The best Canadian destinations for scuba diving

You don't have to travel too far to find the best scuba diving spots. Canada is home to loads of amazing scuba diving destinations. Here are some of the best locations you won't want to miss.

Canada has more miles of coastline than any other country in the world, with easy access to vast stretches of ocean water. Canada also has the Great Lakes, which are the largest freshwater lakes in the world. The Pacific waters of British Columbia, the Atlantic Ocean around Newfoundland and Labrador and the Great Lakes in Ontario offer top destinations for scuba diving.

The ocean waters around Newfoundland and Labrador are teeming with marine life. Thousands of whales pass through the area every year and a wide array of sea birds call the region home. There are also two other big scuba diving draws to the area: shipwrecks and icebergs.

Shipwrecks

Scuba divers in the area often explore the numerous shipwrecks that can be found around Newfoundland and Labrador. It is believed the area's ocean waters are the final resting place of more than 4,000 ships that went down over the course of 500 years. Numerous German U-boats sank in those waters during World War II and are favourite points for divers to explore. There are four German U-boat shipwrecks that were destroyed in battle in 1942 and are easily accessible to scuba divers around Bell Island. The SS Lord Strathcona is located only 27 metres below the ocean in Conception Bay, near Bell Island.

Icebergs

There are also drifting icebergs that offer as much beauty below the water as above. Plus, you can spot some magnificent aquatic life around them.

The waters along British Columbia are home to wolf eels, sixgill sharks, dolphins, orcas, sea lions and a bevy of soft corals. Divers also enjoy exploring vast clusters of yellow and white cloud sponges and large red sea fans. On occasion, divers luck out and catch glimpses of giant Pacific octopuses. The most popular scuba diving destination around British Columbia is on Vancouver Island, by Victoria and Nanaimo.

Although there isn't much marine life in the chilly fresh water around Ontario, there are still diving exploration adventures to be enjoyed by scuba enthusiasts. The freshwater Great Lakes of Ontario are home to over 4,000 shipwrecks that draw divers who want to swim through their vast skeletal remains. Most scuba divers stick to the Great Lakes, but there are other diving options around such as Niagara Falls, Kingston, Prince Edward County and Toronto.