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Parc Atlas / Atlas Park 145, rue de la Gare Pointe-Verte, NB
HOURS: The park is currently closed to the public. Contact Us for diving information. |
ABOUT
Located near the Bay of Chaleur, Atlas Park is the only recreational dive facility in Atlantic Canada! The park is located in the Village of Pointe-Verte, and is built around a flooded rock quarry which is now a recreational lake for several activities including SCUBA diving. Pointe-Verte is a small fishing village located in the Acadie-Bathurst region. The park is currently closed to the public, however it is available for dive shops and instructors to rent for dive training. It is also open for "drop in" diving when COJO is onsite running events and courses.
The facility requires divers to register and pay a small daily fee to access ($15CDN plus tax day). Divers have access to parking, pavilion seating, shore and dock (deep water) entry, washrooms / change rooms. Instructors can also rent the onsite classroom.
All divers must be certified open water divers with a certification from a major SCUBA agency such as PADI, SDI, NAUI, SSI, etc) OR be with a certified instructor for training.
Minors require legal parent or guardian signature.
Please review the park policies here ENGLISH.
GETTING THERE
Getting to Atlas Park is easy, follow NB Route 11 to Bathurst and continue approximately another 20min on Route 11. Take the exit to Pointe-Verte (Rue de la Gare), turn right on Rue de la Gare and continue for 4.6km. The entrance to Atlas Park is on the right with large signage by the road.
CONDITIONS
The visibility in the rock quarry is usually excellent, due to the spring-fed water in the quarry. The bottom is rocky and silty. The depth of the quarry extends down to 80ft, and there are a few items like sunken boats for divers to navigate. This is an excellent site for diver training, and for divers practicing skills.
AVERAGE WATER TEMPERATURE CHART
Note: Divers can expect to encounter one or two thermoclines, depending on the depth of their dives
Ice cover can be expected from November - April, sometimes into early May
| JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | |
| CELSIUS | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A | 5-8 | 5-9 | 6-21 | 7-21 | 10-15 | 9-14 | N/A | N/A |
| FAHRENHEIT | N/A | 32 | 32 | N/A | 41-46 | 42-48 | 43-70 | 45-70 | 50-60 | 48-58 | N/A | N/A |
DIVE TRAINING
Atlas Park is the ideal location to receive an Open Water Certification course, to receive your Advanced level certification or Rescue Diver certification, and to receive specialty training such as Sidemount Diver, Introduction to Technical Diving.
The lake is well protected from weather as it is surrounded by trees, dive training is never blown out as can sometimes happen with ocean diving.
A training platform is located at a depth of 15ft directly in front of the main building. On the building side of the lake, the quarry bottom is about 20ft deep which is also where a small fishing boat sits near the training platform. The lake drops quickly to a depth of 40ft and slopes gradually to a max depth of 80ft which can be found on the eastern end of the lake.
Entry can be made from the shore or the floating platform. A second fishing boat has been sunk in the eastern area of the lake at a depth of approximately 80ft.
Contact us for more information on any of our courses. Training is available in French and English.
All dive shops and dive instructors are welcome to bring students to Atlas Park, please review the park policies here.
ON-SITE SERVICES AVAILABLE
TANK FILLS
Please call us at 855-646-2656 to make any arrangement needed. For 2020, on-site diver fills and support are only available while COJO Diving is onsite for training/events.
Diver Certification Card must be presented.
Air Fills up to 100cuft - $10.00 + HST, over 100cuft - $15.00 + HST
TANK INSPECTION
(requires tanks to be dropped off, allow 2 weeks for return)
Annual Visual Inspection - $15.00 + HST
5-year Hydrostatic Testing - $39.00 + HST
Note: ALL Aluminum tanks manufactured prior to 1991 are subject to a Visual Plus inspection (inspect for neck fatigue), $25.00 + HST
OFF SEASON / WINTER EXPERIENCES
Atlas Park is available for events over the Winter, including a favourite local specialty.. diving under the ice! Not qualified to ice dive? No problem, COJO Diving runs Ice Diver training each Winter for certified divers (note: divers must be minimum Advanced Open Water certification to take the training). Divers not ready to commit to the full ice training may choose to participate on a Discover Ice Dive with one of our Ice Diver instructors.