Nanaimo Scuba Diving - Three Dives, One Location

Nanaimo scuba diving offers three very good dives located close together and just minutes away from the Nanaimo harbour.

Nanaimo is about a 1 1/2 hour drive north from Victoria, and is also easily assessable by BC Ferry (via the Duke Point Ferry Terminal) from Horseshoe Bay or Tsawwassen on the Lower Mainland.

And after your day of diving, you can find out what else Nanaimo is famous for - their world-famous Nanaimo bar.

Not a drinking establishment, but a delicious dessert.

My wife won’t let me post her recipe on this site, but check out the City of Nanaimo official Nanaimo Bar recipe.

The best way to try it though, is to dive in Nanaimo and then pick up and eat the decadent bar from a local bakery.

Dive Nanaimo - The Former HMCS Saskatchewan

Dive Nanaimo - The Former HMCS Cape Breton

Dive Nanaimo - The Rivtow Lion

Another great local non-profit organization, The Nanaimo Dive Association (NDA) acquired the ship in early 2002, finished the remainder of the clean-up and preparation operation, and sunk her in Departure Bay.

This wreck is a great shallow water artificial reef, ideal for beginner Nanaimo scuba diving wreck diver training and recreational diving all year round.

Even though the sinking is pretty recent, the ship was docked for a long time and attracted a lot of marine life on her hull. You'll also see new arrivals daily.

This old tug rests near perfectly in the sand in a bow down postion with a 15 degree list to the port side. The sand at the bow is 24 meters (80 feet), the bottom of the rudder is 18 meters (60 feet), the aft main deck and the bridge windows are at 14 meters (45 feet) and the top of the funnel is only 10 meters (36 feet) down in what is usually excellent, clear waters.

With all these artificial wrecks, it is easy to see why Nanaimo has some of the world’s best diving even before you leave the harbour!

Please remember to plan your dive and dive your plan.

Dive Safe!

Contact us to help with your Nanaimo dive planning, or...

Contact a nearby Nanaimo scuba diving retailer or scuba charter operator.

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