Surf Canada!

  Tofino, British Columbia, Canada
Sunday, July 6, 2008

Harbor & Parliament

After the WCT, we recouped for a couple days at Aili's Grandpa's in Victoria (well, I did - Aili had to fly back to LA for a work meeting, returning less than 48 hours later so not much rest for her!).  While there, I visited Craigdarroch Castle (an old coal baron's mansion) with Grandpa and strolled through downtown, passing the harbor, the provincial capital building and the Empress Hotel - a landmark building where the Queen stays when visiting this far-off outpost of the realm.  
 

This is a Surf Town?

Upon Aili's return, our plan was to head up-island but when we stopped over in Campbell River we found out the ferry to Prince Rupert on the 7th was sold out so we made a reservation for the 9th.  With two extra days on the island, we backtracked a bit and headed over to the Pacific side of the island and Tofino - the surf capital of Canada!  We checked into the Pacific Sands Resort, enjoyed watching the waves break from our room while our fireplace cracked.  In the morning I rented a board and 5mm wetsuit with booties and gloves and scoped the local beaches.  Unfortunately, the weather got better but the

Catchin' a Wave - Day Two

waves were blown out - especially in front of our hotel, so we headed up the coast to the next little bay.  The waves weren't great but it was a lot less cold than I expected and I managed a few short rides.   With snow capped mountains in the distance it was definitely a surreal experience.  I'll have to say I prefer the tropical waters of Hawaii and Costa Rica but I paddled out again the next day, this time without booties since the sun was shining brightly - a big mistake as my feet quickly became numb and felt like blocks of ice attached to the bottom of my legs!  Aili drove as I defrosted my limbs and we retraced our path back to the east and on up to Port McNeil where we camped for the night - tomorrow we take the ferry over to Sointula a town on Malcolm Island where Aili grew up.