Barkley Sound · Canada · Pinnacle
Pinnacle Rock
Rock pillars and a great canyon cut into the outer Broken Group
Pinnacle Rock is an exposed site in the Broken Group of Pacific Rim National Park, dived only when the sea allows. Rock pillars stand apart, separated by valleys of coarse shell sand, and a cleft between them forms a deep canyon. The topography is the reason to make the trip.
Where it is and how deep
48.8539° N, 125.3061° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive works between 21 and 28 m among rock pillars, each separated from the next by a valley of coarse shell sand. The route follows a cleft in the rock that forms a great canyon down to 28 m, the deepest point of the dive. Lobed and stalked tunicates, orange-peel nudibranchs and plumose anemones cover the rock, with numerous blue and black rockfish around it.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows Barkley Sound: Dived year-round; autumn is the prime window, winter brings the clearest water and June a plankton bloom near the surface.
Know before you go
- A very exposed site, open to wind and wave action and limited to certain sea conditions.
- Swells and current are to be expected on the dive.
Sources
- Pacific Rim National Park diving — Tourism Vancouver Island
- OpenStreetMap geocoding — OpenStreetMap
More dive sites in Barkley Sound
Pinnacle
Twin pinnacles crowded with anemones, nudibranchs and sea pens
Wreck
A 1950 Japanese-built freighter broken in two on the Austin Island reef
Wall
Short cliffs off Gibraltar Island over a steep shell-sand slope
Reef
A shallow circuit around a sheltered Broken Group islet
Reef
A canyon lined top to bottom with giant white plumose anemones
Similar dives elsewhere
A rounded pinnacle whose lee side can often be dived when current runs
Sheer rock stacks, crevices and caves on a far island of the bay
Rock pinnacles walled in jewel anemones, dived on slack water
A plumose-covered pinnacle rising from deep water beside the navy wrecks