Garrett Clement’s latest Uncharted Odyssey dive video from February 2024. Garrett says this is quickly becoming one of his favourite local dives in Nanaimo. An excellent adventure with some good friends.
Gabriola Island
Gabriola Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada. It is located about 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) east of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, and it is connected by a 20-minute ferry service. It has a land area of approximately 57.6 square kilometres (22.2 square miles) and a resident population of 4,500.
Gabriola has public beaches and forests, shopping malls, restaurants, a library, an elementary school, and a museum. It is known as the Isle of the Arts because of its large number of working artists, and its many cultural events include annual festivals celebrating art, poetry, gardens, music, boating, and fishing. The Gabriola Arts Council organizes three major annual events: the Isle of the Arts Festival in April, the Gabriola Theatre Festival (now defunct), and the Thanksgiving Studio Tour in October.
Gabriola’s population increased gradually in the early twentieth century. By the 1950s, the island was home to fewer than 400 full-time residents. Gabriola received electricity in 1955, but the population continued to grow at a rate of about one percent per year until the 1970s. Over the next ten years, the population nearly tripled, thanks in part to hippie immigration from the United States. By the mid-1980s, the population was 2,000, or half of what it is today.
Gabriola and its surrounding islands have over 70 known petroglyphs, (petroglyphs are found worldwide, and are often associated with prehistoric peoples). which are sandstone carvings that may be 2,000 years old or older. The Gabriola Museum has a small park with reproductions of some of these petroglyphs.
Over 250 bird species live in the Nanaimo-Gabriola area, including migratory species travelling the Pacific Flyway and year-round residents.
Dive Report
Temp = 7C Time = late February Conditions = sunny day with strong current. Head off shore and beer to the right, make sure to plan for the tides and make sure to have an extra factor of safety. DSMB is a must at this site as there is significant boat traffic and open water assets should be avoided at all cost.
Garrett Clement