Nakwakto Rapids - For Those Who Dare

Nakwakto Rapids, located some 320 kilometers (200 miles) northwest of Vancouver in the pristine dive destination waters near Port Hardy and the Queen Charlotte Islands, earned their reputation by having the fastest (around 22 knots) navigable tidal currents in the world.

And any dive site worthy of a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records is worthy of a write-up on my web site!

But unless you are a very advanced to an expert diver, you'll just have to read about this ultimate dive, since it is one of the most challenging dives in British Columbia.

If you are experienced enough, you'll also need to book with a Port Hardy scuba charter operator, since there are only special circumstances when it is safe to do this dive.

Before I give more details, you'll want to read these two fantastic articles. They describe diving the Nakwakto Rapids far better than I could:

The first is a .pdf article courtesy of John Rawlings, Chief Staff Writer/Photographer for Advanced Diver Magazine, and is entitled Cauldron of the North.

The second great dive article is from the Globe and Mail and describes the Nakwakto Rapids. OK, so you've read the articles and like me you'd love to try this dive – let’s jump in and dive!? Are we nuts?

On my home page I did ask if you wanted a more challenging dive?

If you think an area with such a strong current would be stripped bare of marine life, think again.

The bottom is absolutely covered with life, and even includes large groups of rare goose neck barnacles that have scientists scratching their heads….

A quote from a diver who submitted a dive review for this area states "Fantastic diving, as good or better than any warm water destination. Walls so full of life that you can not touch a finger down for fear of touching something. Color, Color and more color."

It is so hard to initially list only three best dive sites for each area since there are so many. And more will get added as this site grows.

Whether you experience these dives or experience other amazing sites is dependent on your level of experience, the weather and tide conditions, and the operator you choose to book with.

While this dive is only for highly skilled divers, the waters around Port Hardy offer some of the best dives in the world, for beginners all the way to expert divers.

For a true scuba diving vacation of a lifetime, you need to ensure you experience scuba diving in Port Hardy, British Columbia.

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