Access: Shore dive
Location: Lions bay, 10km north of Horseshoe Bay on the eastern shore of central Howe Sound. Take highway 99 from Horseshoe Bay to Lions Bay and take the first exit, Kelvin Grove road. Hang a left and then another left and follow the road until past the railroad tracks until the end of the dead end. Follow the footpath to one of the two entry sites. The first is a set of stairs and the next is a sand beach.
What you’ll find: The first thing you’ll find is that there’s nowhere to park legally anywhere near the dive site. The second thing you’ll find is a sign stating that the park is for “Members Only” and that no diving groups or schools are permitted past the gate. The third thing you’ll see is an angry looking woman with dyed red hair, cell phone in hand and the local authorities on speed dial.
Kelvin grove used to be one of the best shore dives in the region and the main deep water training site for Vancouver freedivers. Unfortunately the residents of Lions Bay don’t like to share. This is especially galling since on December 16, 2000 the Underwater Council of BC, with the assistance of some CAFA members participated in an underwater cleanup of the Lions Bay Marina. Several hundred pounds of trash were removed that day. A few months later Lions Bay severly restricted parking and barred all public access to shore.
If you do manage to sneak in you will find: pink short spined stars; sunflower stars; tube worms; cloud, chimney, and yellow boring sponges; shrimp; prawns; rockfish; shiner perch; lingcod; painted and kelp greenligs; zoanthid colonies; red and green urchins; slippered and California cucumbers; warty tunicates; sea peaches; lined chitons; decorator and umbrella crabs; vermilion and slime stars; kelp-encrusting bryozoans; clams; octopus. Kelvin Grove is also an excellent place to interact with harbour seals. unlike the resident human population, the seals here are quite friendly and really like freedivers.