About Us

Oxygene Newfoundland is an 11 year dive charter business that prides itself on sustainability, the protection of marine life and underwater historic resources, and providing our guests with some of the most unique and captivating adventures on earth. Oxygene Newfoundland is the result of a partnership between Rick and Debbie Stanley's Ocean Quest and the Oxygene family of dive centres.

Newfoundland is a diver's paradise. It offers diverse marine life, it sees most of the icebergs heading south from the arctic every summer, and it is the location of 10,000 shipwrecks that have occurred over 500 years of marine history. All of this has helped Newfoundland be recognized as one of the best dive sites on Earth by Fodor's Adventure Travel Guide.

As the only diving resort in Newfoundland and Labrador, Oxygene Newfoundland is your guide to the spectacular underwater world of the North Atlantic. We pride ourselves on treating every visitor as our personal guest and we understand exactly what you are looking for. Why? Because we are not only divers, we're adventurers. "Experience Your Adventure" is not just our motto. It's a personal philosophy that drives us everyday.

Ocean Quest Lodge

In June 2004,  the Ocean Quest Adventure Resort dream was completed with the opening of our beautiful Canada Select 4 Star Lodge.  Built totally with Newfoundland Spruce the lodge offers luxury accommodation, a meeting and social facility with state-of-the-art presentation and entertainment equipment, sauna, indoor pool and recreation areas, the lodge is a home-from-home you'll love to relax in.....

Location
The Ocean Quest lodge is located in picturesque Conception Bay South, right on the ocean. It is conveniently right next to the Oxygene Newfoundland facility.

The lodge has an ideal location just a few minutes walk from the ocean and the main street.

In this same facility there is a large common room with a 10ft LCD preojection screen, a full kitchen and bar area, a indoor heated pool and a sauna.

Accommodation
Ocean Quest lodge is a 4 star bed and breakfast consisting of 6 full rooms with full bathrooms, one of which is a honeymoon suite with an air tub. Two of these rooms are located downstairs in a suite with a private living area perfect for a family of four to stay.

Room Facilities

• television
• high speed internet hook up
• phone
• either two twin sized beds or one king sized bed

Lodge Facilities

• surround sound HD multi media system
• LCD projector and 10ft screen
• free internet service
• fireplace
• full kitchen
• large deck overlooking beautiful Conception Bay & Bell Island
• propane BBQ
• library of diving and local interest publications
• sauna 
• indoor pool

Dive sites

The mixture of the Labrador Current and Gulf Stream just off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador attracts thousands of whales, provides rich nestling grounds for millions of seabirds, and brings to life a spectacular underwater garden of flora and fauna.  Add to this pristine water, massive icebergs, and a shipwreck history dating back over 500 years and you have a world class diving destination!

The diving experience in Newfoundland and Labrador extends from May until November and with each week, new and exciting opportunities unfold. Shipwrecks are numerous and very accessible throughout the season. In May and June, massive Greenland icebergs arrive from the north and settle in to various coves and inlets. During July and August, over 35 million seabirds gather on our rocky shores and over 22 species of whales feed in our nutrient rich waters. The diving in itself is world class and combined with the natural and cultural history, the experience is exceptional!

Bell Island WWII shipwrecks
The Bell Island Shipwrecks are a 45 minute boat ride on the cruiser from the Foxtrap marina. There are four ships depths ranging from 60’ to 160’ within two square miles of each other. Each of these wrecks are fully intact and up right making them quite the site to see.

Chimney Cove
Chimney Cove is a small cove just 15 minute boat ride from the Foxtrap marina. This is just beside the infamous Kelly’s Island which holds many pirate and ghost stories. This dive site is full of marine life such as lobsters, eel pouts and wolf fish. The depth here ranges from 25’ to 45’.

The Bell
The Bell is another attractive site. It is about a 50 minute boat ride from the Foxtrap marina. This site is full of walls and swim throughs along with an abundance of marine life. The depth ranges from 30’ to 60’. Very good site for every level of diver.

