Stays · Destination Guide
Cold-water shore diving, rocky reefs and island-city escapes around Victoria and Saanich Inlet
Accommodation listings are not available for this destination yet. Use the local planning notes to choose your base.
Fly into Victoria International Airport (YYJ) on the Saanich Peninsula. YYJ publishes current rental, taxi and ground transportation guidance (airport ground transport). Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is an alternative mainland gateway, but reaching Victoria then requires an additional ferry or regional flight. Do not assume an all-inclusive through transfer for dive cylinders or luggage.
From metropolitan Vancouver, BC Ferries Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay connects the mainland to the peninsula. The standard published sailing is about 1 hour 35 minutes at sea, excluding terminal check-in, loading and onward road travel; confirm seasonal schedules, vehicle reservations and cancellations. International foot passengers can use the Seattle-Victoria Clipper if operating on their chosen date, while MV Coho normally links Port Angeles and Victoria with vehicles/foot passengers. These are ordinary transport ferries, not dive liveaboards. U.S.-Canada immigration documentation applies. A direct Washington State Ferries Anacortes-Sidney service is ; check Washington State Ferries independently if that route appears in an old itinerary.
Victoria: local training suppliers, urban coastline, walkable attractions and hospitality. Sidney: closer to the north-peninsula gateways and quiet waterfront outings. Brentwood Bay: best aligned to Butchart Gardens, Tod Inlet and eastern Saanich Inlet. No site is reachable simply because a regional beach map has a point; identify an approved entry first.
BC Transit connects YYJ via routes 87/88 at McTavish Exchange to routes toward downtown; the limited 72A covers selected early/late trips. Walking, cycling and transit suit urban Victoria/Sidney days, but steep trailheads and remote shore entries are not reliable tank-and-weights bus itineraries.