Difficulty
beginner
Viz (last reported 15918h ago)
Max Depth
65.6 ft
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Whytecliff Park
Whytecliff Park is the premier dive spot for divers of all capabilities. You can find dive classes exploring the inner cove, and advanced divers venturing further out toward the Queen Charlotte Channel. All the classic sea life of this area can be found within an afternoon of touring the slopes and walls. For the non-divers, food and restrooms are found close the parking area.
The original name was White Cliff City. In 1914, Colonel Albert Whyte pressed for the spelling change from White Cliff City to Whytecliff.
The park is currently home to more than 200 marine animal species and is the first Marine Protected Area in Canada. Sea lions can be seen sunbathing on the beach during summer.
Whytecliff park is located near West Vancouver's Horseshoe Bay Neighbourhood. To get there, take Marine Drive west from the Lions Gate Bridge past light house park to Horseshoe Bay and then continue on to 7100 Block Marine Drive.
2014 Note from Chanel MacKay: I am the current operator of the concession at Whytecliff Park and am in the process of reducing my hours of operation for the fall and winter 2014. I thought I would reach out to you to see if there would be any interest in my staying open for coffees, soups, and sandwiches over the park's off season. I know from speaking to divers this summer that the fall and winter are generally better for diving at Whytecliff. Would a hot drink and snack be appreciated by your divers or do they prefer to take off once out of the water and head somewhere warm to shower and dry off properly? Any feedback you could offer would be greatly appreciated as this is my first year in operation and I would like to make sure I'm meeting the needs of park guests. Please email me at foxfoodsvancouver *at* gmail*dot*com. Thank you!!
From the Copper Cove dive site turn right onto Marine Drive. In a short distance you'll see the entrance to Whyte Cliff Park.
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EnjoysWater
Jan 29, 2007, 12:00 AM
scuba
On Saturday January 27th 2007 I dove Whytecliff Park. This was my first dive in Vancouver B.C., and I enjoyed it very much. The drive up from Seattle is not too terrible. I didn't hit traffic, as I made the drive late Friday night and stayed at TWU. The site is easy to find, and has great mountain/water views. If you have never been up there, or have never gone to Whistler, etc., it is a very scenic area. Despite the abundance of parking, arriving at 9am was a bad choice. The water was already being infiltrated by a large dive class and multiple, no tons, of other divers. Lots of guys with duals, for good reason -wall dive. While the class went straight out into the bay, most other more experienced divers should go to the right (the cut? I think it's called) and dive along the wall. My buddy has seen a decent sized octo on the wall (shallower, maybe 30 fsw) and there is lots more to see as you keep going farther. We turned around at 110 fsw as the dual manifold divers armed with scooters zoomed past and around and up and down. I would definitely dive here again, as there is much to see on the wall. Plus, the thrill of not having a bottom for much of the dive is always fun. If you plan to visit Whytecliff, beware of the Saturday class crowd and weekend warriors. 50fsw and up was pretty churned up. Solid site with easy entry, and a huge park for topside walkers / joggers / swing set / toys / restrooms / showers? (in the summer most likely).