Dive Review of Big Animal Encounters in
Canada/Hornby Island

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Big Animal Encounters: "Great viz around Hornby Island", Feb, 2024, by Marcia Pedersen, WA, US ( Contributor 16 reports with 6 Helpful votes). Report 12897.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations	N/A	Food	N/A
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Captain Shannon was awesome! She was helpful, patient, and knowledgeable about the area. The Pacific Ata-tude is a beautiful 30' aluminum boat for eight divers. Plenty of room for everyone inside heated area with comfy seats and bathroom. Plenty of room for each diver to have two tanks set up with a bin for extra stuff like gloves and lights under each seat. We could drive right up to the edge of the pier for easy loading. Only 20-minute ride to Norris Rocks. Great surface views of sea lions and bald eagles; reports of Orcas in the area, but we didn't see them today. Two dives: saw urchins, starfish, sea pens, ling cod, nudibranchs, and had amazing visits from playful sea lions. Chilly time of the year but no wind, rain, or snow. Everyone wore dry suits, and Shannon had coffee and hot chocolate for us between dives in the heated cabin. I would love to return and do the walls around Hornby Island and then head up to Campbell River.
Websites	Big Animal Encounters
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Puget Sound, San Juan Islands, Vancouver Island, Hawaii, Thailand, Australia, Mexico, Honduras, Bonaire, Dominica, Turkey, Caymans, Bimini, Socorro, Belize.
Closest Airport	Nanaimo	Getting There	We drove from Washington State. We crossed the Blaine border and took the two-hour ferry from Tsawwassen (south of Vancouver).
Dive Conditions
Weather	dry	Seas	calm, choppy, no currents
Water Temp	45-50°F / 7-10°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	30-40 Ft/ 9-12 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	500psi
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals	N/A	Tropical Fish	N/A
Small Critters	N/A	Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Special area wasn't needed. I handed my GoPro to Shannon who put it directly in my bin.

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Dive Review of Big Animal Encounters in Canada/Hornby Island

Big Animal Encounters: "Great viz around Hornby Island", Feb, 2024,

Photos Submitted with this Report

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Big Animal Encounters in
Canada/Hornby Island