Nova Scotia

Halifax Regional Municipality

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Canada

The site is a rocky open coast and faces east so can't be divine in NE east or SE winds as the waves and swell can build up very high. NW winds or due west winds are the preferred direction. SW is okay.

It is called Hayes Gardens because it is a rock garden of large boulders just under the surface, which fishermen avoid. This makes for interesting terrain to explore. It has a rich kelp forest and abundant fish life during the summer.

Parking is in the gravel open area just off the sharp turn giving wonderful views of the sea and harbour approaches to Halifax. Thee is a path down from the parking area onto the shelving granite bedrock of the shoreline.

Herring Cove

Hayes Gardens

This is a memorial park for sailors lost at sea on the Heberidean. Summertime it is a popular fishing location and the narrows for a quite acttive small harbour. Therefore, we usually restrict our diving here to the fall, winter and spring with rare summer visits.

At high tide one can jump off the left corner of the wharf into 5 m of water on a slope which drops quickly to 8 m deep. Low tide, you can pick your way down the rocky shoreline to the left of th breakwater and enter a little covelette.

The left side of the mouth of the cove is a boulder slope covered in a rich kelp bed dropping down to 10 m deep onto a sandy plain that makes up the rest of the cove. The nicest dive is along the sand edge going out on the left; then go up 3-4 m shallower and return back through the kelp forest; using the sand plain as a landmark going and coming.

The far point at the mouth of the cove is about 300 m away and is Tribune Head, named for the French Frigate captured and recommissioned by the British, La Tribune that sank in front of it in 1797. Ballast, ribs, a few spikes and one cannon can be found off here in about 18 m of water.

Access is through the community of Herring Cove. Cross the small bridge at the head of the cove, and turn immediately right and drive slowly to the end of the road at the breakwater, which is Hebridean Park.

Herring Cove - Hebridean Park is also known as Herring Cove Hebridean Park.

Herring Cove - Hebridean Park

On April 28, 1967 the COSTA RICAN TRADER ran aground just north of the small Halibut Bay at the entrance to Halifax Harbour. COSTA RICAN TRADER lost the ability to steer on her way out of the harbour while in heavy seas. She grounded near enough to shore that the crew was able to walk off the vessel. Looters necessitated the posting of RCMP officers. The Foundation tugs VALIANT & VIGILANT attempted to pull her off without success and the vessel lay on the rocks until her remains were eventually scattered by wave action. She was partially shalvaged, but the entire intact bow section slide off a white, granite "dome-like" rock, sledded down the boulder and cobble slope to lie on her port side in 90' (30m) of water. Today she is still mostly intact and offers a rich "artificial reef" for clouds of the common Cunner, perch-like fish, sponges, tunicates and passing Pollock, Mackerel and other fish that attract divers and rod & reel fisherman alike to the ship. It is often marked by a float by dive and fish charter groups. But it this isn't the case, she is directly out from the bald granite dome, about 50-70m off the shore, in 80-90' of water, and a depth sounder can't miss her bulk as she sticks up to 45' below the waves.

This is a boat dive, and best dived in light winds from any westerly direction, as she is wide open to the east. The NS Museum "On the Rocks" website gives this location for her - Lat. 44 33`05N, Long. 63 33`05W, Halibut Bay, Halifax...But the zoom in map should place the flag where I've dived her repeatedly.

Currents are slight tidal ones, as the tidal range is only 6' (2m). This just helps keep the site clear of particulate matter stirred up by divers. Some divers have penetrated into the cargo areas of the bow, and there is one back corner room with an exit hole cut away in the upper deck and a door out the ripped off back - but penetration should only be done by those with the gear and the experience. She is a pretty basic wreck for this, and is sometimes used for training dives. I enjoy the wealth of marine life on her, and the fact that she is mostly in one, large, intact piece!

Halibut Bay close to Halifax Harbour, 1 mile south of Tribune Head. The main intact bow piece rises from 90' of water to about 50' from the surface, directly off a large whitish granite dome of a rock on shore.

Costa Rican Trader Shipwreck

The bottom is small stones and gravel grading down to mud and silt, but with some small boulder slopes covered in rich kelp forest. The site is very protected from all westerly winds, and the gravel and small cobble beach is just a short few meters scramble from the vehicle parking. This site has nice crabs, lobster, small fish such as Red Hake, Cunner, Pollock, Longfin Hake, Sculpin and Sea Ravens. As the bottom gets softer, muddy bottom species become more common with several Tube Anemones becoming common. This is a nice spot close to the city with moderately nice marine life and nice night diving - good for macro-photography. Depths to 50'.

Fergusons Cove is south of Halifax proper, along the Percyls Cove Road. It is on a side gravel road on the ocean, left side, just as you climb a hill, before you come to York Redoubt.

