It’s a long journey from Ontario to the little dive shack on Highway 138, just north of the confluence of the Saguenay and Saint Lawrence rivers. Eight hours of roadway are more beautiful with every turn that I make in my trusty Subaru Outback. The multi-lane highway surrenders to winding a coastal road along the St. Lawrence River’s north shore and pauses briefly at a ferry crossing at Baie St. Catherine. The trees are showing a rusty hint of fall as the stiff breeze ushers in a cold, foggy wind. I cross over the bay in building white caps and make my way through a forested mountain landscape before stopping at the one level area on the side of the road. A blue cabin with a metal helmet logo tells me I am in the right place.
The staff of Plongée Nautilus / Nautilus Diving in Quebec City is so passionate about the region that they operate their chalet to house up to 40 eager scuba divers at a time that travels for training and recreation. Les Escoumins and the nearby Marine Environment Discovery Center host tens of thousands of visitors a year to stand on rugged granite cliffs to view breaching whales and plentiful marine life. Non-divers can visit the underwater world through “St. Lawrence Live,” an interactive HD experience that brings park visitors face to face with a diver. While the diver explores starfish, anemone and colorful sea cucumber habitat, visitors can ask questions and get a response in real time. I’m sure that is enough to attract more than a few to want to take up diving with my friends at Plongée Nautilus. Their instructional team takes great pride in being the most active dive operator in the area. They enjoy venturing off the beaten track to help visitors enjoy one of the most richly beautiful dive sites in Canada.
My hosts Stéphanie Labbé, Eric Paquin and Frédéric Lamours with Québec adventure filmmakers Julie Ouimet and Michel Labrecque guide me to a high overlook at the edge of a bay. The wind is whipping up the St. Lawrence that is so wide you cannot see the far shore. A humpback and calf blow on the horizon and two minke whales raise their backs even closer to shore. A flurry of whale watching boats whisks tourists around to get a momentary look at the magnificent mammals feeding close to shore. We don’t expect to see any big animals underwater. We’ll be close to shore with macro kits strapped on our cameras, hoping to capture images of colorful anemones, basket stars, and unusual shrimp. A grizzled old wolf eel will be the most significant visitor on our dive.
To reach the entry, we climb down softly rolling red granite rocks that feel as old as the earth itself. Checking the tide, we feel safe placing our cameras a couple of meters above the crashing waves while we go back up the hill for more gear. The shore diving conditions aren’t always easy. The waves roll in with a punch, and the weather can transform in a matter of minutes, but once beneath the surface, a kaleidoscope of color greets us as we make our way along a rope leading down a steep slope. Offshore the depths plunge quickly to over 800 feet, so our dives run along a sloping wall resplendent with life. Several entry points make it possible to do different dives from the same parking lot. Deeper dives yield treasures such as snow crabs while the shallower sites are ridiculous with red and orange anemones.
I’m not sure whether to snap photos or enjoy the dive. There is such a density of life that staying in one place for an entire dive is tempting.
A visit to Les Escoumins will not disappoint. Whether it is the marine life or the gracious hosts that make this place unique, I will be back!
For diving support: https://www.plongeenautilus.com
Please note: Divers visiting Québec are required to carry a special scuba permit. The “Certificate of Qualification in Recreational Scuba Diving” from the Quebec Government is issued by the FQAS (Fédération Québécoise des Activités Subaquatiques or Quebec Underwater Federation) which was mandated by the government of Quebec to ensure the safety of scuba divers. Resident instructors can help you with this process.
