charter. Other possibility is shore dives with local dive shops and "hotelling it".

I have personal experience with the following:

Campbell River - Abyssal Charters in the Campbell River area offers great wall dives (try Whisky Point for sure), drift dives and wreck dives too. They have a small guest house on Quadra Island, it's comfortable and the food is very good. An excellent operation all around. There is a Coast hotel in Campbell that is nice, but charges about $130 per night.

Nanaimo - Technically Speaking is an excellent dive charter company. Harry offers great service and great rates! Probably the most pesonable dive charter I have been out with. There are many hotels in the Nanaimo area. If you dicide to do some general Island diving you could stay mid way between Campbell River and Nanaimo in a town called Courtenay. The Kingfisher hotel ($84) and the Crown Isle ($89) are good hotels in that area (45 min drive to Harry's place) and resonable.

Sachelt - Porpoise Bay Charters are very good and very experienced. The Chardiere and some great wall dives in Aganemon Channel are highlights. They have a few cabins on their oceanfront site.

I have not been up to Port Hardy yet, but I hear that it has excellent diving. I'm going to dive at Barclay Sound next weekend. I can post the results later. Overall, I have found that the island offers great diving with reasonable hotel rates ($80 - $130 per night for the better places). The Charter companies are all very experienced and very focused on their customers/guests. They tend to charge 75 - 90 dollars for a two tank charter. I have also dove with some dive shops (Pacific Pro in Courtenay and Beaver Aquatics in Campbell River). Both shops go out on Sunday Shore dives. They showed me some amazing shore dives in the Quadra island area. They were both a pleasure to dive with (really good group of people!!).

Best of luck to you and have fun.

Jimi

 

[Alfred.E]

Is diving these areas mentioned ok going wet and what's the average temp during the summer months?

 

[bwerb]

bobito once bubbled...
Is diving these areas mentioned ok going wet and what's the average temp during the summer months?

First dive of the day in 7mm two piece and hood OK...rest of the dives you will be cold.

Right now the water is a balmy 46 degrees. It get's up to the mid 50's max (at the surface). I wouldn't dive wet here at all. The OW student are the only ones who dive wet...and they hate it!

Brian

 

[dvleemin]

jimisurf once bubbled...
Hi,

Best Bang for the Buck: Nanaimo - Technically Speaking at $75 for a two tank Charter. Stay in a local or Courtenay hotel for about $90 and your lloking at $240 per day per couple. Campbell River - Abyssal Charters at $140 for 2 tank dive, food and 1 night acomodations can't be beat. Sechelt - Porpoise Bay is about $95 for the night and I think $80 for a two tank charter. Other possibility is shore dives with local dive shops and "hotelling it".

I have personal experience with the following:

Campbell River - Abyssal Charters in the Campbell River area offers great wall dives (try Whisky Point for sure), drift dives and wreck dives too. They have a small guest house on Quadra Island, it's comfortable and the food is very good. An excellent operation all around. There is a Coast hotel in Campbell that is nice, but charges about $130 per night.

Nanaimo - Technically Speaking is an excellent dive charter company. Harry offers great service and great rates! Probably the most pesonable dive charter I have been out with. There are many hotels in the Nanaimo area. If you dicide to do some general Island diving you could stay mid way between Campbell River and Nanaimo in a town called Courtenay. The Kingfisher hotel ($84) and the Crown Isle ($89) are good hotels in that area (45 min drive to Harry's place) and resonable.

Sachelt - Porpoise Bay Charters are very good and very experienced. The Chardiere and some great wall dives in Aganemon Channel are highlights. They have a few cabins on their oceanfront site.

I have not been up to Port Hardy yet, but I hear that it has excellent diving. I'm going to dive at Barclay Sound next weekend. I can post the results later. Overall, I have found that the island offers great diving with reasonable hotel rates ($80 - $130 per night for the better places). The Charter companies are all very experienced and very focused on their customers/guests. They tend to charge 75 - 90 dollars for a two tank charter. I have also dove with some dive shops (Pacific Pro in Courtenay and Beaver Aquatics in Campbell River). Both shops go out on Sunday Shore dives. They showed me some amazing shore dives in the Quadra island area. They were both a pleasure to dive with (really good group of people!!).

Best of luck to you and have fun.

Jimi

Great Info!

Thanks!

 

[diverkim]

I only dive with wetsuit all year round. I consider myself average in terms of susceptibility to the cold and in the summer two dives is no problem on warm days. In the winter it is killer doing more than one dive in a wetsuit. So I would say that it depends on the person.

 

[My-way]

So glad to hear of another wetsuit diver for Vancouver Island.

I'll be in a clapped out semi dry ( I had better get a hood) I am use dto divinbg in about 12'c of water and sometimes down to 8'c with a wetty all year around here in Victoria Australia so I hope I will be ok there for summer.

 

[jimisurf]

I find that diving dry in BC is primarily a comfort thing, especially in the summer. In the winter, diving in a wet suit can set you up for a real cold experience when you get out of the water (especially if there is wind). I would really reccommend a dry suit for BC diving. Being dry with nice think woolies on is a wonderful thing!!

Jimi

 

[My-way]

Hey don't get me wrong. Dry suits would be great save for the fact I don't have a dry suit and I am traveling to Vancouver Island for a few months from about the 10th of May.

Also I doubt that I will be able to fit a dry suit into my bags for the flight from Australia. Only get a limited number of kgs for checked luggage.

Perhaps I can catch up with some of the people on this thread I'll be bereft of buddies for a while when I get there.