Vancouver Island in 8 Nights: Dive Scouting and a Party Cave in the 60s

Vancouver Island was on the itinerary for God’s Pocket. Somewhere along the planning, it turned into a full road trip — eight nights, five towns, one dry cave, and an aquarium staffed by divers.

>> Read more: the remote dive trip that started this whole detour on “Diving God’s Pocket: 15 Dives and One Unexpected Night in Port Hardy“

Route: Victoria (1 night) → Courtenay (1 night) → God’s Pocket → Campbell River (2 nights) → Nanaimo (1 night) → Tofino (2 nights) → Vancouver (1 night)

Honestly, this schedule was a bit loose for us, especially two nights each in Campbell River and Tofino — we’re more boat-and-dive people than beach-walkers or whale-watchers. But both towns earned their spot.

First Impressions: Size and Safety

Vancouver Island feels massive. It doesn’t read as an island until you’re in the middle of it, watching the landscape shift from coastal to mountain to old-growth forest. I felt safe everywhere we went — including solo stretches and late arrivals.

Food and restaurant prices run higher than Vancouver (island logistics — ferry dependency), though grocery costs are only marginally more.

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The Practical Stuff

• Money: No cash needed except for coin laundry.
• Connectivity: Mint Mobile (US carrier) includes 3 GB/month free in Canada — helpful, though coverage can be spotty in smaller towns and on the water. Use my referal link for $15 off from 3-month plan.
• Weather: Far better than expected. I’d braced for 50s and maybe rain. What we got was mostly sunny 50s–60s, with one day almost hitting 70! And the worst weather landed conveniently on the afternoon we were being picked up at Port Hardy anyway. I regretted not bring enough short sleeves!
• Transportation: Driving my own car. Ferry booked as soon as reservations opened in early December, about 4.5 months out, for best pricing and time slot. Book early, especially for summer travel.
• Luggage: Dive gear in hard-case suitcases, drysuit in its own duffel. Each of us also carried a backpack (electronics) and a duffel (clothing and daily stuff), plus a food bag and containers.

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Budget Breakdown (2 People)

Category	Estimated Cost (USD)	Notes
Ferry	$130	2 adults + 1 car, early bird special
Gas	$200	From Portland
Accommodations	$970 (8 nights)	Only ~$250 out of pocket — credit card points + credits
Dining Out	$200	Mix of eating out and grocery runs
Grocery	$250
Sightseeing	$250	Largest single expense: cave tour (~$160 USD)

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Where We Stayed

Hotel Zed Tofino was the standout. Two nights, and the hotel itself was half the entertainment — a welcoming lobby stocked with board games, a secret game room, a disco room, and a separate building overlooking old-growth forest with a hot tub and sauna. A footpath leads out to the inlet wetland, muddy flats at low tide and fully flooded at high. We joined a birdwatching activity. Not a typical dive trip add-on, but a solid way to spend a low-key evening.

The other hotels in Victoria, Courtenay, Campbell River, Nanaimo were practical rather than memorable. Standard budget hotels, conveniently located.

What varies more than the hotels is the character of each town:

• Campbell River is functional and surprisingly charming.
• Nanaimo is larger and more city-like, worth a stop but not a destination.
• Courtenay is a pleasant mid-island base.
• Port Hardy and Port McNiel are tight-knit working small water front communities.
• I can see myself retire in beautiful little Qualicum Beach.
• Victoria warrants more time than one night if you haven’t been.

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Food: Hits & Misses

On the way up, we stopped at Invitation Indian Cuisine in Chemainus, where we also walked around for the town murals. The paneer in the Paneer Tikka hit a rare texture trifecta — crispy, firm, and chewy at the same time. The Chicken Korma was exactly what it should be.

After Ken’s cooking at God’s Pocket, we knew we’d be disappointed by most things for a while. The exception: Adriana’s Sandwich Shop in Tofino. Thin, crispy crust, flavorful tomato sauce that isn’t greasy, sprinkled with just enough cheese. Worth the stop and friendly to the wallet.

Otherwise, budget accordingly — CAD $20 for a small burger is not unusual on Vancouver Island. We supplemented heavily with rotisserie chickens and bag salads from grocery stores. Grocery prices are only marginally higher than the mainland though.

One surprise: donuts are everywhere. Every bakery, café, and corner seems to have them. Even McDonald’s has its own interpretation!

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Highlights

1. Horne Lake Caves — The Best Surprise of the Trip

The Horne Lake Caves tour was the undisputed highlight of the trip.

The multi-cave tour starts with a gear-up. A full rental cave suit is worth every dollar: you’ll be on your hands, knees, and occasionally your butt, and the extra coverage removes all hesitation. From there, it’s a 30-minute hike to the entrance while the guide covers the history of the limestone cave system. The trail is mostly shaded, which matters when you’re wearing a cave suit on a sunny day.

As cave divers, we came in with a framework: the guide’s three definitions of a dry cave (passable by humans, formed naturally, no ambient light) map cleanly onto what we know from their underwater counterparts. 

The introductory cave, upper Riverbend Cave, was already a workout. Tiny mushrooms thriving in the corners, total darkness inside (the guide asked us to turn off all lights as part of the experience), and tight enough to make you think carefully about positioning. It made me appreciate the Shearwater Perdix differently — its display became my only light source during no-visibility drills in cave diving training.

The Main Cave opened with a tight sideways squeeze — the kind where you inhale and commit. From there: butt-scooting through a low passage, a climb over a 3-tier waterfall (roughly 3 meters), and a cave slide (reportedly the only one in Canada). The Main Cave was apparently a party spot in the 1960s, and there’s still graffiti to prove it.

