viz this time of year?

[madprops]

is it just the 2 spots i have been to or is the viz everywhere just crap??

was at 2 sites by horseshoe bay and the viz was 2 or 3 feet all day:depressed:

i'm going to do some diving up in seachelt i hope its better there

and is the viz always bad at this time of year? when does it get better?

 

[coldwaterlloyd]

Days are getting longer promoting algae blooms , they peak and die , when they die ... vis is usually very good ... stay tuned

 

[akirawut]

Does this cycle of peaking and dying last all summer? IE does it usually more or less clear up by some point, or are we stuck with day to day viz issues until we hit winter again?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

No guarantees, but vis in Sechelt Inlet is typically better than Howe Sound pretty much any time of year.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Does this cycle of peaking and dying last all summer? IE does it usually more or less clear up by some point, or are we stuck with day to day viz issues until we hit winter again?

It's the same up there as it is down here in Puget Sound ... this time of year you're hit with the double-whammy of plankton blooms and lots of silty fresh-water runoff as the snows melt in the mountains. The blooms are cyclical ... and the runoff will eventually go away as the mountain snow disappears. In summer, when the blooms die, you'll get a couple days of spectacular vis ... be prepared to go diving as soon as someone posts that it's happened ... because in three or four days it'll be blooming again.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MarkH]

Visibility in B.C. I've found is extremely variable based on the geographical area and the time of year. Some places have better visibility (on average) in the winter, while other places have their worst visibility in winter. Some places are much more affected by runoff than others (Howe Sound, for example). Some places are more affected by plankton blooms, while in other places, visibility is more affected by wave action. In general, the Strait of Georgia and the Vancouver area has better visibility in winter, but I find that the Strait of Juan de Fuca has better visibility in summer and fall (it can be pretty terrible in winter). Basically I guess I'm trying to say that we have so many very different areas affected by different variables (salinity, current, temperature, runoff, wave action, etc.) that it's hard to have a generic "gospel" visibility rule for the whole province. By the way, Vancouver's visibility is entering it's nasty visibility period, but Victoria's Juan de Fuca side is starting to improve from it's nasty winter period.

 

[tkdgodess]

It's typically bad in spring during rains and snowpack melting, or wild temperature/weather shifts. It usually stabilizes during summer to some great vis. I dove whytecliff on saturday, and after 15 feet it was pitch black,(9 am descent)I couldnt see my own hand in front of my face. I dropped a weight tied to my reel just to reference the bottom. I've been diving these waters since 1995 and it's some of the worst vis I've experienced - top 10 bad anyways.

*Please Anyone who dives howe sound please update vis daily!*

 

[akirawut]

This makes it pretty tricky for me and the "wife". We are both on rental gear, and as we are brand new prefer to go on organized/guided dives, or take courses for now at least until we are more familiar with the area and the activity. Just too bad that both times we have attempted to dive here conditions have been really bad, but no option to do it another time because the money has been paid etc.

Guess that's part of the deal around here. Will be easier once we manage to get our own gear and have more experience, can pick up and go if viz is decent.

 

[DaleC]

Akira, I'm away this weekend but after that watch for posts here when a group of us are heading out for a dive. I (and I'm sure some others) will gladly do some dives with you and your wife to show you the ropes.

 

[akirawut]

DaleC: That would be great. I have seen such arrangements going on. To be honest I worry a little bit about going out with groups like that without more experience - I feel as if we would potentially be too dependent on the more experienced divers. Then again for the types of dives we would be into it's more about site knowledge, as we have the diving basics under control.

I will definitely keep an eye out for such arrangements.