Clean & friendly, family-operated motel, centrally located at Ucluelet Small Craft Harbour (Boat Basin). The motel is within easy walking distance to restaurants, tour operators and the Wild Pacific Trail. Driving distances to Pacific Rim National Park and the start of Long Beach 10 minutes, Tofino 30 minutes.
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Scuba diving off the coast of Vancouver Island in Ucluelet,
British Columbia, The home of Barkley Sound!
Experience diving like never before and explore some of the best dive sites on Vancouver Island. Barkley sound is unlike any other on the planet. With up to 60 shipwrecks there are endless dive sites to be explored. The coastal waters off Ucluelet have been named by some “the graveyard of shipwrecks”.
The Broken Group Islands of the Pacific Rim National Park is a maze of islands, islets, reefs and numerous rocks, providing a variety of exciting diving opportunities. Sites vary from relatively easy, for the less experienced or beginner diver, to challenging sites for the very experienced, advanced diver.
Stay with us and explore the ocean with
Ocean planet adventures is a full service PADI dive centre that we work with to provide quality service, gear and adventure in a safe and comfortable environment to all types of divers and non divers alike. If you are just curious, new to the sport, an experienced diver or anywhere in between you are welcome at Ocean Planet. Please view t
Below I have described what diving is like in Barkley Sound and what to expect while exploring the fascinating waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Conditions:
Wet or dry suits are essential, as the water temperature ranges between 8 to 14 degrees Celsius (50-58 degrees F). Currents in the area are unpredictable, requiring the use of boat tenders for all dive sites. Large swells are concentrated in shallow areas, surge channels, and narrow passages.
Marine Life:
Avoid the spines of sea urchins, ratfish and dogfish, as they contain a neurotoxin. Do not harass wolf eels, lingcod, sharks, or sea lions as they can inflict great injury if provoked.
Bull sea lions can display very aggressive behaviour. During the mating season, bulls engage in acquiring and defending harems. There are recorded instances of bulls mistaking divers either as new members of their harems or as rivals. A full-grown bull sea lion can weigh up to one ton and is quick, powerful, and very agile underwater. Even while playing, a sea lion can seriously injure a diver. Avoid close proximity to sea lions! This said, generally sea lions are friendly, playful and curious. While you should not approach them yourself, do not panic if they come to you. If you are calm and move slowly and cautiously, they are more likely to simply check you out a bit, maybe try to engage in play and eventually get bored and leave you alone. (note – hang on to your mask! They have been known to steal them!)
Seals love divers and often swim with them for the duration of their dive. They are completely harmless and love to play however they can spook easily.
Typical marine life encountered anywhere on the west coast includes (but not limited to):
Wolf Eels, Giant Pacific Octopus, Seal, Sea Lions, Sea and River Otters, Nudibranchs, many types of Rockfish, Grunt Sculpins, Lingcod, Halibut, Urchins, many Seastars (including giant sunstars, painted stars, pinkstars, batstars, bloodstars, brittlestars), various Anemones, Fans and Sponges – most frequently the Giant White Plumose Anemone (quite often so many they are considered anemone gardens) and Orange SeaPens, many types of Crabs, Shrimp, Sea cucumbers, Jellyfish.
Boat Traffic:
Numerous boats travel throughout the islands. Divers must use a dive flag.
Ucluelet Dive Sites:
Puffin Islet:
Maximum depth: 11 to 12 metres. Anchor on northeast (lee) side of island and swim south, exploring the island perimeter. Bottom is composed of large boulders, nooks and crannies, carpeted with pink coralline algae, sea stars, nudibranchs, kelp crabs, octopus, and schools of small rockfish that follow you as you explore. Marine life increases toward the more exposed side of islet.
Hankin Island:
Maximum depth: 12 metres. Anchor adjacent to the north, protected shore. Bottom is rocky with lots of crabs, sea stars, sea cucumbers, kelp greenling, nudibranchs and anemones – lots of colour! Some surge in narrow channels. Explore their profusion of life if surge is minimal.
Advanced Dives Sites are deeper, 15 metres to 28 metres, and are more exposed to wind and wave action. Expect swells, current and greater hazard.
Pinnacle Rock:
Average depth: 21 to 28 metres. This is a very exposed site, limited to certain sea conditions. Anchorage will depend upon wind direction. Ensure that you have lots of scope on the anchor and check to ensure that the anchor is well fastened by descending the anchor line before exploring the dive site.
There are rock pillars separated by valleys of coarse shell sand. Follow the cleft in rock that forms a great canyon to 28 metres. A variety of marine invertebrates, lobed and stalked tunicates, orange-peel nudibranchs, plumose anemones, along with numerous blue and black rockfish reside here – but it’s the topography of this site that makes it such a dramatic dive!
Plumose Gardens:
Average depth: 15 to 20 metres with maximum depths to 25-26 metres. Situated off the northeast tip of Gibraltar Island at 125 degrees 14’ 30" West, 48 degrees 55’ 6" North. Anchor about 6 metres from the islet on a rocky bottom. Rocky walls drop steeply as short cliffs to 12 metres, grading into coarse sand and shell bottom that continues down very steeply. Prolific beds of huge mussels, with lots of plumose anemones, sea cucumbers, small crabs, and bryozoans clothe the site.