Cottam Reef
Dive site · Canada
Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
63Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: Sea: flat, Water 9 °C, Wind 1 kn
Mon 2 · 63 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 11°C
Tue 3 · 65 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 4kn
- Air
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 62 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 10°C
Thu 5 · 63 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 11°C
Fri 6 · 62 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 10°C
Sat 7 · 62 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 11 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 10°C
Sun 8 · 60 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 11°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 165, good
- Mon 263, good
- Tue 365, good
- Wed 462, good
- Thu 563, good
- Fri 662, good
- Sat 762, good
- Sun 860, good
- Mon 964, good
- Tue 1057, fair
The site in five facts
- Down to 18 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Advancedand up
- Water 9 °Cdrysuit
- Faces NEswell from there reaches it
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 65, good | 0.0 mflat | 1 kn | 3kn | 9°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 63, good | 0.1 mflat | 8 kn | 10kn | 11°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 65, good | 0.0 mflat | 1 kn | 4kn | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 62, good | 0.0 mflat | 9 kn | 13kn | 10°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 63, good | 0.1 mflat | 9 kn | 12kn | 11°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 62, good | 0.1 mflat | 7 kn | 14kn | 10°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 62, good | 0.1 mflat | 11 kn | 16kn | 10°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 60, good | 0.3 m | 12 kn | 17kn | 11°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 64, good | 0.0 mflat | 4 kn | 9kn | 11°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 57, fair | 0.3 m | 14 kn | 24kn | 11°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 05:52 +0.7 mLow 11:01 −0.2 mHigh 16:52 +0.9 mLow 23:58 −1.4 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 06:58 +0.7 mLow 12:37 −0.3 mHigh 18:19 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:07 −1.2 mHigh 07:58 +0.8 mLow 14:05 −0.5 mHigh 19:48 +0.7 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Map
the site and its town
Cottam Reef on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More diving near here
5 places
- Dorcas Rock 0.2 km away
- The Jib Wall 1.7 km away
- Cottam Point Reef 0/180 1.8 km away
- Wall beach out 30 return 210/230 50-90' 2.2 km away
- Bull Kelp 6m 2.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cottam Reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 18 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces NE: swell from the NE reaches it, and wind from the SW blows out to sea. 5 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.6 km away. The sea is about 7°C in January, its coldest month (drysuit), and 18°C in July, its warmest (7 mm wetsuit and hood). The town to stay in is Parksville. Within 5 km we also list 10 dive sites.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 18 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 5 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.6 km away.
Water about 9°C: drysuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$965–US$1,780 each
about US$965–US$1,780 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to YVR, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$523 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$134–US$228 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$275–US$456 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$308–US$576 |
| Total | about US$965–US$1,780 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Parksville
15 min by car · 21 places to stay
about US$100/nightcountry average
About Parksville its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$100 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 9h 30m
About 9h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → YVR, direct, then 1h 40m by road
Flights ORD → YVR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Parksville · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Parksville · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
The Jib dive site 1.6 km
Cottam Point Dive site 1.8 km
wall beach dive site 2.6 km
Madrona Point Dive Centre 3.8 km
Blueback Tyee Cove Dive site 4.7 km
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Too few open records near this site to list its animals. Ask a dive centre what you are likely to see.
What is under the water (visibility, current, life) no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.