Scuba diving on Vancouver Island offers world-class cold-water experiences where vibrant marine life meets dramatic underwater landscapes. This site guides divers through the top dive sites, local stories, photos, weather, and everything else you need to explore Vancouver Island scuba diving safely and confidently.
Tyee Cove, or Seducer's Cove, as some lucky people call it, is a great dive site located in the Nanoose area, and is a must-do shore dive. This site is one of the best and most versatile shore dive sites in the Greater Nanaimo / Nanoose Bay area.
Based on the amount of visitors this site attracts, plus its popularity with the dive clubs for teaching purposes, there is no doubt of it being one of the best dive sites in the Central Island area.
Accessible in almost any condition of wind or tide, this is the "go-to site" when all others are inaccessible. The site is located just one half hour north of Nanaimo, BC.
Click here for a downloadable Map & Dive Site Description
Just follow Hwy 19 north to Northwest Bay Road and then follow this winding road for a few kilometers and turn right at Stewart Road. Stay on this road, and it will naturally turn into Dolphin Drive - continue on and watch for Blueback Drive on your left (water side), and turn here.
Follow Blueback Dr to the intersection with Tyee Crescent, and then park past the mailboxes. A short trail leads to the beach.
This beautiful dive site has lots of interesting marine life to explore or photograph. There are multiple spots to visit within easy swimming range, with depths and challenges for all levels.
From the entry point, go straight away from the beach (north) and when you come to the eel grass you will find a natural chute that takes you down and in between rock formations on either side of you.
At the 60-foot depth range, you will find a marker that is used for teaching purposes. From here, you can go either to the right or left, depending on your dive plan. Both directions can take you well beyond the 90 ft range for you re-breather types.
To the right or left there are walls and rock, with plenty of fish and other marine creatures to visit. There are also wolf eels if you know where to look I have found dens in about the 70fsw range. Sealions are also fairly regular visitors to Tyee Cove, so don't be surprised if you get buzzed by one!
If the site appears busy do not despair, as there is actually a lot of room here. Any classes tend to stay around the chute, so once you are past them it will usually be quiet (and clear) in either direction.
For the adventurous, there is an interesting variation to this dive. Use a tide guide and pick a day when there is a fairly large ebbing tide. Go in at Tyee Cove when the water is at its highest and as I said, actively on the ebb, and then you can ride and swim a mild current to another site a few tenths of a km south that is called Nankivell Point. Note: I recommend that you, as a minimum, go and check out your exit at Nankivell Point! We have done this on a few dives and still find it easy to become disoriented. Don't let me dissuade you though, it is a great dive with lots of good exits. You just might get a few funny looks from the locals as you cut through their properties.
Nankivell Point is reached at the end of Grilse Road which is off either Blueback Drive or Tyee Crescent. It is rocky beach but a good exit. It is also a good dive in its own right.
Dive safe, cheers!