The Conception Bay Whaling Wrecks
The Conception Bay Whalers have been an excellent shore dive since 1964. It is believed that these Whale Catchers were abandoned at the close of the whaling industry in Newfoundland. Just one mile off shore in Conception Harbour there rests the remains of two more Whale Catchers, the SS SPOSA and the SS SOIKA. They range in length from 110’ to 130 feet with a beam of approximately 30 feet.  Visibility in the winter and early spring ranges from 100’ down to 30’.  There is a harpoon gun mounted on one of the ships.  A propeller is still on the SS Southern Foam.  Fantastic photo/video opportunities await you.

Whale Bones, South Dildo
Around 1 hr from St. John’s in the south of Trinity Bay, South Dildo is a former whaling station and the skeletons of many of these large animals lie scattered on the seabed close to the shore.  Accessed from the wharf or the adjacent beach, the site depth reaches approximately 20m and is easily navigated.  Alternatively, a boat can be used to reach some of the areas farther away.  Whale skulls, ribs, jawbones and vertebrae, some of them huge, can be found all over the site and although deteriorating and often covered in weed, they are easily recognizable. 

Expeditions

Ocean Quest's packages include scheduled and customized diving expeditions to the West coast of Newfoundland and remote coastal areas of Labrador. These expeditions offer divers the opportunity to experience Newfoundland & Labrador's unique landscape and culture whilst seeing some of the Province's historic sites from an underwater perspective, including the chance to discover new shipwrecks and collect important archaeological information. 

The Atlantic Canada Challenge
The Atlantic Canada Challenge is our once-a-year expedition for the diver that wants diving, diving, and more diving! The Atlantic Canada Challenge is designed to take in everything that is great about diving in Newfoundland: shipwrecks, whales, and icebergs, while being surrounded by some of the most beautiful panoramic landscapes in the world.

Starting in Port Aux Basques, the Challenge will take you to "The Island of the Dead", an abandoned community, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the site of Cabot's 1497 landfall, North America's oldest city, and the quaintly named Conception Bay.

Uncharted: In Search of History 
Uncharted: The Search for History is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for wreck divers: to discover shipwrecks! You'll join a team of experienced divers like yourself and will play a role in all parts of the adventure: research and reconnaissance, identifying dive spots, strategizing dive plans, and exploring the depths for these forgotten shipwrecks. With over 10,000 shipwrecks in Newfoundland's maritime history and only 5% discovered, there are plenty to be found!

In 2009, we'll be targeting the Southern Shore of Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula. This notorious stretch of coast, hosting unforgiving broken rocks and thick fog banks, is where hundreds of ships met their untimely end. There is history to found and to be made by locating these wrecks. You'll be the first person to lay your eyes on these artifacts for perhaps more than a hundred years.

With so many shipwrecks in the region, we'll take time to visit some of the known, but rarely seen wrecks, as well as the WWII Bell Island wrecks, remarkable ships in their own right.

Expedition Labrador
Expedition Labrador is our culturally focused trip, where you not only experience some of the best diving of your life, you'll find your new home away from home!

Your trip starts at the Ocean Quest Adventure Resort, and then it's off to Gros Morne National Park for diving walls and touring the unbelievable sites. From there's it's off to Labrador, the Big Land, where Battle Harbour and Red Bay offer fantastic wrecks and marine life. On your return to Conception Bay South, you'll stop at Terra Nova National Park. The trip finishes up with a bang, as you'll visit a Newfoundland oddity, the Whale Graveyard, and the world famous WWII Bell Island Wrecks.

From one end of the province to the other, you'll experience our history, culture, the personalities and our natural wonders, and you'll realize that you're not visiting, you've come home for a spell. 

Getting here

Newfoundland and Labrador is where the North American day dawns first. Where the New World begins. Remember, this is a big place. So when you start planning your vacation, use a distance calculator to help you plan your travel time accordingly.

There are two parts to the province, Newfoundland, an island, and Labrador, a mainland which borders the province of Quebec. It is more than three times the total area of the Maritime Provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island) and would rank fourth in size behind Alaska, Texas, and California if it were one of the United States. It is almost one-and-three-quarters times the size of Great Britain.

Approximately 29,000 kilometers of coastline wrap around our communities, trails, forests, parks, and historic sites. Remember we are large, so you can’t wake up in St. John’s and have breakfast in Gros Morne National Park.

