Cold Water · Canada
Horseshoe Bay & Howe Sound
Anemone-draped fjord walls and a sunk destroyer, an hour from Vancouver
Horseshoe Bay, a suburb of West Vancouver, is the gateway to Howe Sound, a fjord dived year-round from shore and by charter boat. Whytecliff Park, Canada's first saltwater marine protected area, is a shore-entry wall hung with plumose anemones; Porteau Cove is a shore park of purpose-sunk ships; and charters reach the destroyer HMCS Annapolis and the pinnacle off Bowyer Island. Most dives run between 5 and 24 m (15–80 ft).
About diving in Horseshoe Bay & Howe Sound
The diving splits between shore parks along the coast road and boat sites in the middle of the sound. Whytecliff Park is shore-entry only, and Porteau Cove and Kelvin Grove in Lions Bay are reached by car. A boat is needed to see the rest of Howe Sound: charters out of Horseshoe Bay reach dozens of sites among the islands, and only a few companies run dive boats here. The inland water is sheltered from Pacific storms and swell, but strong winds can funnel down the fjord; there is always a protected spot somewhere to dive.
The fjord's rock drops steeply: below the anemone garden at Whytecliff the wall plunges 183 m (600 ft). Porteau Cove is a man-made reef, its steel vessels still mostly intact and its wooden ones badly deteriorated, and large lingcod sit on the wreckage. The HMCS Annapolis, 112 m (366 ft) long, rests upright on the sea floor at 32 m (105 ft). After dark, Whytecliff's sheltered cove raises the odds of sailfin sculpins, midshipman fish and giant Pacific octopuses.
With deep walls, shallow bays, muck dives, wrecks, seamounts and pinnacles, the sound has sites for every level, and the Bowyer Island pinnacle lets each diver choose a profile to suit their skill. Divers used to timing British Columbia dives around slack water will find that current rarely limits the diving here. Many sites have deep water well beyond recreational limits, which makes training, planning and good buoyancy control essential, and in the cold water a drysuit lets divers set undergarment thickness to their own tolerance.
Best time to dive Horseshoe Bay & Howe Sound
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime |
Howe Sound is dived through the whole year. Late fall and winter bring the clearest water, usually 8–23 m (25–75 ft) of visibility, although February is the coldest month at about 7 °C (44 °F). Plankton blooms through spring and summer can reduce visibility, though clearer water may lie beneath a murky surface layer. August is the warmest month, at about 11 °C (52 °F). Thermoclines and freshwater layers may form, especially after heavy rain and snowmelt in the interior.
Dive types & marine life
Giant Pacific octopuses are most likely on night dives at Whytecliff, when sailfin sculpins and midshipman fish also come out, and stubby squid join them in winter. Harbor seals haul out on the islets south of Anvil Island, with dozens there in summer.
- Wall
- Wreck
- Night
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Squid
- Seals & sea lions
Best dive sites in Horseshoe Bay & Howe Sound
- 1
Whytecliff Park
Shore-entry wall where a field of white plumose anemones spills over the edge at 18 m (60 ft).
- 2
HMCS Annapolis
Destroyer sunk as a reef in 2015; much of its structure lies at 15–24 m (50–80 ft).
- 3
The Pinnacle (Wedding Cake), Bowyer Island
Rock pinnacle whose tip sits at 5 m (15 ft), with deeper tiers falling away below.
- 4
Dragon's Den
Sometimes challenging advanced boat site, dived for its dramatic topography.
- 5
Porteau Cove
Shore park of purpose-sunk ships, a tire reef, concrete blocks and a frame of steel H-beams.
- 6
Kelvin Grove, Lions Bay
Shore wall, very productive for macro: nudibranchs, red Irish lords and sculpins.
Site guides
Wreck
A whole Annapolis-class destroyer sitting upright in a sheltered bay
Purpose-sunk ships, a tire reef and an H-beam jungle gym off one beach
A field of white plumose anemones spilling over a fjord wall's edge
How to get to Horseshoe Bay & Howe Sound
Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is in Richmond. Horseshoe Bay, a suburb of West Vancouver, is about one hour by road from central Vancouver and about three hours from Seattle; dive charters leave from the village.
Photos from Horseshoe Bay & Howe Sound
Darren Kirby · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dive videos
Howe Sound Diving Vancouver · Lawrence Ko (Nameless86) on YouTube
Bowyer Island Scuba Diving · Ian Lipchak on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Can Whytecliff Park be dived from shore?+
Yes, Whytecliff is shore-entry only. It became Canada's first saltwater marine protected area in 1993, and its plumose anemones spill over the wall's edge at 18 m (60 ft).
Is a boat needed to dive Howe Sound?+
For the island sites, yes. Charters out of Horseshoe Bay reach the HMCS Annapolis, the Bowyer Island pinnacle and Dragon's Den, while Whytecliff Park, Porteau Cove and Kelvin Grove are dived from shore.
When is visibility best in Howe Sound?+
Late fall and winter, when it usually runs 8–23 m (25–75 ft). Plankton blooms reduce it in spring and summer, though the water below a murky surface layer may be clearer.
How cold is the water in Howe Sound?+
Around 7 °C (44 °F) in February, the coldest month, and 11 °C (52 °F) in August, the warmest. Thermoclines and freshwater layers can appear, especially after heavy rain and snowmelt.
How do divers get to Horseshoe Bay?+
Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is in Richmond, and Horseshoe Bay is about one hour by road from central Vancouver. Charters into the sound leave from the village.
Sources
- Howe Sound - Divers Alert Network — Divers Alert Network
- Our Crew - Sea Dragon Charters — Sea Dragon Charters
- Vancouver - Wikivoyage — Wikivoyage
- Vancouver Water Temperature Today | Canada — Sea Temperature
Photo credits
- Calm water reflecting a marina of moored boats below a forested hillside and distant mountains by Darren Kirby, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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