Hampden 5433 Plane Wreck
2024-11-09 08:00 - 17:00 UTC
We plan to place a memorial plaque on the wreck of a WW II Hampden Bomber on Remembrance Day to pay tribute to the crew lost.

Victoria Speakers Series
2025-09-25 19:00
A Trail of Empty Bottles
September 17, 7:00 pm
Maritime Museum of British Columbia, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria

Have you ever come across an old bottle while you were diving and wondered what it was used for and how old it is? Tom Bown is an expert on old bottles. Tom will explain how to identify and date your bottle.

Feel free to bring a bottle find to the meeting as a discussion piece. Tom Bown is a volunteer research associate in archaeology at the Royal British Columbia Museum and is on the executive of the Archaeological Society of BC.

For Further Information Contact: Craig Bellamy
cbellamy0275@gmail.com

Victoria Speakers Series
2025-11-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Maritime Museum of British Columbia, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC, V8W2Z7, Canada
Fleet Dive Unit Operations
November 19, 7:00 pm
Maritime Museum of British Columbia, 744 Douglas Street, Victoria

Petty Officer Cole Wood will provide an overview of Fleet Dive Unit operations and will talk specifically about searching for and dealing with Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) in Canadian waters.

For Further Information Contact: Craig Bellamy
cbellamy0275@gmail.com

Shipwrecks 2026: Military Shipwrecks of British Columbia and around the World
2026-03-28 08:30 - 20:00 | Cedar Hill Golf Club, 1400 Derby Rd, Saanich, BC, V8P 1T1, Canada
Without any doubt, the Underwater Archaeological Society of British Columbia’s most popular and exciting, non-diving event is our annual SHIPWRECKS conference.
SHIPWRECKS began in 1986 and the success of this annual UASBC event has continued to this day. The location of the conference tends to rotate between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, and the theme of the event changes annually, but the spirit has remained the same for over 36 years and counting. The one day event includes a daytime session feature multiple captivating guest speakers, as well as a Woodward lecture and dinner. Come out and enjoy a day of learning about British Columbia’s maritime heritage and exploration!
Date: March 28, 2026
Location: Cedar Hill Golf Club, 1400 Derby Rd, Saanich, BC
Dinner & Woodward Lecture:
The USS Yorktown and Devastator Wreck Investigations. Russ Mathews, President Air/Sea Heritage Foundation
Cedar Hill Golf Club No Host Bar 5:00 PM Dinner 6:00 PM
Cost $60.00

Day Session
Regular Admission:$45.00 Registration 08:30 AM
Topics & Speakers
Jacques Marc | Military Shipwrecks in British Columbia
Paul Spencer | Hampden P5433 Lost & Found
Charles Moore | Wrecks of Louisburg Harbour & HMCS Thiepval Survey
Ewan Andreson | Total Surprise: Sunken Ships of Chuuk Lagoon
Guy Shockey | Deepwater Exploration of HMCS Canada
Brian Nadwidny | Diving USATS General M. G. Zalinski and City of Ainsworth
Purchase Tickets

Cowper Wreck Search
2026-08-22 | Tulista Boat Launch, JJV2+5P Sidney, British Columbia
The clipper ship Cowper struck a rock northwest of Tumbo Island November 21, 1869, and was lost. The UASBC has searched for this wreck a few times without success. We will continue the search diving at locations we haven’t previously visited. We may experience a bit of current, but this dive is suitable for all open water divers. We will depart from Sidney for this trip.

Black Dragon Technical Dive
2026-09-20 | Tulista Boat Launch, JJV2+5P Sidney, British Columbia
The Black Dragon was an old Chinese fishing vessel 128 feet in length, that was involved in the smuggling of illegal immigrants to the West Coast at the end of 1999. It was being towed from Barkley Sound to Ladysmith on December 9, 2003, for disposal when it sank off Johnstone reef in Haro Strait. The charted depth is 46 meters (150 feet). We will dive the wreck to record its condition and collect some photos.

Barkley Sound Wreck Trek (multi-day)
2026-09-25 - 2026-09-27 | Grappler Inlet, RVHF+CW Bamfield, British Columbia
Barkley Sound is our new UASBC project area. Weather permitting, we hope to visit and document several new sites around Barkley Sound namely, the Soquel (1909) and Tuscan Prince (1923). The Mascotte (1893) stymied us last trip. We found in the last 10 minutes of our dive so we may try again. We will stay at the big house on Grappler Inlet and dive with Ocean Emerald Charters. We will travel to Bamfield on Friday afternoon September 26.
Charter and accommodation estimate is $500; diving gas (air) and meals will be on top of that.
Maximum 10 divers. Some surge conditions can be expected on these dives so bring Gravol.

Kamloops Lake Locomotive Search
2026-10-10
A steam engine has been sitting in the murky depths of Kamloops Lake for more than 90 years. In 1934, CN 2727 hit a rock and plunged into the lake near a tunnel at the 10.5-mile mark near an area called Battle Bluff. Sport divers found the wreck in the 1960s but it hasn’t been seen since. Bill will be using his own boat and has room for 3 divers.

Chemainus Drydock Barges
2026-10-25 | Chemainus Kinsmen Boat Launch, W7HJ+CW Chemainus, British Columbia
Four wooden dry dock barges sank off the Chemainus waterfront in 2014. They are now covered with marine life and are fun to dive. The UASBC will dive Dry Dock Barge No. 1. We will meet at the Chemainus Kinsman Boat launch at 10 :00. The swim out to the barge is approx 200 meters, so it is not for the faint of heart. The barge lies in about 60 feet of water. This trip is open to all skill Levels and there is no diver limit.

South Bedford Island Reef Net Site Search
2026-11-15 | Pedder Bay Marina, 8CXG+8M Victoria, British Columbia
A map of Coast Salish Reef Netting sites on the South Coast shows South Bedford Island as a potential site used by Indigenous Peoples. We scanned this area with Multibeam, and it has a similar bottom topography like Smyth Head. Our plan is to do a recce of the area. Following this dive we will try to relocate a large admiralty anchor in Whirl Bay. We will depart from Pedder Bay Marina for this trip. Charter $100 per person. Limit 7 divers.