If you’d like some help with bookings and arrangements, let our operators take care of the details by clicking Book your holiday.

Adventure Resort Global Position

Lat. 47 31 10        Long. 52 58 24

Packages

All packages Include

• Airport Transfers from/to St. John's International (YYT)
• Accommodation in Ocean Quest 4 Star Lodge*, including breakfast
• Transport to/from Marina or shore/ice Dive Sites as required
• Evening BBQ Cruise and traditional 'Screech In' ceremony on Conception Bay**
• Unlimited use of 80cft Aluminum Air Cylinders and Weights for package diving activity and optional extra shore diving

*Accommodation on Expedition Labrador will include only 3-4 nights in the Ocean Quest Lodge. B&B or Cabin accommodation will be used for the remainder of the trip. Ice Diving packages may also require overnight stays in alternative accommodation.

**During Winter months, the BBQ and 'Screech In' ceremony will be held in the OQ Lodge. 

Training

Your scuba diving adventure begins here
Have you dreamed of exploring the amazing world beneath the waves of Newfoundland & Labrador and wondered what it's like to get up close and personal with residents of the ocean or historic wonders like the Bell Island Shipwrecks? Ocean Quest Adventure Resort makes your dreams come true!

Learn to Dive with Oxygene

Courses

SDI Discover Scuba Diving             $25.00
Introduction to Scuba Diving done in the pool. Anyone under the age of 18 should be accompanied by an adult. This is a three hour experience that consists of a short theory session and then some skills and games in the pool. 

SDI Open Water Scuba Diver           $ 449.00
This is also an introduction to Scuba Diving. This is the most basic scuba diving course that we offer. You must be 10 - 14 years of age for the junior course and 15 years of age for the basic course. Anyone under 18 years of age would need parent's consent. With the SDI agency this course is mostly done online. You can do the theory at your own pace to make sure you understand everything fully. After you have completed each of the quizzes and the final exam you come in and do the classroom and pool sessions and finally the open water sessions in the ocean.

SDI Refresher 
    - This course refreshes diving skills after a period of inactive diving. 
    - You must be previously certified.

SDI Advanced Scuba Diver
    - You must have 25 dives completed.
    - You must have 4 specialties completed by the certification date.
    - This course furthers your skills in diving and provides certification to dive centers for boat charters and diving expeditions where more advanced certification is required.

SDI Rescue Diver
    - You must be 15+ with parental consent.
    - You need to have 40 dives completed and be a certified Advanced diver.
    - Provides the necessary skills and competencies expected from a dive professional to ensure the safety of divers in the open water environment.

SDI Divemaster
    - You must be 18+ years of age.
    - You need to have 40 logged dives.
    - This course is designed to develope the skills and knowledge necessary for an individual to lead certified divers in the open water environment. 

                   

Specialties (required to be an open water diver.)

Advanced Adventure
    - 10+ with parental consent.
    - Consists of 5 dives. ( 1 deep, 1 navigation, and 3 elective dives)
    - This is a prelude course to the full advanced certification intended for those who do not have the time required to complete their full advanced certificate or who prefer to take their certification dives at an easier pace.

Advanced Bouyancy Control
    - 10+ with parental consent.
    - Helps divers to increase bouyancy skills so as divers will : 
                       a) not damage the aquatic life
                       b) have lesser fatigue
                       c) use less air
                       d) have very good bouyancy for photographic purposes

Boat Diver
    - 15+ with parental consent.
    - Provides instruction to individuals who may want to use boat facilities to dive in places rarely visited by other divers.

Computer Diver
    - 10+ with parental consent. 
    - Provides divers with more modern, crucial and acurate dive information regarding profiles. It instructs users how to properly operate and observe their computers.

Computer Nitrox Diver
    - 10+ with parental consent.
    - Instructs divers how to program computers using nitrox from 2-40% and how to analyse nitrox cylinders.

Deep Diver
    - 15+ with parental consent.
    - Provides training to execute dives outside the range of depths experienced during the open water course.

Drift Diver
    - 15+ with parental consent. 
    - Provides divers with skills, knowledge and techniques to properly dive in an area where current could be present.