Fergusons Cove

New Bear Cove is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Canada, Nova Scotia which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

New Bear Cove

The golden sand beach is flanked on the south side by shale ridges running out to sea with kelp, seaweeds and lots of invertebrate marine life. The north side is contained by the long breakwater for the Halifax Container Peer. Divers shouldn't go past the breakwater, as large ships pass by. This still gives a huge area for diving. The central area of the dive site grads down to silt with some eelgrass beds. But the nicest diving is on the flanks. The shale is in bedding planes, like a layer cake making lots of nooks and crannies for critters to hide in. And the breakwater is a very steep slope composed of large boulders and some small rock all being taken over by the sealife!

Good parking above the beach in the parking lot adjacent to the container terminal. There is a short walk along a boardwalk and a path to get to the beach itself. The area is very protected from the west and north winds.

Black Rock Beach is also known as Point Pleasant Park east side.

Black Rock Beach

SLIPPERY (KELP) AND ROCKY ENTER. WRECK AT 23 MTR. S.S.PERRY. SUNK: 08/06/1915. 957 TONS, CARGO SHIP. 



Parliament Rock is also known as Chebucto Hear, SS Perry.

Parliament Rock

Nice little spot facing mostly west at the narrowing in the harbour so winds aren't a factor. The nice diving is along the flank of the shore to the right and up to the wharf.

Off Shore Road in Dartmouth, which is just south of the MacDonald Bridge. Take Windmill Road and turn down to the water on the first south of the bridge called Best Street to reach the spot. It is on the south side of a large open, gravel parking area across the railway tracks. The entry is off the gently sloping pebble beach.

Skull Cove - Dartmouth

We usually enter just below the bridge from a small path that leads to a little inlet just above the old footings for the original bridge. This puts the divers in up current of the bridge so the dive is under the bridge and below it. It is not always possible to get back up to the entry against the current, unless you've timed the tides to switch and flow out, dropping.

This dive is done on an incoming tide. Out going, or dropping, is not useful at this site.

Dive plan - 
 - dive on a dropping tide
 - dive spring, fall or winter, rarely summer due to boat traffice going under the bridge (September to May inclusive best)
 - stay low to see sponges, kelp forest and sea anemones
 - plan to go under the bridge, travel about 30 m, they swim up sloop to the west side of the bridge to slip into a large lagoon, picking up its back eddy to coast around it back to the west bridge footing
 - do several loops out of the lagoon, down slope just above the bridge to pick up the current, drift away from the bridge, then swim up sloop to pick up the back eddy in the lagoon

The left, western, shore has nice boulders and little cliffs rich with sea anemones. If divers miss the lagoon with its back eddy, stay on bottom and work west (left) up slope into the seaweed shallows along the shoreline. The current is much, much weaker along the shore in 1 m of water. Snorkel back to the lagoon in the shallows tight against the left bank. The small bay above the bridge opens up, so the current drops to less than a knot 150 m above the bridge.

Rich seaweeds, sponges, sea anemones, fish, crabs, lobsters and nudibranchs abound in this area due to the current.

This is an advanced dive, or a dive training location to teach current diving. 

Exit is often in the lagoon above the bridge from its corner at the bridge where a steep gravel trail leads up to the west end of the bridge.

This is a rich marine life dive and an excellent location to try current diving. The harbour below the bridge is also good, but has boat traffic and care is needed to dive there.

The dive is under and above, or north, of the concrete bridge in the community of Sambro south of Halifax out the Herring Cove Road. This is the only bridge in Sambro. A local has let us park in his parking lot and go down his boat ramp about 100 m before the bridge, but for easy public access, cross the bridge and park on the shoulder of the gravel road on the right directly across the bridge.

Sambro Bridge

There is good parking on a widened section of road just below the little hill going up to the gate for the National Research Council's Marine facility on the left hand point of the cove. Parking to the sides of the road, near their gateway is possible too.

There is a short path down onto the beach, and a 50m walk to the water. 

The nicest diving is along the leftside (north side) of the cove and outside the cove along the left flank of the shoreline. The research complex's seawater pipelines offer a wonderful navigation aid out and around the point to the nicest diving. This is an area of rich kelp forest, wonderful understory species, several types of crabs, lobster and fishes as well.

It is open to southeast winds and faces the open ocean, so westerly winds are preferred for this site.

The Sandy cove Beach is located at the end of the "Sandy Cove Road", just before Bald Rock and a few hundred meters  before Sambro Head.

Sandy Cove, Sambro Area

The area has rock out croppings which form mini-island with rich rockweed cloaks. Lots of lobsters and crabs here and flatfish as well. In summer, fish are common.

The small community of Bald rock is out the Herring Cove Road south of Halifax, NS on the way to Sambro. The 2nd paved road on the left after leaving Keth Harbour is marked with a street sign, "Bald rock". A sting of homes runs out onto this side of the headland. The community has fixed up a grassy spot with a gravel beach they call "Isabells Beach", on the right just before htting houses close to the road. A widening of the road allows for several vehicles to park off the main drive.

We only use this site on shoulder seasons, later fall, winter and early spring, so as to leave it open and uncrowded for the locals whom made it. 

The diving is shallow and fairly muddy, but it is a nice little spot that can be dived when NE winds blow - it is open to the SW. High tide is a bit better here, as the area is so shallow.

Hayes Gardens

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Hayes Gardens