The picturesque little town of Sidney by the Sea is situated on the southern tip of Vancouver’s Saanich Peninsula, about 20 minutes by car from downtown Victoria. Surrounded by a number of the Gulf Islands, this little seaside town is a thriving community that offers plenty in the way of shore diving, boat diving, and wreck diving. There are more than a dozen great boat dives in the area; here are just five of the most popular.
Christmas Point
A favorite with local divers, Christmas Point is marked with a buoy and sits just off the southwest shore of Saanich Inlet. An intermediate to advanced dive site with an abundance of life mostly between 30 and 40 meters, it is usually calm and rarely subject to strong tides. While current rarely picks up, visibility is sometimes compromised, thanks to the algal blooms which feed the many creatures that make their homes here. Sometimes though, divers are surprised by visibility that reaches beyond 30 meters.
Beyond the slope where the buoy is anchored, you’ll find a wall that begins at a depth of about 23 meters, which drops away into the deep emerald green water below, to depths beyond the reach of recreational divers. At a depth of just over 30 meters, a forest of cloud sponges contrasts with the deeper grays and blacks of the rocky wall, where crabs, starfish, and anemones add color to an already intriguing environment. Look for quillback rockfish and even lingcod among the sponges, but be very careful not to touch them or collide with them as they are sharp and can take hundreds of years to grow back after being broken. Watch for octopus, wolf eels, and elusive six gill sharks here, and keep an eye out for playful sea lions.
Graham’s Wall
Marked by a small reef which is normally exposed at low tide, Graham’s Wall is situated off the west side of Domville Island. During the summer months, a lovely kelp forest adds color and motion, plus a bit of a challenge to the site; particularly as there can be quite a bit of current at times. Along the reef and wall, which eventually drops away to meet the seabed at a depth of about 25 meters, you’ll find sea stars and sea cucumbers, lots of perch and a few different kind of rockfish, and plenty of crabs. At the bottom of the wall, a vibrant forest of orange and yellow sea pens rise up from the sand. Continue to the north and as you go up the wall on your way back to the surface, you’ll be greeted by the sight of colorful tunicates and tube worms, plumose anemones in shades ranging from white to deep yellow, and even cup corals. Keep an eye out for the occasional wolf eel, plus a few red Irish lords and kelp greenlings as you explore; if the current is running, you may even get to drift back to your boat. This is a big site with a lot to see; it is good for at least two dives. Depending on the season and weather conditions, visibility can range from just a few meters to about 10 meters, however the amount of macro life makes up for it.
Dock Island
A challenging site suitable only for experienced divers, Dock Island is the easternmost of Sidney’s Little Island Group. Often surrounded by swirling currents and eddies that tell you the marine life is going to be fantastic in the event conditions calm down enough for a dive, the site is marked by a navigational light on top of the steep-sided island, where you can sometimes beach a boat and dive in from a sandy little sheltered spot onshore.
Once beneath the water, the cove’s cliff face continues, covered in brilliantly colored tunicates and cup corals, cemented colonies of tubeworms, orange burrowing sea cucumbers, plenty of encrusting sponges, sea stars, and a few plumose anemones. Spiny sea urchins add even more color and texture to the reef and wall, both of which are packed with creatures living one on top of another. At a depth of about 20 meters, the wall and reef meet up with the sand, where boulders covered with more encrusting sponges and colorful creatures host tiger rockfish, painted greenlings, Puget Sound rockfish, kelp greenlings, and little lingcod. Depending on conditions, this site may be done as a drift; on your way back up to the surface, look for little green anemones covering the shallower rocks, and keep an eye out for schools of perch.
Arbutus Island
Situated to the northwest of the Swartz Bay ferry terminal, Arbutus Island is not much more than a huge rock, belying the incredibly array of marine life which can be found just below the surface. Small enough to be circumnavigated and best at slack tide, the island’s southwest corner is pocked by a series of small grottoes with holes in their ceilings where sunlight enters. More like displays filled with ascidians, cup corals, anemones, and lots of other little creatures rather than caves you ought to enter, these little caverns are situated at depths between 3 and 7 meters.
Overhangs and crevices covered in more plumose anemones and encrusting sponges embellish the wall to the north of the island, which drops away to meet the sandy seabed at a depth of just 20 meters. Here, colonies of marine worms, sea stars in brilliant shades ranging from red to orange to yellow, and huge purple sea urchins create a captivating tapestry of life. Nudibranchs are here in abundance, and you’ll find quite a few fish, as well. Watch for the occasional wolf eel or octopus as you explore.
Reay Island
Located off the northwestern tip of Brethour Island, Reay Island is long and narrow with a chain of small islets and rocky reefs that extend away from its southern tip. Featuring stair-step type walls with flat sandy areas where you can sometimes spot resting dogfish or skates, the reefs offer a beautiful contrast between the grey canvas that is the substrate and the colorful patches of life that seem to have been painted by a master artist. Solitary plumose anemones are lovely in their singularity, while orange tunicates and sea stars in shades from purple to yellow add texture and brilliance to the tapestry. Hydroids, sea cucumbers, sharp-spined sea urchins, and giant barnacles can be seen, as can a few sea lilies, lots of copper and quillback rockfish, greenlings, red Irish lords and other sculpins, and little lingcod. Nearby, a kelp forest sits atop a wall where a massive field of white plumose anemones pulse in the current. Maximum depth here is about 30 meters, and visibility can be better than 20 meters at times. Another very large site that’s good for a few dives, this is a haven for photographers.
No visit to Sidney would be complete without at least a little time spent in its downtown area, where a number of book stores give the little burg the nickname of “Canada’s only book town.” In addition, there are plenty of excellent restaurants, a local theatre that holds stage productions, and plenty of places to stay. Getting a charter is normally easy, and diving is possible all year long; with a little planning in advance, you’re certain to enjoy a fantastic getaway.