Toronto's dive sites lie within Lake Ontario, a freshwater environment with a wide seasonal temperature swing. Water is cold and consistent through winter and spring, warming appreciably at the surface by midsummer before cooling again in autumn. The sites span wrecks, artificial reefs, and rocky shallows, spread from Etobicoke to Scarborough, with both shore and boat entry. Fish life includes sturgeon, pike, trout, smallmouth bass, perch, and round goby. Multiple operators are active across the city and surrounds, making this one of Canada's better-served freshwater dive destinations.
Monthly water temperature across Toronto's sites, from satellite sea-surface data corrected for depth. The band shows the site-to-site spread.
Surface temperatures peak in late summer before a thermocline pushes deeper water well below surface readings. Cooler months bring more consistent temperatures throughout the water column, and a drysuit or thick wetsuit is advisable outside the warmest weeks.
16 operators
Etobicoke, Canada
Etobicoke, Canada
Toronto, Canada
Water temperature around Toronto ranges from about 4°C in January to 17°C in September, based on satellite sea-temperature data for its dive sites.
In the warm season (about 17°C) a 7mm or semi-dry suit is comfortable in Toronto; in the coldest months (about 4°C) step up to a drysuit.
Fin maps 8 sites in Toronto (5 scuba diving sites and 3 snorkelling spots).
7 more sites to explore
