Wet and Wild at Whytecliff Park

Lets go diving (and snorkeling)!

Join us for our last Wet and Wild (Wet and Cold) of the year. Water is going to be very cold now, so warm gear is essential, but you are welcome to join for a cold plunge and beach hang otherwise! Those who join are likely to be rewarded with some stellar visibility!

We will be meeting at 11:30 AM, with rising tide till just after noon which should offer us the best visibility. We are not expecting much current.

Scuba divers and freedivers are welcome, as well as snorkellers, beach friends and cold plungers. We will probably head for some warm food afterwards.

What will I need?

Mid December we expect temperatures of around 5/6 degrees in the water.

We recommend the following gear:

Wetsuit/Drysuit with Hood - we recommend at least 6mm wetsuit for snorkelers and freedivers, and drysuit neccessary for Scuba Divers. Cold-tolerant snorkelers might get away with a 5mm wetsuit if the fit is good!

Gloves and Socks/Boots - 5mm at least recommended

Mask and Snorkel - Any will suffice. On a budget you could use swimming goggles and a nose-clip in place of a mask for snorkeling.

Fins - Fins are recommended for getting around and safety. Fins allow you to easily fight current while snorkeling. Though we don't anticipate strong current, we cannot guarantee this.

What can I rent?

For snorkellers and freedivers, we recommend the following rental packages:

Olivia's Reef Diving - $60 - 7mm wetsuits, mask, snorkel, weight belt + lead, gloves, hood, boots and fins. Olivia is coming to the event and will bring any rentals people need. Please reach out in advance: oliviasreef@gmail.com

Sea Dragon Charters Freediving Package - $74.95 - fins, 7mm wetsuit \w hood, 2.5mm gloves, 2.5mm socks, mask, snorkel, weights. Rent and return is at Horseshoe Bay, very close to where we are diving.

Diving Locker Freediving Package - $80 - fins, 8mm wetsuit \w hood, 5mm gloves. You will need to buy socks, mask and snorkel

Diving Sports Freediving Package - $56 - fins, 7mm wetsuit \w hood, mask. You will need to buy socks, gloves and snorkel.

The freediving packages also include weights, but you can leave those if you don't plan to dive underneath the surface.

Rowands Reef Wetsuit Rental - $30 for 6.5mm 2 piece wetsuit. Hood and gloves rented separately for $10 each. Neoprene boots availabe to rent for $10. You will need to buy mask and snorkel.

Rowands Reef can rent 5mm neoprene boots for $10 which can help you avoid buying neoprene socks. Additionally IDC can rent Personal Gear Package (Boots, Glove & Fins) for $22.

Ocean Pro Divers in Surrey can rent mask and snorkel for $20.

All dive shops in metro-vancouver rent drysuits, tanks and all scuba gear.

Dive shops will want you to come over and get measured up for the rental kit prior to renting on the day of the event.

Discounts

Our Discord server has a whole section on gear rentals in metro vancouver with lots of recommendations and advice. We additionally have some discount codes at local shops (including some of the ones listed above).

Quality of life gear and advice?

Sandals/crocks/flip-flops - these can be worn over your wetsuit socks, preventing you from ripping holes in your wetsuit socks. Whytecliff has a short path with some stairs to the beach. The beach is rocky.

A large towel/poncho can help with changing in and out of the wetsuit.

Wearing swim suit under wetsuit helps with changing in and out of wetsuit in public.

Stay warmer by changing into wetsuit at home and drive over already wearing it. This makes a very large difference in how long you will have in the water. Waterproof seat covers can let you drive back home in the wetsuit also!

Spare change of clothes. Just in case.

Water bottle is important as you can become quite dehydrated! Whytecliff park has a water station for drinking and rinsing equipment.

Whytecliff has gendered washrooms with plenty of space. These are often warmer than the outdoors and can be used for changing. They can be a little dirty.

A snack for before and after the snorkeling will help you stay energised.

Camping stove with some tea bags is a good way to make some freshly brewed hot tea. We love ginger tea as it helps to increase body temperature. A thermos with brewed tea works great too!

If you are prone to sea sickness or car sickness, consider taking Gravol or other motion sickness medication. This might be particularly useful as we are diving between slack tides and so there may be some surf.

If you own a large thermos (1.5L or more) you are in luck. Fill it with hot water to flush your wetsuit before and after going in the water. It will help you warm up!

A beanie or warm hat to wear afterwards is good if you are prone to ear infections/problems.

A waterproof bag to put your wet gear in. Ikea bags or those reusable shopping bags work great.

Waterproof torch/light is useful for looking deep into cracks or holes. Whytecliff park has rocky sections where octopus like to hide.

A paddle board or a boogie board for visibility as well as having an extra place to rest and relax if you are snorkeling. It will need to be attached to you in some way otherwise it will drift away into the Ocean!

A whistle in case of emergency.

Wetsuit lube makes it easier to put on your wetsuit. A good alternative is water mixed with natural hair conditioner. Dive shops sell wetsuit lube also.

A gopro or other waterproof cameras to capture and share what you find!

Safety

We are a loosely organised diving and snorkeling community. We have no staff and no safety team. All participants are attending independently so we cannot guarantee that anyone is first aid trained/will be able and willing to help in event of any accident. We assume no duty of care or responsibility for your safety.

You must plan for and consider your safety to be entirely your responsibility.

The diving and snorkeling is unguided, but some of participants have been to the location before and can offer their subjective advice about specific areas.

We do no verification of attendees qualifications, experience level or skills.

It is up to each participant to decide whether and how they wish to participate, but we encourage everyone to follow diving best practices such a buddying up, pre-agreeing on hand-signals, dive plan etc.

What about my belongings

VQD is not responsible for theft or damange to your belongings while you are in or out of the water. Usually all participants are diving/snorkeling, and there is nobody to watch/protect anyones belongings. Please plan accordingly.

Do I need to be a strong swimmer?

No. Wetsuits are bouyant so you will naturally float on the surface. While snorkeling, you will also tend to be in shallow water. Likely you will be able to touch the bottom with your feet and walk out to the shore if needed.

Breathing through a snorkel can take some time to get used to as you must breathe solely through your mouth rather than your nose (which will be in the mask/clipped closed). You can practice on land before the event!

You will be wearing powerful fins which make it easy to get around using just your legs. Being comfortable flutter, breast-stroke or even dolphin kicking will help you make the most of your fins.

As always we recommend staying within the range of your abilities. We can recommend shallow and safer areas you can explore if you are worried.

Anything else?

Carpooling, parking and other questions - We have a thread for the event on our Discord server. We recommend joining to coordinate details like carpooling. Whytecliff has plenty of parking, and tends to stay quiet this time of year, but it is expensive to park (~6 dollars per hour). Carpooling can help save some cash and helps the planet!

Snorkeling/Diving Ethics - VQD is a no-exploitation and no-harm community. This means we do not exploit or harm the ocean in any way during our events. Please avoid touching, picking up or handing marine life. Just watch and enjoy!

In BC it is illegal to approach or interact with large marine mamals. If you see some curious sea lions, seals, dolphins or whales, you may be approached and interacted with by the animals, but you risk very serious legal consequences if you attempt to attract or approach these wild animals yourself.