Imrie Island

Best months: Sep–Jan

Protected Area

Kellett Bluff Voluntary No-take

Why dive here

With 35+ marine species recorded in the area - including humpback whales, orcas and seals & sea lions - Imrie Island offers some of Pacific Northwest's richest shore diving. Water ranges 7-17°C, warmest July, August, September.

Best timeSep–Jan

WetsuitA drysuit

Marine lifeHumpback Whales, Orcas and Seals & Sea Lions · 35+ species recorded

Water7-17°C · warmest July, August, September

CharacterShore dive · max 10-30m

Imrie Island has a quiet magic about it, a subtle beauty that often gets overlooked for flashier Pacific Northwest spots. We've spent many a dive here, finning through the dappled light filtering down to a seafloor thick with green anemones and plumose giants. It's not a riot of colour like tropical reefs, but rather a study in texture and movement, where you’ll spot huge Dungeness crabs scuttling past plainfin midshipmen tucked into rocky crevices. Our favourite time to dive Imrie is on a slack tide, specifically early mornings when the light is softer and you feel like you have the whole place to yourself. Keep an eye out for the big skates gliding across the sandy patches, and if you’re lucky, you’ll catch the tail end of an eulachon spawn, a silver cloud that truly has to be seen to be believed. We’d suggest this site for divers who appreciate the subtler side of cold water diving, who are willing to slow down and really observe the intricate life teeming beneath the surface. It's a proper Pacific Northwest dive, moody and rewarding.