Alberta's dive sites sit in glacial lakes across the Canadian Rockies and surrounding foothills, with sites near Banff, Jasper, Waterton Park, and Bragg Creek. The water is cold year-round, and altitude affects decompression calculations, so divers need to adjust their dive tables or computers accordingly. A drysuit is strongly advisable; even summer temperatures in glacier-fed lakes can be well below ten degrees Celsius. Sites range from the submerged townsite of Minnewanka Landing at Lake Minnewanka to deliberately placed artificial reefs and a wooden barge at Patricia Lake, suiting beginners through to intermediate divers. Freshwater species including lake trout, pike, burbot, and sturgeon are present across the region.
4 areas
3High-altitude cold-water lakes in Banff National Park, including the flooded historical townsite of Minnewanka Landing.
2Rocky Mountain freshwater diving in Kananaskis, from the calm shallow artificial reef at Forget-Me-Not Pond to the glacier-fed Upper Kananaskis Lake.
2Alpine lake diving in Jasper National Park, with a sunken wooden barge at Patricia Lake and a warmer shallow site at Edith Lake.
210 operators
St. Albert, Canada
Fin maps 9 sites in Alberta (9 scuba diving sites), organised into 4 areas.
Across Alberta's dive sites, June, July, August and September are most often reported as the best months to visit.
Cold freshwater lake diving in a national park setting, with a wreck, walls, and drop-offs suited to intermediate divers.
