Surfers, Sunsets, Waves, and Whales - the Allure of Vancouver Island's West Coast!

 Surfers, Sunsets, Waves, and Whales - the Allure of Vancouver Island's West Coast!

We had an unbelievable time on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Together with Bonavista, in Newfoundland, these areas are fast becoming our favourite oceanside venues. Whether it's the gentle roll of waves as they flow over a sandy beach, or the pounding of thunderous waves crashing upon rocks... the power of the ocean is something that is completely mesmerizing. 

Add some superb sunsets and/or courageous surfers, and you have a complete medley of wonderment that compels you to remain in place, totally soak it in, capture it on film, and hold it in your memory forever. 

We experienced all these things during our stay in Ucluelet and Tofino. The forecast had been calling for rain for several days; however, things changed, and we only had one day of rain, so we we were able to have so much fun engaging our senses in many of the things that the west coast has to offer.  

We arrived early at our AirBnB condo, so we ventured into town and had a really tasty omelette on the outdoor patio of the Blue Room - one of Ucluelet's many eating places. 

Outdoor patio meals are the best!

Returning to our condo, which was now ready, we unpacked our car, and checked out the immediate area. 

Sealions in the harbour

View from our condo living room

After settling in to our temporary abode, we made our way down to the Amphitrite Point Lighthouse, at the end of the Ucluelet Peninsula, with our intention set upon completing one loop on the Wild Pacific Trail. The last time we were here, we just walked a small part of it.

Anthratite Point Lighthouse

Wild Pacific Rim Trail 

Breathtaking scenes piled one upon the other as we made our way around this 2.6 km loop. 

Later that evening, we returned to take in the sunset that was promising to be really good. With camera and cellphones in hand, we drank in the sheer beauty of nature at its best.

The next day, we made our way towards Tofino, with its many beaches that are a paradise for surfers - apparently year round. Our favourite is Long Beach, which stretches for several kilometres along the Pacific Ocean, in the Pacific Rim National Park.

 Watching the surfers wading out, waiting for that perfect wave, and then setting themselves up to coast, only to flounder and start again, was an exhilarating experience. 

When they succeeded in staying up, you could almost feel their joy permeating from them!

While walking the beach, we were laughing about how we nearly got a bootful when an unexpected wave drifted in. They weren't high, but came in fast, and threatened to splash up and over the top of our boots - which they did on a couple of occasions! 

We climbed up a rock to sit on a bench so that we could overlook the beaches in both directions; and there, we had our picnic lunch. 

That evening, we made our way back to  Wickaninnish Beach for another sunset - knowing that each one is unique.

Mark captured the action, adventure, and ambience in this brilliant photograph

When we got back to the condo, the full moon provided us with a wonderful view of the harbour from our deck. 

There were other critters who were enjoying the area, too. 

Bald eagle, with a catch in its talons

Japanese cormorants

Sanderling

Savannah Sparrow

Gulls

It's no wonder that we have fallen in love with this part of Canada... even though there are reminders of where were located was on part of the Ring of Fire. ..

The instructions in our condo included directions to follow in the event of a Tsunami

...and that there were other signs regarding cautions necessary when there is wildlife in the area...

Apparently, there are more cougars on Vancouver Island than anywhere in the world 

We noticed that even the bravest of surfers seemed to heed the warning signs...

Surfers only ventured forth when the hazard was marked as moderate

On our last day but one, we went whale watching with a company based in Tofino, itself.

As the wind was extremely strong that day, Chris, our skipper, made the decision not to venture out into the open ocean, but to stay within Clayoquot Sound, a huge body of water with many inlets and islands. We didn't get to see any Orcas, but we did spot a sea otter and three grey whales - one of them actually breached (just seconds after the skipper mentioned that he only sees that 4-5 times per season!) It happened so quickly that we were not able to capture it. However, three of the whales were more accommodating.

Sea Kayaker

Another, smaller whale-watching boat

The tell-tale sign of the water spout

Sea otter

We were on the boat for nearly three hours and loved every minute of it. 

After spending time on these amazing beaches, appreciating the bravery of the surfers, and admiring the golden sunsets, the whale watching trip was a nice finish to our visit to the west coast of the Island.

In fact, you could say that we truly had a 'whale' of a time!