Alberta

Improvement District No. 4

Diving in British Columbia is some of the finest in the world. From the shores of Vancouver, North to the Sunshine coast, and then to the inlets of Vancouver Island, there are phenomenal opportunities to view sea life and explore the underwater terrain. Local operators offer their guidance, expertise and advice; rely on their knowledge and understanding of their region. Explore the variety of dive locations and dive safely!

Canada



As you follow the area directions you will be driving along side Middle Waterton Lake. You will pass by a tourist information booth on your right and the Prince of Whales Hotel on your left. Take the next left on the road running parallel to the highway and follow it down to the picnic area. There is parking directly in front of the camp kitchen. A grassed area leads down to the rock beach. It is a gentle walk down to the lake side.
The Wreck of the Gertrude lies in Emerald Bay, and is one of the best dive spots in Southern Alberta.

Waterton Park

Emerald Bay

The bottom drops off very quickly to a depth of 130+ feet.
The bottom is very silty with little to see, this is a wall dive.
The depth here exceeds 130ft but there is little to see at depth. A depth of 70ft would allow the interested diver to get a good picture of the rock formations without jeopardizing safety.



Cameron Bay

This is a Altitude dive know and follow procedures

Park at upper lake parking lot, walk down path to lake 

Upper Kananaskis Lake

The lake is very much like a moonscape, and there are 5 trout in it. The water is cold, around 6 degrees C; spring and glacier meltwater fed. It is advised that you wear a drysuit.  The vis is amazing at 100+ feet.  Fantastic spot for a social dive, practicing nav, or night dives. Memorial Plaque to an Calgary Police Officer near the entry point. There are a couple of cinder block castles where the trout hang out.

from Calgary, follow #1 west(TransCanada Hwy) to Hwy #22. Turn South, and follow it past  Bragg Creek to a "T" intersection. Turn right onto Hwy #66, and follow it (don't hit any free-range cows or deer!) about 35kms to the signs for ForgetMeNot. Turn left onto the side road (if you are on gravel you have gone too far) then left again into the parking lot. The dive site is no more than 50m from the parking lot. Total drive about 60km from #1 hwy.

Forget me not pond is also known as Forget me not.

Forget me not pond



Bottom Contour:
A gradual slope with a bowl approx. 150 feet to the left from entry point.

Bottom Composition:
Coarse sand bottom at entry point with silt / sand bottom throughout.

Visibility:
Can be poor due to green algae during summer months.

Depth:
Depths are mostly in the 20 foot range with 50 feet at bottom of bowl.

Marine Life:
Abundance of fresh water shrimp and many trout frequent the area.

Vegetation:
Vegetation consists of grassy weed beds.

Underwater Attractions:
Barrels and cables is all that remains of an old dock system.

Approaching Banff from Calgary on Hwy #1 turn right after taking the first Banff / Lake Minnewanka exit. Turn right at the "T" intersection. Follow this road across a Texas gate to the first right hand turn. Here you will find a sign posted for Two Jack Lake. Turn here and follow the road for 6km past Two Jack Lake campsite and turn right at the lake sign. The parking and washrooms are on the left. On the right is the day use area, straight ahead is the beach.

Two Jack Lake

Lake Minniwanka has been dammed 3 times in its history.  The most recent dam, built in 1941, flooded the 1912 dam site, as well as an old bridge and town.  Both of these sites are located a short distance away from the newest dam.  The remnants of an old bridge can be found near the stairs located at the south end of the dam.  Swim due east from the plaque on shore.  Not much remains of the dam, aside from a few pilings and the bank heads.  Depth is 15m(50') at the top, and 24m (80') at the bottom.  The dam, pump house, and foundations of some support buildings can be found north of the bridge.  The easiest way to find these objects is to park mid-way along the dam, and swim out at an ~60 degree bearing from the #12 sign.  This should put you on the dam.  If you find yourself in a valley turn to the right (60 degrees usually puts you a little north of the dam), and follow the valley to the dam.  The damn itself contains a pump house, which you can swim through.  The dam is completely intact, consists of both a concrete dam and wood/rock coffer, and is quite interesting to look at.  Dam is usually at 18m (60') at the top and 27m (90') at the bottom.  North of the dam are several other things you can look for - the foundations of several old support buildings, a well, an old row-boat, and other artifacts can be found in this region.  Water is usually around 18m (60') here.  There is also a complete town site located mid-lake.  Some divers scooter from shore to this site, but for most divers it is out of reach unless they have a boat.  Rumor has it that there is also an old ranger station/dock accessible from shore, although I have never seen the location of that site listed.  Lastly, located east of the picnic area are a series of cliffs.  Enter at the gravel bay, swim around the point, and follow the cliffs north.  Often fish can be spotted here, and its a great place to look for fishing lures/gear.  Depths to 21m/70'.  Because this is a dammed lake the water levels can vary greatly.   The depths listed here are the usual, although they can be up to 3m/10' deeper, and as much as 10m/30' shallower.  Vis varies greatly - from >10m/30' in winter/spring, to as little as 15cm/6" during the worst of the run-off.  The dam site is located in a protected area, but you should fly a flag if diving the cliffs or bridge.  Lots of people fish of the gear - keep an eye out.  This site is at 1500m/5000' above sea level - altitude tables are required.

