Gabriola Passage

Gabriola Passage is a narrow tidal channel between Gabriola Island and Valdes Island in the Strait of Georgia, off the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Diving here is timed around slack tide because the passage funnels strong currents between the islands, and even then divers have reported strong surface current along with downwellings and upwellings that can catch a diver off guard mid-dive. The site is known for current-swept walls and boulder slopes rich with plumose anemones, soft corals, and other filter feeders that thrive on the tidal flow, and octopus have also been spotted in the area. Depths reach a maximum of around 36.6 metres, and the site is rated advanced, with careful gas planning called for given the deeper profiles some divers run along the wall. Because of the current and the depth range, it is a dive best timed tightly around the tide tables.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• OctopusOctopusReported here · unconfirmed
• Dungeness CrabMetacarcinus magisterReported here · unconfirmed
• North Pacific Spiny DogfishSqualus suckleyiReported here · unconfirmed
• Harbor SealPhoca vitulinaReported here · unconfirmed
• Ochre Sea StarPisaster ochraceusReported here · unconfirmed