Reefwander

Halifax & St Margaret's Bay · Canada · Sand slope

The Dingle

Old bottles on the bottom of the Northwest Arm

The Dingle is the beach at Sir Sandford Fleming Park on Halifax's Northwest Arm, a short walk from the public parking lot. Entry and exit are very easy and the water never passes 18 m (60 ft), which makes it a good site for novice divers looking for sea stars, rock crabs, lobsters and old bottles.

Also known as Dingle Cove, Sir Sandford Fleming Park, Sir Sandford Fleming Memorial Park.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of The Dingle: typical dive to 18 m (to 60 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit18 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

44.6303° N, 63.5973° WPublished position for this site.

The dive

From the beach the bottom drops off to about 11 m (35 ft) and then to 17 m (55 ft) in the middle of the Northwest Arm, before rising again toward the opposite shore and the public boat launch at the end of South Street. Common sea stars, anemones, Atlantic rock crabs and lobsters live along the way, and old bottles lie on the bottom.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for The Dingle
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodPrimePrimeGoodGoodGood

Season follows Halifax & St Margaret's Bay: Late August and September bring the warmest water and the odd seahorse; winter, free of rain runoff, brings clear water.

Know before you go

  • Boats use the Northwest Arm, so the site has boat traffic overhead.

Sources

  1. Sir Sandford Fleming Park Dive Site — East Coast Scuba
  2. Canada Shore Diving in Halifax, Nova Scotia — Dive Buddies 4 Life

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