Dive Buoy

Here in Alberta we are a landlocked province without the nice clear warm ocean, we have cold lakes. And what more fun it is to dive in and explore them? We started at the bottom with getting our Open Water certification and are currently working our way to the top. We realised how much fun this is, and are working towards our Dive Masters. So where do we dive in Alberta? In the last few years this is where we have been.

Minnewanka 1912 Dam ©Glenbow Museum

Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park. This is a popular diving location with lots to explore both above and below the water. A Local Favorite. It’s nestled in the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

The 1912 Dam: located off the causeway and a great dive to see the old dam and block house

The Plaque Site: Nemours things to find, old abandoned equipment, bridge pilings, the old road.

Lake Minnewanka

Emerald Bay Waterton National Park, Alberta, Canada

Emerald Bay in Waterton National Park. Another gorgeous place to visit both above and below. If you love to hike, this a wonderful place with many paths. Waterton is located in the very southern tip of Alberta. Here in Emerald Bay you will find an old coal burning paddle boat called The Getrude. Another dive site is Cameron Bay, currently haven’t dived the wall.

Mel in her new drysuit

Tyler in Emerald Bay

Forgetmenotpond

Forgetmenotpond Pilings

Forgetmenotpond is one of the coldest lakes we dive in our area, and highly suggest a dry suit over a wet suit. We’ve done the wet suit, but it’s extremely cold and hypothermia is a very real problem if not dealt with correctly. We do use our dry suits after we were certified, and the only things that “freeze” is our lips and hands. This pond is spring fed making this pond just a few degrees Celsius above freezing even in the middle of summer, but the bonus to this is it’s crystal clear water with the visibility being edge to edge (about 100 feet), however it’s only 20 feet at the deepest spot. Great to do night dives with a full moon. Bring lunch with you, great place for a picnic.

Pine Coulee Navigation

Pine Coulee

Pine Coulee located just outside of Stavely, AB. This was suppose to be a Dive Park with all the work and effort put into this project it unfortunately didn’t turn out as planned. The visibility in this lake is very poor 95% of the time, with visibility about 2-3 feet, making it dangerous to take new divers or even experienced diver to. This lake does have strings linking all of the items together, also knowing your navigation is a must in this lake as to not get lost. Also a dive buoy is also needed because it’s a popular boating lake in the summer. Pine Coulee is a new lake, created in early 2000’s to help with irrigation in Alberta, also has a campground to enjoy.

Zeagle BCDs

Dive Gear is an important item to us because it’s our own, and customized to us. We have invested the time and money into finding the best gear here for cold water diving. Because things become brittle when cold, our gear is made of top quality materials to hold up in these environments. Call us crazy, but we Ice Dive here in Alberta during the winter months, we haven’t had this opportunity yet to get under the ice, but it’s on our list to accomplish.

Mel with the camera to close

Tyler decorating the Xmas Tree

FYI – All of the information on this page is of our opinions and experiences. If and when you do dive in Alberta, take the necessary precautions and research about the need to know when diving in Alberta.