Oak Leaf
Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
Oak Leaf Park is a large shore diving site at Nanoose Bay on Central Vancouver Island, Canada. It has easy access, several dive routes and year-round conditions, and it is diveable in most weather outside major storms. Most dives cover four features: the Big Bay, the Main Wall, the Deep Wall and the Pinnacle.
The Big Bay is at the far left entry. It is a shallow sandy basin with maximum depths of 30 to 40 ft (9 to 12 m), and it is the area most divers choose for night dives. Winter brings Pacific spiny lumpsuckers from December to February, as well as stubby squid, ruby octopus and chimaera.
The Main Wall lies between the middle and right entry. It is a gently sloping wall with kelp, rockfish and resident octopus, and it suits Open Water divers. The Deep Wall runs straight out from the middle into technical depths, with a maximum of 40 m. It draws advanced and rebreather divers, and holds yelloweye rockfish, cloud sponges, large boot sponges and the occasional six-gill shark. The Pinnacle is a small underwater mountain separate from the main wall, with rockfish, perch, plumose anemones, boot sponges and invertebrates.
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Conditions and hazards need attention. Higher slack tide is best, as low tide exposes ankle-twisting rocks at entry and exit, and strong current is possible on large exchanges. Keep clear of fishing activity in summer. Visibility is often best in winter, while spring herring spawns and summer algae blooms can cut it to almost nothing, though you can sometimes descend below the murk layer. Advanced Open Water and Deep Diver experience is recommended for the Deep Wall, and technical training for depths beyond recreational limits.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
North Pacific Spiny DogfishSqualus suckleyiReported here · unconfirmed
giant California sea cucumberApostichopus californicusReported here · unconfirmed
Mottled StarEvasterias troscheliiReported here · unconfirmed
OctopusOctopusReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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