Keel Cove - A Small Sunken Sailboat
Keel Cove is a quiet, shallow shore dive tucked just north of Neck Point Park in Nanaimo. It’s a favourite among local divers for easy navigation, great macro life, and the remains of a small pleasure boat resting around 65–70 feet. Despite its simplicity underwater, the site offers a surprising amount of biodiversity and is known for frequent ruby octopus, stubby squid, grunt sculpins, and other macro life.
This is an accessible dive for all experience levels, but the entry trail is steep, so take your time getting gear down to the beach and use caution in wet or icy conditions.
Videos including Keel Cove
Recommended certifications and experience
Keel Cove is suitable for:
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- Open Water divers and up
- Divers who enjoy shallow, relaxed profiles
- Photographers focusing on macro subjects
- Anyone looking for an easy, accessible dive close to the city
The max depth of about 65–70 feet makes it a comfortable dive on air or nitrox. The only real challenge is the steep trail, so divers should be prepared to carry gear safely down to the shoreline.
What to expect at Keel Cove
Keel Cove offers a simple dive profile with a short swim to a shallow reef structure, followed by a gradual drop toward the wreck. Many divers use a bottom rope that begins near the left-hand point of the cove.
There is a 4 liter milk jug attached to the line so it shouldn't be difficult to spot. The rope leads you past the reef and then out toward the scattered remains of the boat.
A typical dive here includes:
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- Easy underwater navigation
- Exploring the shallow rocky reef
- Following the rope to the wreck site
- A relaxed return route along the reef or back along the rope
This site is most enjoyable in calm, dry conditions, as the trail can be slippery and the sandstone beach can get slick when wet.
Marine Life Highlights at Keel Cove
Keel Cove is known for its macro opportunities and smaller creatures hiding in the reef:
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- Ruby octopus (commonly sighted)
- Stubby squid
- Grunt sculpins
- Decorator and hermit crabs
- Rockfish species
- Spiny lumpsuckers in the winter
- Various nudibranchs
The wreckage also provides homes for shrimp, small rockfish, and juvenile marine life.
Keel Cove Dive Site
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- Depth: 20–70 ft depending on tide
- Entry: Steep trail to a sandstone beach
- Navigation: Straightforward, aided by a bottom rope
- Main features:
- Shallow reef
- Small wreck remains
- Sandy areas full of macro life
Follow the rope or swim a 0° heading from the far-left beach entrance to reach the reef. Continue along the same heading to reach the wreck. Many divers loop back along the reef for a longer, more scenic return.
Visibility: Often variable, but the rope makes navigation easy even on lower-vis days.
Hazards:
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- Steep access trail
