Porteau Cove
British Columbia · Canada
Porteau Cove Provincial Marine Park in Howe Sound is one of the most accessible dive sites in British Columbia, a purpose-built recreational diving area with deliberately sunk vessels creating an artificial reef just minutes from Vancouver. The site features two wrecked vessels in 18 to 26 metres, surrounded by the rugged rocky walls of Howe Sound which host clouds of rockfish, nudibranchs, and large lingcod. It is an ideal site for wreck exploration and cold-water macro photography, particularly on calm summer evenings when the water is at its clearest.
Conditions
Depth
8 to 26 m
Open water and up
Current
Usually still
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
8 to 15 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
6 to 15°C
drysuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| Vis (m) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Current | Still | Still | Still | Still | Still | Still | Still | Still | Still | Still | Still | Still |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Lingcod
Last confirmed Jul 7, 2026 · 81 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
Pacific Banana Slug
Last confirmed Jul 4, 2026 · 530 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
Common Raven
Last confirmed Jul 4, 2026 · 101 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
Red-Breasted Sapsucker
Last confirmed Jul 5, 2026 · 108 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
Copper Rockfish
Last confirmed Jul 3, 2026 · 77 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
Nudibranch
Last confirmed May 14, 2026 · 16 records
Very likely
Most dives
Gear