Virago Rock
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, Visibility under 5 m, Water 9 °C
Mon 2 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 5kn
- Air
- 9°C
Tue 3 · 65 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 3kn
- Air
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 63 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 63 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 11°C
Fri 6 · 62 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 11°C
Sat 7 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 11°C
Sun 8 · 55 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 16 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Air
- 11°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 165, good
- Mon 264, good
- Tue 365, good
- Wed 463, good
- Thu 563, good
- Fri 662, good
- Sat 764, good
- Sun 855, fair
- Mon 964, good
- Tue 1060, good
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 | 3 kn | 5kn | 8°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 64, good | 0.0 mflat | 3 kn | 5kn | 9°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 65, good | 0.0 mflat | 1 kn | 3kn | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 63, good | 0.0 mflat | 7 kn | 9kn | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 63, good | 0.0 mflat | 3 kn | 7kn | 11°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 62, good | 0.1 mflat | 7 kn | 13kn | 11°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 64, good | 0.0 mflat | 5 kn | 14kn | 11°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 55, fair | 0.3 m | 16 kn | 21kn | 11°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 64, good | 0.0 mflat | 2 kn | 8kn | 9°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 60, good | 0.1 mflat | 10 kn | 15kn | 12°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 06:14 +0.6 mLow 11:38 +0.0 mHigh 16:55 +0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 00:38 −1.4 mHigh 07:24 +0.6 mLow 13:25 −0.2 mHigh 18:23 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:49 −1.2 mHigh 08:23 +0.8 mLow 14:46 −0.5 mHigh 20:01 +0.6 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
Virago Rock 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
- Centre Reef 4.3 km away
- Escape Reef 9.5 km away
- Danger Reefs 10.1 km away
- North Reef 11.2 km away
- Collins Shoal 12.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Virago Rock
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. No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 30 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 Ladysmith. Within 5 km we also list 1 dive site.
- 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 No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 30 km away.
Water about 9°C: drysuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility under 5 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct and Nov (under 5 m).
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$911–US$1,690 each
about US$911–US$1,690 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$80–US$134 |
| 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$911–US$1,690 |
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: Ladysmith
29 min by car · 6 places to stay
about US$100/nightcountry average
About Ladysmith 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 8h 45m
About 8h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → YVR, direct, then 55 min 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 Ladysmith · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Ladysmith · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
No dive centre mapped within 25 km.
Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Animals divers and surveys have recorded within 2 km of this site in the last 15 years. A record says someone saw it here, not that you will.
Orca Orcinus orcaWhale or dolphin
Seen in 7 records.
Common seal Phoca vitulinaSeal or sea lion
Seen in 9 records.
Northern Sealion Eumetopias jubatusSeal or sea lion
Seen in 5 records.
Giant octopus Enteroctopus dofleiniOctopus
Seen in 3 records.
Hermissenda crassicornisNudibranch
Seen in 11 records, mostly Mar to Jun.
Coryphella trilineataNudibranch
Seen in 10 records, mostly Jan to Jun.
Coryphella verrucosaNudibranch
Seen in 9 records.
Tritonia festivaNudibranch
Seen in 7 records.
Coryphella trophinaNudibranch
Seen in 6 records.
Apata priceiNudibranch
Seen in 5 records.
Dirona albolineataNudibranch
Seen in 4 records.
Armina californicaNudibranch
Seen in 3 records.
Records: OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, IOC-UNESCO), from the datasets named here, CC0 and CC BY records only. Names: WoRMS, through OBIS; common names from Wikidata. Largest datasets here: British Columbia Cetacean Sightings Network Observations; Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) counts and haulout locations in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia coast. Credits
This week: visibility under 5 m, clearer than usual (satellite plankton reading, 24 Oct). Estimated from the month's typical visibility and this week's satellite chlorophyll against the site's normal; heavy rain before a dive can still muddy it.
The current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.