Dry Suit Diver
    - 15+ with parental consent.
    - Provides instruction on operation and emergency procedures for diving with a dry suit.

Equipment Diver
    - 10+ with parental consent.
    - Designed to give divers a more indepth look at how dive equipment works. It also covers general repairs, maintenance and various types of dive equipment.

Marine Ecosystems Awareness Diver
    - 13+ with parental consent.
    - Designed to increase divers understanding of marine environment, problems facing these ecosystems and teaches a divers role in protecting these environments.

Night / Low Visibility Diver
    - 13+ with parental consent. 
    - Acquaints divers with procedures, techniques and potential hazards associated with diving at night or in limited visibility. We will familiarize you with the use of dive lights and dive techniques such as navigation, buddy system procedures and communications.

Search and Recovery Diver
    - 15+ with parental consent. 
    - Provides diver with special skills and techniques to plan and execute a search and recovery dive. Divers will be briefed on proper compass use, search patterns and recovery equipment.

Underwater Navigation
    - 13+ with parental consent.
    - Designed to give students a greater understanding and experience on how to properly navigate underwater using both natural and compass navigation.

Underwater Photography
    - 15+ with parental consent.
    - To incorporate on land photo techniques to an underwater environment. This course provides a broad overview of various techniques and equipment requirements necessary for underwater photography.

Wreck Diver
    - 15+ with parental consent. (level 1 with the first 2 dives and no penetration)
    - 18+1 ( level 2 with a depth limit of 130' and with linear penetration)
    - The level 1 wreck diving specialty provides you with familiarization techniques and basic charting technology with use of the proper wreck diving equipment. The level 2 specialty will extend your training in limited penetration.

Solo Diver
    - 21+. 
    - You must have 100+ logged dives.
    - Trains divers in benefits, hazards and proper procedures in diving solo.

CPROX 1st AED
    - 15+ with parental consent.
    - This course combines CPR, Emergency Oxygen Administrating, First Aid, and Automated external defibrilator. It provides the student with basic life giving skills for the six basics of injuries and use of an emergency defibrilator.

Please contact us for prices 
1+ 709 834 7234 ext 1   

Photo & Video

On this page you can view photos of local seabirds, marine life, whales, shipwrecks, Icebergs and our facilities in our Photo Gallery gallery. We also have short video clips available. 

Click here to view photos of Oxygene Newfoundland.

Staff

Rick Stanley
Owner
Rick has been diving since 1992 first as a hobby and to get away from his busy home reno business and get the weight of houses off his shoulders. At first he discovered scallops and mussels and indulged himself in them along with the wonderful marine life most unique because of the collide of the gulf stream and Labrador current, but Rick's curiosity for the Bell Island shipwrecks got the better of him... he got 'wowed' after his first dive on them.

As getting to know the wrecks and the history around them he wanted to tell all of his dive buddies about them. After seeing their entusiasm Rick wanted the wrecks on the world stage and thats when Ocean Quest was formed in 1997. With a boat and little experience he started complying with CCG and TC regulations and form there a vigorous SCUBA training schedule for basic diver to instructor. Now Rick is a specialty instructor, TDI Advanced Nitrox, Inspiration and evolution and Full cave diver and more than 200 on the Bell Island wrecks alone. But without the protection and preservation there is no sustainability so with some help Ocean Net was formed and as a founding member he took the oath...'To Instill an Ocean Conservation Ethic' and the Bell Island wrecks fell within his conservation area that he is taking stewardship of.

Besides that fabuluos underwater inventory, the wrecks and marine life around Newfoundland, he has all around him a competent staff, and a dive resort that he is very proud of. Infrastructure and equipment are all world class...and a loving family that has helped and stood by him along the way...lets just say...'I'm living my dream!

Debbie Stanley
Accountant / Assistant Instructor

Debbie has been diving since 1994 and she started because her husband was having all the fun and she wanted in. Since then she went through the PADI, SDI, TDI and Evolution training programs and is now certified as an Assistant instructor, Advanced Nitrox, Rebreather and full cave diver. She keeps everyone in line, making sure everything runs smoothly and that everyone is at the top of their game. Debbie is a mother of two girls.

