BELL ISLAND, NEWFOUNDLAND

Few people know that Bell Island, Newfoundland, Canada was directly attacked during World War II. In 1942, German U-boats twice raided the island in an attempt to disrupt the flow of high-grade iron ore being transported from mines on the island. This ore was used to supply steel critical to the war effort. Germans knew that if they could disrupt the flow of shipbuilding materials, even temporarily, then the Allied war efforts would be seriously affected. In two separate attacks, U-boats sunk the SS Saganaga and SS Lord Strathcona followed by the SS Rose Castle, Free French vessel PLM 27 and the loading wharf on Bell Island. In all, 70 men were killed. The sheer temerity of the attack awakened North Americans that they were on the front lines of the Battle of the Atlantic. A short distance from shore, experienced divers can plunge into the cold water to explore these remarkable shipwrecks that have become magnets for biodiversity.

Beneath Bell Island, hundreds of kilometers of mine tunnels weave below the sea floor of Conception Bay, where the WWII wrecks reside. Abandoned in 1966, these mine passages are now flooded. Early exploration has uncovered a trove of artifacts, revealing the cultural history of mining. When the doors were shuttered, there was no inventory of assets. The tunnels contain mining relics, pipes, heavy equipment and remarkable inscriptions, telling the story of miners who died during their work on Bell Island.

Check out the Nova Scotia dive site map here

Freshwater Diving in Nova Scotia

Read the Toronto Star Feature about Climate Change: Will PEI disappear beneath the waves?

Emily Pope from Diversified Divers Inc./Divers Quarters recommends these shore dives:
White Eagles, Cavendish, PEI
– Depth: 15-20 ft
– Rocky bottom with lobster, flounder, ocean perch, eel, winter skate

Tracadie Beach, Tracadie Harbour, PEI
– Depth: 10-15 ft
– Sandy/Grassy bottom with lobster, crabs, flounder, American eel,
northern pipefish, hermit crabs, and perch

Panmure Ledge, Panmure Island, PEI
– Depth: 10-18 ft
– Sandy bottom with rocky ledge with lobster, flounder, crabs

Seal River Bridge, Cardigan, PEI
– Depth 20-22 ft
– Sand/silt bottom to rock/shell bottom with lobster, flounder, crabs,
sponges and perch

If you want to get out on a boat check out her website!

Mining technologists study shore of Gulf of St. Lawrence

Waiting for the Tides – Acadian Driftwood

Shediac River Watershed Organization Inspires Local Kids

Following the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic, Quebec offers divers a chance to get off the beaten path into colourful underwater landscapes peppered with macro life and elusive megafauna like humpback whales and rare populations of belugas and seals. Temperatures are much chillier than Ontario’s stretch of the St. Lawrence. Divers need to be prepared for near-freezing conditions. It is worth a trek to dive with local guides who will show you the very best of places like the Saguenay Fjord and legendary wrecks such as the Empress of Ireland.

FATHOM FIVE NATIONAL MARINE PARK: The wreck of the Sweepstakes lays in Big Tub Harbour in Tobermory at Fathom Five Underwater National Marine Park.

Located in Lake Huron, the National Marine Conservation Area seeks to protect the regions lighthouses and shipwrecks as well as offer a conservation zone for freshwater ecosystems. The park is one of Canada’s most popular scuba diving locations and glass bottom boat tours offers visitors a chance to see some wrecks without even getting wet. Many visitors camp at nearby Bruce Peninsula National Park as well as hike the many trails along the Niagara Escarpment.

Riding Mountain National Park – Crystal spring waters of Clear Lake provide ample opportunity for diving. The deepest point in the lake is approximately 34.7 m (114 feet) deep. Divers must register for their dives by contacting the Park at 204-848-7275 prior to completing any dives in the park.

West Hawk Lake, Manitoba – A meteor strike caused the formation of West Hawk Lake. This beautiful Manitoba lake is known for great beaches and is over 100 m (300 feet) deep, Look for plentiful smallmouth bass.

Duck Mountain Provincial Park, East Blue Lake – This lake is popular due to the fact that locals report seeing bottom 40 feet below their boats. The depth is reported as 180 feet.

