UB DIVING

I had a fantastic time with UB Diving on their Port Hardy charter this past weekend. Shellie was great to chat with to plan and organize the trip by answering any questions we had, making sure we had the gear we couldn’t bring with us on the flight or even, maybe, perchance forgot, and letting me know what to expect up in Port Hardy, including recommendations regarding accommodations. I was ready for the weekend before leaving their store in Courtenay. Sean is amazing on the boat! He is very open, straight forward, and eager to deliver the best diving for you from any gear issues you may have in that moment on the boat to watching the schedule for currents and making suggestions for dive locations and sites. They also have a photographer that works with them and he was on the charter available to give tips for taking photos in green water. With international travel being an uncertainty due to Covid-19, visiting the Island with UB Diving is on my plans for the next year or two!

I recently completed a charter trip with UB Diving to Port Hardy where we dive Browning Wall and several surrounding sites. In a word, it was amazing. Not only was the diving some of the best cold water diving I have experienced, the boat and staff of UB Diving were professional, courteous, and made the overall experience that much more enjoyable. The boat, "Good Vibrations", was very spacious for the six divers and two crew, which left plenty of room for gear, divers, and our bulky (and expensive) camera rigs. In addition, the wheelhouse had lots of space when we needed to escape the breeze or just to store our dry bags. It was also DJ central, as our captain Sean, streamed a never ending flow of great music. However, even with all these features, I have to say the best feature of the boat was the motorized lift - yes an elevator, if you will - that made getting in and out of the water so much easier than a traditional back roll and ladder as on most boats. I don't know if I will be able to dive any other way now. In terms of local knowledge, Sean told us that he actually grew up in the area, so he was very familiar with the dive sites and the town of Port Hardy in general. That made it quite easy for him to quickly adjust dive sites when slack tide didn't quite line up with our timing. We managed to enjoy great wall dives, amazing little inlets, and kelp rich areas. This led to some pretty amazing photo opportunities and amazing dives. While the whales may have eluded us, the wolf eels, sea lions, otters, sculpins, jelly fish and other wild life were out in abundance. In fact, there was no shortage of life on any of the dives. When we weren't on board the boat, Sean was able to recommend a few local establishments for dinner for those who stayed in a local hotel. Other guests stayed at the "cabins" at the Port Hardy RV Resort where the log cabins were equipped with microwaves, hot plates, and other amenities to accommodate bringing your own food. Both options for accommodations received equally good reviews from my fellow dive companions. So if you're looking to dive Port Hardy and wondering who to book your charter with, I highly recommend contacting UB Diving. I am already planning and looking forward to a return charter next year.

I enjoyed my dry suit certification experience with UB Diving. Sean is a total pro and made sure we felt comfortable the entire time. Looking forward to coming back and doing more diving!

I did my drysuit course with Sean. Sean was very knowledgable and a ton of fun. Would very highly recommend diving with UB. Will definitely be back!!

Awesome operation, great service, excellent instruction and dive charters....I've known Sean for almost 20 years and these guys have been there for me from the start, both in my commercial diving days and when I had my own shop. I look forward to some epic diving with them this fall...