Defender Shoal
Dive site · Canada
Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
64Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 8°C
Tue 3 · 65 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 0 kn
- Gusts
- 4kn
- Air
- 10°C
Wed 4 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 10°C
Thu 5 · 65 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 0 kn
- Gusts
- 1kn
- Air
- 9°C
Fri 6 · 63 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 19knboats in
- Air
- 11°C
Sat 7 · 62 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 22knboats in
- Air
- 10°C
Sun 8 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 22kn
- Air
- 8°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 264, good
- Tue 365, good
- Wed 464, good
- Thu 565, good
- Fri 663, good
- Sat 762, good
- Sun 864, good
- Mon 963, good
- Tue 1061, good
- Wed 110, poor
The site in five facts
- Down to 18 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Advancedand up
- Water 9 °Cdrysuit
- Faces Eswell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 64, good | 0.1 mflat | 3 kn | 9kn | 8°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 65, good | 0.0 mflat | 0 kn | 4kn | 10°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 64, good | 0.0 mflat | 3 kn | 6kn | 10°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 65, good | 0.0 mflat | 0 kn | 1kn | 9°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 63, good | 0.1 mflat | 3 kn | 19knboats in | 11°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 62, good | 0.0 mflat | 10 kn | 22knboats in | 10°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 64, good | 0.1 mflat | 1 kn | 22kn | 8°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 63, good | 0.1 mflat | 7 kn | 14kn | 8°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 61, good | 0.3 m | 10 kn | 30knboats in | 10°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 0, poor | 0.3 m | 12 kn | 31knboats in | 8°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
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
Defender Shoal 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
4 places
- Warspite Rock 6.7 km away
- Entrance Bank 10.2 km away
- Yaculta Bank 16.1 km away
- Wilby Shoals 23.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Defender Shoal
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 E: swell from the E reaches it, and wind from the W blows out to sea. No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 14 km away. The sea is about 7°C in January, its coldest month (drysuit), and 17°C in July, its warmest (7 mm wetsuit and hood). The town to stay in is Campbell River. Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot.
- 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 14 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$966–US$1,780 each
about US$966–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 2 November 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$309–US$577 |
| Total | about US$966–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: Campbell River
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 30 min by car · 25 places to stay
about US$101/nightcountry average
About Campbell River its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$101 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 11h 25m
About 11h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → YVR, direct, then 3h 35m by road
Flights ORD → YVR on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Campbell River · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Campbell River · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
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
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.
Coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch
Seen in 14 records, mostly Oct to Nov.
Chinook Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
Seen in 13 records, mostly Jul to Oct.
Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha
Seen in 10 records, mostly Sep to Oct.
Chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta
Seen in 10 records, mostly Jul to Oct.
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: NuSEDS. Credits
What is under the water this week (visibility, current) no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.