Portuguese Cove Dive Site
Ketch Harbour Road, Nova Scotia
Certification Level: Novice
Overview:
This dive site is worth the challenging entry. There are two spots divers can enter the water, by the slip or by an old fishing building (see picture below). Its best to ask permission from the locals before diving this site. The cove itself is rather shallow but you can spend a fair bit of time exploring this cove. There are two directions that tend to hold divers interest. You can go straight out and enjoy the very large ripples in the sand and small boulders that can be seen. The most popular dive plan is to go out the mouth of the cove and head left, here your in for a nice dive with lots to see. If your good on air you'll be able to explore all the rock valleys; the rocks in this area are more purple/pink.
Parking:
Parking is somewhat problematic at this site, check with locals before parking, it may be better to carpool with this site.
Facilities:
There are no rest room facilities at the site.
Site Entry/Exit
Entry at this site is a lot easier at high tide vs low tide. There are two main entry points, marked with red X in photo below.
Points of interest/natural navigation aids:
There are typically lots of lobsters during the warmer months and fish as well. You may see a lot of sea urchins in this area, minor kelp, beautiful valley formations. If your really good on air you may just find an anchor from one of the local wrecks.
Bottom Composition & Depth:
From the entry point you'll find sand/rocks/minor kelp, going straight out you'll find mostly sand with boulders.
Depth can range from 5ft/1.5m to 60ft/18.3m
Visibility:
Visibility varies based on many influences including the weather - rain runoff, wind and waves - the tides and the time of the day. Improved visibility may be experienced during slack high tide. Visibility of 30ft to 40ft/9m to 12m is not uncommon for this site.