Porteau Cove, B.C., Canada
Posted by: 
grafinator
N 49° 33.576 W 123° 14.098
10U E 483007 N 5489693
Porteau Cove is one of the best dives within a half hour of Vancouver, and is also one of the popular British Columbia artificial reefs.
Waymark Code: WMEVGE
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 07/09/2012
Views: 9
Weekends can be busy since this dive site is a popular spot for all the local scuba dive training and dive lessons, so be prepared for that.
Visibility can also be an issue, so you may want to check ahead with a local Vancouver dive shop to see what conditions have been like recently.
The basic dives are at depths between 20 and 60 feet. A jungle gym type of artificial reef network has been constructed from groups of tires, concrete piles & blocks, and steel beams, which are full of rock and ling cod, star fish, nudibranch, and even an octopus or two.
One of two yellow markers indicates the location of the Granthall, a 28 meter steel-hulled CPR tugboat built in Montreal in 1928. In 1967 the superstructure was removed and the Granthall became a herring packer, which was then scuttled to serve as an artificial reef in 1992.
The second yellow marker at Porteau Cove shows the location of a 30 foot (11 meter) rusty crane barge named the Centennial III, which also lies near a 40 foot (15 meter) cement sailboat hull. You should see orange and white plumose anemone, shrimp, grunt sculpins, kelp greenlings, crabs, sea cucumbers, ling cod, perch, and other rock fish.
For more advanced scuba divers, at a depth of around 90 feet (33 meters), lies the remnants of a former minesweeper called the Nakaya, which was scuttled in 1985 at the northern edge of the diving area.
Water Type: Ocean
Salinity: Salt
Access: Shore
Maximum Depth: 120
Typical Visibility: Fair (26-40 ft)
Has Reef?: yes
Wreck or Submerged Object?: Multiple
Underwater Life: lingcod, starfish, nudibranch, octopus, and more
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Visit Instructions:
1) To log a visit, at least a picture taken at the surface, including any distinguishing landmarks or buoys if present, is required. While you do not have to enter the water, this is encouraged.
2) If you dive at the site, describe your visit including any details you wish to share such as weather, water temperature, visibility, bottom time, and anything of interest that you observed, living or nonliving.