We spent the whole time quietly calculating whether we could fit through any of these passages in doubles or sidemount if it were flooded. Verdict: divable in upper Riverbend Cave. No chance in the Main Cave. (My balance is apparently better underwater than on land.)

Everyone came out with the same grin. Highly recommend.

(Official website: Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park)

>> Read more: what the path into cave diving actually looks like on “The Technical Ascent: My Unfiltered Journey into Cave Diving and Trimix (and Why I Almost Quit)“

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2. Ucluelet Aquarium — Divers Running an Aquarium

The Ucluelet Aquarium is a catch-and-release facility. Animals and their habitat are collected by a mix of scuba diving, seine nets, traps, snorkeling, and low-tide gathering. They are released every three to twelve months back to their original habitats depending on the species’ needs, seasonal migrations, and growth patterns.

Each tank is a self-contained ecosystem. I got close enough to see the tiny eyelashes on a painted greenling and count the color bands on a Red Irish Lord. A GPO came to investigate. A miniature wolf eel made an appearance.

The staff are clearly enthusiastic about sharing what they know — in a warm and neighborly way. For me, it was a good chance to properly study species I’d seen at God’s Pocket, this time warm and unhurried without the drysuit bulk.

Touch tank available.

(Official website: Ucluelet Aquarium)

if the video of Giant Pacific Octopus below doesn’t work, please watch it on https://youtube.com/shorts/Kxdn2Rc3o2I

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3. Craigdarroch Castle — Victoria

Not planned — we had time to fill in Victoria and wandered in. Built in the late 19th century, the castle changed hands and purposes multiple times: war hospital, college, music society. The interior is well-preserved, and the exhibits do something most historic houses don’t — they contextualize what life actually looked like across each era of the building’s use, not just the founding family’s. The founding family’s original furnishings and decor are delicate and extremely details. 

(Official website: Craigdarroch Castle)

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4. Oyster River Potholes — Oyster River Area

This one looks, from Google, like a random highway pullout with nothing to see. We couldn’t find it the first time. The experience of getting there is already part of the adventure. I was fully convinced I was trespassing on a live highway. (The trail is established and has safety rails. Not trespassing.)

The water has carved the river rock into near-perfect circles — the kind of geology that makes you stop and reconsider physics. Cold, clear water. In a hot summer, I imagine it gets busy fast.

Getting there: Google map brings you to the bridge.

• Northbound: Park just past the bridge, before Cranberry Lane. Walk back to the bridge and follow a clear footpath. Enter through the wildlife gate on the side of the highway.
• Southbound: Park before the bridge. There’s a hinged door under the highway. Open it, step in, and you’re immediately at the river. Much shorter walk.

We walked in from the northbound wildlife gate and came out the other side. Well-maintained trail, safety bars installed throughout.

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The Dive Girl Habit: Scouting the Island

We used the drive to scout shore dive sites in Victoria and the Nanoose Bay area — no tanks, no plan, just reconnaissance.

Breakwater (Victoria): Beautiful shoreline setting, onsite restaurants, good facilities. The surface swim looks the longest of any site we checked, and entry difficulty will vary significantly with tide. On a Friday afternoon, the parking fills up fast.

Nanoose Bay area (Tyee Cove, Oak Leaf, Wall Beach, Madrona): Closer to the water, fewer visitors, all well-maintained. We spotted scuba divers and freedivers at Oak Leaf. Visibility looked excellent from shore — consistent with everything we encountered on the island. Every time we walked along the coastline, we were mentally assessing entry points. The east coast has a lot of potential dive options.

West coast (Tofino/Ucluelet area): Primarily surfing territory. No dive shop on this side for gas fills. Boat diving is reportedly possible according to the Ucluelet Aquarium staff. The west coast landscape reads a lot like the Oregon Coast, which is to say: not prime diving territory from a shore diving perspective.

Other diving worth knowing about:

• Barkley Sound: Accessible via boat pickup from Port Alberni. One of our God’s Pocket guests was headed to dive with Rendezvous Dive Adventures a few weeks later.
• Port Hardy: Day dive boats operating out of there — we spotted them during pickup and drop-off for God’s Pocket.
• Campbell River, Saanich Inlet, Sooke: All have established dive sites worth researching separately.

For dive site maps and more detail:

• Vancouver Island Dive Sites — Nanoose Bay
• ScubaBC Shore Dives
• Victoria BC Diving

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Final Thoughts

It was good to see the island from multiple angles. But honestly, I’d probably shorten the trip — the PNW landscape is familiar enough that some of it just feels like home. Old-growth forest to wild Pacific coast: we have that. Elk Falls and Little Qualicum Falls are worth a leg-stretch if you’re passing through; neither is a reason to make the trip. I don’t think I’d do another dedicated road trip on Vancouver Island now that we’ve hit the major stops. 

That said, I would like to come back to dive more. The island has a lot of water we haven’t touched, and there are more (dry) caves at Horne Lake I want to get into.

>>Read more: the other time I left my dive gear at home on “The Dive Girl’s Guide to Amsterdam: My First Non-Dive Trip in 8 Years“

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Editorial disclaimer

Please be aware that scuba diving is an inherently risky activity, even with certification and experience. The content on this blog reflects my personal opinions and experiences and should not be considered instructional. Always prioritize safety, seek guidance and certification from qualified diving professionals, and carefully consider the risks involved in any dives.