Sunshine Coast Diving - Mermaid Sighted Near Vancouver

My most recent weekend get-away was to the beautiful Sunshine Coast diving area of British Columbia.

It certainly brought back memories, since when I was growing up in the prairie city of Winnipeg, my only glimpse of the stunning, rugged, pristine west coast of Canada was from watching ‘The Beachcombers’ on Sunday nights.

If you remember watching the show, you will be happy to know Molly’s Reach is still operating in Gibsons, British Columbia.

Although it is technically on the mainland of British Columbia, the Sunshine Coast, named for the extra hours of sunshine they get each year, is actually reached via a 40 minute BC Ferry ride from the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal in West Vancouver.

The Sunshine Coast is an 80-km stretch of spectacular coastline, with some of the world’s best scuba diving found in the area.

There are numerous islands and sheltered bays - great for scuba diving, boating, kayaking and wildlife sightseeing.

From shipwrecks and artificial sunken wrecks to high current drift diving, there are many great dive sites throughout this area of British Columbia for divers of every skill level.

There are Giant Pacific octopus dens here, and many other very good dive sites with easy shore access.

The Sunshine Coast is also world-renowned for many spectacular outdoor recreational activities.

And if you need a hotel or place to stay for your dive holiday, we love to stay at the Sunshine Coast Resort, which is centrally located with easy acccess to the best dives the Coast has to offer.

You will want to book your dives with a Sunshine Coast diving charter operator that specializes in Sunshine Coast diving, or let us package a great dive holiday with the best local charter operator and a stay at the great little resort.

Scuba Dive Tip: Your time is incredibly valuable, especially when you are trying to get to a pre-arranged dive departure.

BC Ferries regularly has sailing waits of one hour or more, depending on the season and time of day.

You can either take this possible delay into account, or for a fee of CDN $17.50, you can reserve your spot on the ferry.

Northwest Diver Magazine also recently chose the diving at B.C.'s Sunshine Coast as one of the top 10 secret locations for diving in British Columbia.

Sunshine Coast Scuba Sites - Where To Dive

1.)Skookumchuck Rapids

2.)Former HMCS Chaudiere

3.)Saltery Bay - Mermaid Cove (Find the local Mermaid)

4.)Fearney Bluffs

5.)Tuwanek Spit shore dives

Looking For A Dive Holiday - Let Us Help?

And if you book with CoolDives during the off-season months, when scuba diving in British Columbia is at it's very best, you can enjoy a free night stay when you book a dive holiday of at least 3 consecutive nights.

See the Sunshine Coast Hotel page for more details, and book now while there is still space.

We also recommend the Mt. Daniel Waterfront Resort for beautiful self contained Sunshine Coast accommodation, or the Tuwanek rental suite near Sechelt.


Please remember to help out your fellow divers by completing a dive site/operator review after your stay.

Return to Best Scuba Diving Vacations in British Columbia.