Did you know that British Columbia (BC) in Canada was Jacques Cousteau’s second favourite place to dive?
The cold-water diving in BC is unparalleled and can be as colourful as anywhere in the tropics. Diving with seals, sea lions, and other marine life in some places of BC is the norm, rather than the exception.
We also have a great track record of divers. Divers that call BC home are for example Mandy Rae Cruikshank, a 7-time world record holder and Eric Fattah, who set the first world record with a monofin. Performance Freediving International has been training freedivers globally for years and was founded by Kirk Krack, who later received a DAN award for his work.
Of course the water in BC can be very cold, but freedivers have several tricks to make the cold water bearable (see here and here).
Freedivers in Vancouver
The hotspot for freediving in BC is Vancouver, which does not have the best diving, but definitely the most freedivers in one place. There are many freedivers in Vancouver, and most of them communicate on the Facebook. I have been a member since 2013 and it is a great group of people.
Check out these two groups on Facebook:
Freediving courses in and near Vancouver
Sea to Sky Freediving Co. has been active in Vancouver since of 2018 and teaches the Molchanovs Education Program. They’re run by Luca Malaguti, Canadian Record Holder and one of Canada’s deepest freedivers.
Freediving shops in Vancouver
There are no freediving specific shops, but two shops carry a range of freediving gear:
- Sea Dragon Charters in Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver has excellent gear for rental and buying.
Freediving locations in BC
The best dive sites in BC are in high current exposed areas, where you get the most marine life. Of course, these locations are usually also the hardest to dive and you need a good boat operator. Fantastic spots include gods pocket out of Port Hardy, Quadra Island (close to Campbell River), and Ogden Breakwater in Victoria.
Arguably the best dive sites near Vancouver for freedivers are Whytecliffe, Porteau Cove, and Ansell place.