Copper Cliffs is a Discovery Passage wall dive marked topside by huge bluffs that leach a green copper stain in places. Underwater a sheer, solid wall drops to a boulder-lined base, and the site sits in a back-eddy of the main channel current that keeps it divable off-slack.
Also known as Copper Cliff.
Where it is and how deep
50.1002° N, 125.2698° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The wall itself is sheer and solid and reaches the bottom at about 24 to 27 m (80 to 90 ft). To the north, large boulders and rocks line its base; to the south, the boulders give way to a giant rockslide that climbs to about 15 m (50 ft) of the surface, with orange cup corals, strawberry anemones and yellow and white sponges on the rocks. A large Puget Sound king crab can be watched climbing the boulder pile. In the back-eddy the current stops, starts and changes direction, so it can pick up at depth before subsiding again.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime |
Season follows Discovery Passage & Campbell River: Winter brings the clearest water, at times beyond 30 m; August visibility can turn murky, and September trades calmer seas for clearer water.
Dive videos
Dive Campbell River - Copper Cliffs · Roger McDonell on YouTube
Sources
- Discovery Passage, BC: September 2015 — Emerald Diving
- OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap
More dive sites in Discovery Passage & Campbell River
Wreck
A 112 m destroyer escort that can be dived when the passage is running
Wall
A cliff decorated with giant northern tube worms between 18 and 30 m
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