Shit I Found in Yellowknife – Jeremy MacDonald’s Mission

Arsenic and Gold Flakes – How Dene Storytellers will Help Save Descendents from Arsenic Poisoning

Whiteswan Lake, Saskatchewan – Explore the remnants of a flooded town that were drowned during the building of two nearby dams in 1912 and 1947. The dive begins with a surface swim of about 100 m. You will see a road, two spillways, a blockhouse, and three telephone poles. Divers have added toilets accessories and a habitat. The old abandoned town is accessible only by boat and is not clearly marked. Latitude: 54.04715 Longitude: -105.16763

Many other clear lakes in this region provide diving opportunities.

Duck Mountain Provincial Park (Saskatchewan) – Duck Mountain Provincial Park is a Saskatchewan Provincial Park, located 14 km east of the town of Kamsack and stretches some 12 kilometres eastward to the Saskatchewan/Manitoba boundary. The area represents the southern limit of the boreal forest, in its transition zone to aspen parkland. The forest is a refuge for elk, deer, moose, coyote, black bear, lynx, bobcat, and timber wolf. Fish species include walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, burbot, and white sucker. Madge Lake is the largest body of water in the park and serves as its central tourist attraction. The lake hosts a large local breeding flock of ducks and other waterfowl. There are two public swimming beaches (Ministik Beach and Pickerel Point Beach) constructed with artificially supplied sand.

Lake Diefenbaker – This popular dive spot has varying conditions. The Danielson Provincial Park and downstream of the dam are popular for diving.

Diving in Alberta’s Waterton Lakes

“There’s a land where the mountains are nameless, And the rivers all run God knows where…” • ROBERT W. SERVICE, THE SPELL OF THE YUKON

The Yukon Territory, like much of the rest of Canada, can boast abundant water resources, in six major watersheds: the Alsek, Yukon, Porcupine, Peel, Liard and North Slope. Wetlands, marshes, groundwater aquifers, rivers, lakes, permafrost, and nearly 1400 glaciers cover the landscape. Most of the water in the Yukon originates there and flows outward. What happens in Yukon affects others, but outside influences other than global climate change, do not flow into the territory for the most part.

As I learned in the Carcross First Nations region, water and lakes have important spiritual and cultural importance for the local people. Traditional uses of water and water rights are protected in the Yukon First Nations Final Agreements. Communities are located on important waterways and transport routes and the historic and future prosperity of people depend on access to and protection of these bodies of water.

To this end, the Yukon government partnered in developing the Yukon Water Strategy and Action Plan with the Yukon First Nation governments, transboundary First Nations, Yukon government agencies, the federal government, other provincial and territorial governments, municipalities and communities, boards and councils, non-government organizations, water researchers and consultants, the business community and individuals. The strategy paper was intended to plan for future water use and needs in the context of climate change. The document looks at population growth, agriculture, water management, infrastructure, consumptive use, and land use policy. It takes the approach of understanding that water is a shared gift and not a commodity. 

The Yukon Water Strategy and Action Plan details how the Yukon government will:

• Develop a set of principles for making decisions affecting water resources;

• Improve water research and understanding of local resources;

• Improve access to safe and affordable drinking water;

• Promote sustainability;

• Improve outreach and education about water resources;

• Improve collaboration with First Nation’s stakeholders and other government organizations

• Plan for climate change.

The City of Whitehorse, where a majority of the population is concentrated, has an aggressive biweekly drinking testing program from over 20 sites. The drinking water quality is considered excellent. But even with good management of municipal supplies, we need to look at aging infrastructure for developing issues as this CBC story revealed.

Discovering elevated lead levels in the drinking water fountains of numerous Yukon schools, the government realized that over 140 fixtures and lead pipes needed to be replaced with more modern and safer alternatives. Safeguarding our drinking water starts at the source, continues through treatment and must be assured in pathways for delivery.

While visiting Carcross, I had an opportunity to walk along the shoreline of Bennett Lake with the local Chief who explained the creation stories and importance of the lake to his people. I was pleased to have the chance to learn about local water challenges and offer my presentation, “We Are Water,” at the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre in town. After the presentation, each young person was gifted one of my books and dozens also went home with We Are Water movies and other prizes.

The Emerald Sea is abundant. In the cool west coast waters, giant octopus, wolf eels and Pacific White Sided Dolphins frolick with Orcas and clouds of herring. Steep plunging rock walls are covered with strawberry anemones, plump white plumose anemones and colorful sponges in bouquets of color. This is my favorite corner of the world for diving.

Swim with sea lions off Hornby Island.