Nanaimo or Hornby Island

[paul19may]

There 's a bunch of us planning a trip from sunny Texas to either Nanaimo or Hornby Island. Both have theor pros and cons and we would welcome some local thoughts/ input to help guide out choice.

8- 12 divers
mix of recreational and technical (incl TMx)
keen wreck divers
sea life spotters
Do not need 5* accommodation or nightlife


Many thanks in advance for any assistance

Best

Paul

 

[themagni]

How long are you staying?

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of great dive sites on Vancouver Island. Two of the more famous wrecks are the MacKenzie (a decommissioned warship) and a 747 off Chemanius. Both require a live boat. There are islands full of Octopuses (such as Octopus Island) and there's an abundance of life here. It's not tropical life, so don't expect brilliant colours. A sharp eye will let you see a massive array of camouflaged life. You'll want to bring nice lights so you can poke around under rocks to look for stuff.

It takes about two hours to drive from Victoria to Nanaimo, so you've got a lot of range available. If you're staying for a week or more, you could base your vacation out of Nanaimo and take a day trip to Hornby.

 

[DaleC]

When are you guys heading up?

Just outside Nanaimo harbour are three wrecks: HMCS Saskatchewan, HMCS Cape Breton and the ocean going tug Rivtow Sealion. A good charter service I have used is Divers Choice (out of Nanaimo). Google will give you lots of info about the wrecks etc...

 

[TSandM]

Yes, the wrecks in Nanaimo can keep both your recreational and technical divers amused, and Diver's Choice is a wonderful boat. I understand they now have lodging, too. I haven't stayed there, but if it's inadequate or unavailable, the Buccaneer Inn in Nanaimo likes divers, and is close to the boat. It's very comfortable as well, and has at least one unit with a kitchenette.

 

[diddydidit]

I have been to both places but I would go to Nanaimo as well, three great wrecks (artificial reefs) HMCS Saskatchewan the Cape Breton and the Rivtow Lion are all within a 15-20 min boat ride. I can also recommend Ken from the Diver's Choice.

 

[NDO]

Hi Paul.
Nanaimo is a great place to base your diving from. The Buccaneer Inn is definitely a great place to stay for divers. They have an outside area to rinse gear and a room downstairs to hang all of your wet stuff so you don't have to stink up your room with wet neoprene.

Divers Choice Charters is an excellent operation and can handle your whole crew. He is great with anyone from newbie to rebreather and often hosts groups doing wreck and technical courses.

If you are here for several days, I would recommend a few days diving the wrecks in Nanaimo, then a few days diving with Hornby Island Diving. Rob and Amanda are great hosts with a fabulous lodge. They both know the area like the back of their hand and are highly experienced in all kinds of diving. Expect to eat, dive, and relax as much as you want when visiting them.

 

[StuartT]

If you are coming all the way from Texas in addition to what others have said you might want to consider the Campbell River/Quadra Island area (2 hours North of Nanaimo) and even Port Hardy ( another 2 hours North). These 2 areas boast some of the best cold water diving on the planet. Check out .:: Vancouver Island Dive.com ::. for Port Hardy, you won't be dissapointed.

 

[wwunder]

The wrecks in Nanaimo are artificial reefs, so they are well cut open for penetration, but I think Hornby has more to offer. First, hornby is a way nicer holiday destination with scenery, peaceful atmosphere and great diving. Hornby Island Divers is a great charter / accomodation company. Rob and Amanda are really friendly and of you call them with your specific interests I'm sure they'll give you the complete details. There aren't any wrecks off hornby, but you can explore as deep as you want off of flora islet.

I think that charters out of Courtney (city nearest hornby) head to the Capilano and possibly the gulfstream which are deeper wrecks that I haven't done yet, but are on the list! Who knows maybe Hornby Island divers will run out there too.

I have lived in Nanaimo and I have a cabin on hornby so I know both places pretty well. Depending on the time you have available you could probably hit a couple of places if you don't mind a bit of travel.

There are a lot of diving destinations around the island and you can't go too far wrong. If I was planning a diving destination trip here my first choices would be Barklay Sound (see diving Vancouver Island, Canada, Barkley Sound, British Columbia, West coast) or Port Hardy (see Port Hardy Scuba Diving - World's Best Diving!).

The websites listed are just ones that came up on a quick google search. I haven't used charters in either location.

 

[tyrerubber]

For wreck enthusiaists - Saskatchewan and Cape Breton (Nanaimo)

For the sea-life spotters - six gill sharks (Hornby)

Deep and Drift - Orlebar Point, Snake Island, Dodd Narrows (Nanaimo)

Less than 5* Nightlife, either place...but Nanaimo has more of it.

I think the choice is Nanaimo, or Hornby...ohhhh try both.

So many spots...too much time at work

 

[Erku]

Yes, the wrecks in Nanaimo can keep both your recreational and technical divers amused, and Diver's Choice is a wonderful boat. I understand they now have lodging, too. I haven't stayed there, but if it's inadequate or unavailable, the Buccaneer Inn in Nanaimo likes divers, and is close to the boat. It's very comfortable as well, and has at least one unit with a kitchenette.

I haven't been diving in Nanaimo yet, but I got married there... I can second the recommendation for Buccaneer Inn. Excellent staff, lovely place, inexpensive, and very close to the marinas. I'm not sure what sort of accommodation the boat company might provide, but it would be hard to do better than Buccaneer IMO