John Olivero
Facilities Coordinator Divemaster

John has been with Oxygene Newfoundlandsince 2006. John’s background in Scuba, sales, customer service, and management made him the perfect choice to keep the Oxygene Newfoundland ship headed in the right direction. John was certified basic open water diver in 2004 from Westchester Dive Center in Port Chester, NY, USA, where he also received his advanced certification, and rescue diver. In that time John discovered the many joys of Scuba diving in the New York area as well as through out the Caribbean, boasting his favorite destinations as as well as Turks and Caicos. Upon returning home to Newfoundlandin 2005 John has received his divemaster certification as well as solo diver cert. and become an integral part of the local dive community. John’s other talents include, playing the guitar, video/sound production, and constant learning.

Bill Flaherty
MV Ocean Quest Captain

William (Bill) M. Flaherty a retired naval officer currently employed as the captain of the MV Ocean Quest located in Foxtrap, Conception Bay, Newfoundland, Canada. Bill brings with him a wealth of diving experience after over twenty years as an active diver. A professional Master Scuba Diver Trainer with PADI he has logged in excess of a thousand dives throughout the United States and Canada. An amateur marine archeologist who has studied under Matthew Duncanson II, Chief Archeologist with the Mel Fisher Athocha Group, located in Key West, Florida. He has also conducted field work with the Rhode Island Archeological Marine Project under Dr. Abass. Self trained as an underwater videographer and digital photographer he is constantly in pursuit of that perfect shot. During the last ten years Bill has been consumed with diving and researching the Bell Island Wrecks.

Ian Carter
Instructor

He is a TDI/SDI Instructor who has been with Oxygene Newfoundland since 2005. Ian is a huge fan of the Bell Island wrecks and visits them as often as he can. He also enjoys the many really cool shore based dive sites in the area. Among the specialties he teaches are nitrox, navigation, deep, night, wreck, boat and drysuit. Whether you are an old pro or just recently certified Ian is happy to show you some of his favorite dive sites.

Roger Pope
Trainig Coordinator
Padi Divemaster
ACUC / SDI instructor

Roger has come to Oxygene Newfoundland this year bringing with him a varied array of experiences from his past employment within the diving industry. Although new to the scuba diving business, Roger has immersed himself completely into the industry over the last 3 years and has shown a great progression of skills. He has recently began his technical service licensing and boating certification. With over 15 years in the hospitality industry, Roger is looking forwards to meeting new clientele with Oxygene Newfoundland.

Eric Tippett
Divemaster

Eric Tippett is a SDI Dive Master who has been with Oxygene Newfoundland since 2005. He is very passionate about the sport. Eric enjoys scuba diving the Bell Island Wrecks and all of Newfoundland's great shore based diving sites. It would be his pleasure to guide you in your Newfoundland Underwater Adventure.

Earl Blundon
Instructor

Bio coming soon

Jason Best
Technician

Bio coming soon

Holly Stanley
Divemaster / Crew

Holly has been working with Oxygene Newfoundland now for 10 years. She started diving with her bubblemaker when she was eight years old. Since then she has become an advanced diver, rescue diver and finally she has just received her divemaster certification. Holly is attending Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundlandworking on the Nautical Science program. She has pretty well been raised on the ocean making it her dream to have a career there as well. Holly works together on the MV Ocean Quest with Bill to make it a fun experience for everyone, whether they’re going out for a BBQ or going to explore the BellIslandwrecks it’s always a safe and fun time.

Darren Taylor
Divemaster

Darren is a SDI assistant instructor and CPROX, and an SSI dive control specialist, Rescue diver and Nitrox diver. Darren has been a paramedic since 1997 and has wanted to dive since he was a kid. Sunday mornings he would put on his uncles scuba gear and watch an outdoor wildlife show and pretend he was underwater with the wild looking creatures. From there it developped into a longing to want to get in the water wherever he was. There were times when he was a kid that he would just jump out of the boat just to get wet and pretend he was a diver.  

Dave Lane
Divemaster

Bio coming soon

Sean Fitzpatrick
PADI Instructor

Bio coming soon

Albert Stanley
Bus Driver/ Chef

Bio coming soon