Singing Sands, local dive site, Comox Valley
Pacific Pro Dive & Marine Adventures, are known for having a library of stunning boat accessible dives along the coast of Vancouver Island. What some may not be aware of, is that there is one particular fun site, on our doorstep, called Singing Sands.
Located a few minutes south of the Powell River ferry terminal, at the end of Singing Sand Road, just a ten minute drive from the Pacific Pro Dive store. So there’s no excuses not to check this one out!
Singing Sands is well known by local divers, and if it’s your first time at the site, we’d recommend buddying up with a local as the site is known to have challenging currents if not timed correctly.
Park at the end of Singing Sand road, there’s ample space for several cars, although some spots are often taken by the fisherman that will cast off from that part of the beach. The entry is a stones throw from where you park, just a short walk down the pebble beach, into the water. Easy!
Once in, take a bearing back to shore, there are no obvious navigation points underwater. Take note of the where the houses lay, and the ferry terminal is, the ferry doesn’t come anywhere near close enough to be a hazard, but it can be very loud underwater, so knowing you’re a safe distance away is reassuring.
Once underwater you want to head out straight, perpendicular to the shore, until you hit about 70 feet, then you’ll take a ninety degree turn to the right and swim until you see the fish. The fish will be close to, and lead you to the wreck. Yes there’s a shipwreck at Singing Sands!
There’s no wall here, but a gentle slope, sandy bottom, and a 40 foot long, concrete hulled sailboat that sank here some years ago. The wreck, unnamed, sits in about 65 feet of water and lays on its starboard side. And it’s swarming with life!
Being a sandy, flat area, the shipwreck is a beacon of hope to surrounding life. It’s a condominium for marine life, giving homes to rockfish, perch, ling cod, crabs, and most noticeably octopus.
The giant pacific octopus, as local divers will already know, is the largest species of octo in the world. Nowhere is there more evident than at Singing Sands. Of the five or so octo's that live in, and under the 40 foot wreck, all for them give new meaning to the name “giant”.
Singing Sands has some magnificent octo's residing within it’s area, it’s a fantastic spot, maybe even the best spot for giant pacific octopus sightings. So if you're an underwater photographer, or underwater videographer, you'd be hard pressed to find more octo's in such a small area, and with all the crabs around, they're a very picturesque size!
We recommend divers go for a dip at Singing Sands, it’s very small and personal, but makes for a very fun dive. We also recommend using nitrox at this site, you’ll spend the whole dive at around 65 - 80 feet. The swim back is a gradual incline, and good compass skills are also required. Pacific Pro Dive offer both Enriched Air, and Navigation speciality courses if needed. The site is recommend to divers with a little more experience, and you must check tides first. If in doubt, call in the store and we’ll gladly talk you through it.