Dangers include cold water, poor visibility and altitude (4500 ft). These are advanced dives.

From the town of Banff take Banff Ave out of town, and follow it to Lake Minnewanka.  There are three shore-accessible dive sites.  For the bridge site, park at the stairs located on the south end of the dam.  For the 1912 dam/foundations park mid-way along the dam, near the bend/#12 sign.  The third site is the cliffs - park at the main parking lot and lug your gear to the picnic area.

Lake Minnewanka

Site often used for local club activities

Access is via Private property of Kim's Marina or boat.

Kim's Marina

Canyon Ferry Cemetery Island

The old Canyon Ferry Dam was built in 1896 and formed a reservoir known as Lake Sewell. The old 7,500-kilowatt power plant was completed in 1898. It was dismantled prior to the completion of the new Canyon Ferry Dam and power plant with the remnants having been inundated and Lake Sewell becoming part of the new reservoir.

This is a difficult, deep dive, and should not be attempted without local, knowledgeable guidance.

The dam and power plant are located about 1-1/2 miles upstream from the existing Canyon Ferry Dam.

Old Canyon Ferry Dam and power plant

Deep holes near end of summer reveals lost rafter items

Salmon River

This is mostly a beginner training location.  Courses are held here by various dive clubs.  The lake is small and easily navigated.  It has an incredible depth of 110 feet; yes I said 110 feet!  The normal training area is in water of about 25 feet to 50 feet.  While most newbies will go into this water using a 7mm wetsuit; they earn the appreciation of their peers using drysuits.  Water temperature at the surface is about 62f degrees, while at about 40-50 feet you might find an area that will drop to 38f degrees.  This is also a zero to 25 foot visibility dive site; limited visibility.  The bottom of this lake is very silty and easily stirred by newbie divers.  When diving in these types of conditions it is a great time to work on buoyancy because you only have your computer to tell you your depth or your compass to tell you what direction you are going in.  The local dive club has done a great job of mapping out courses for divers.  Police tape is used at the bottom to guide divers to an underwater platform at 25 feet.  There are plenty of things to see under the water, fish, BBQ, typewriter, small boat, six foot suspended chicken, etc.  While this is more of a training location, it does offer unique challenges for intermediate to advance divers alike.  Try your navigation techniques in zero to limited visibility.  The depth of this lake combined with its chilly temperatures will definitely leave an impression.

North 52 57'00.0 West 114 22'00.0  This site is in central/south Alberta.  North-West of Red Deer, South-West of Edmonton, exactly west of Wetaskiwin, and very close to Winfield, Alberta.  There are back road possibilities to get to this location, but the easiest to describe is: <br>1. Take Highway 2 to Wetaskiwin, Go West. <br>2. Take Highway 13 to Twin Lakes.  <br>When you are getting close you can not help but notice the rollercoaster style of hill you are about to climb.  From the bottom of this hill it will be about 11km to the turn.  There is one sign for Twin Lakes which is virtually right beside the turn.  Chances are that if you are reading the sign and traveling at 100kph, you will miss the turn off.  Please be careful when breaking.  Turn south onto dirt road.  The road is curvy and leads to the lake, stay right.  Once you see the lake, stay on the road and keep driving till you see a large mobile trailer on your left.  This trailer is from the local dive club.  If you are beside the trailer, parking is located between the two trees, and directly in front of you on the grass.

Emerald Bay

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Emerald Bay