News Article
Daily life revolves around the tide
The Philadelphia Inquirer-Sun
December 31, 2000
Daily life revolves around the tide. Folks begin their day by looking at the tidal charts. A 14 foot differential between the high and low Pacific tides affect not just beach lovers but anglers, kayakers, scuba divers, surfers and whale watcher.
Even the local animals are affected; black bears and bald eagles time their feeding habits, scavenging the beach at low tide. As Courtney Caton, a Tofino local, explains, the variety of life here is intimately tied to the tides: "The water level is never the same so you are always seeing something new and different."
Tofino sits on a promontory at the far west end of Vancouver Island, where the two-lane Highway 4 runs into the sea. Historically a fishing port, this picturesque Canadian village has in the recent years become a tourist destination because of its isolation, the rugged beauty of its volcanic coastline, and its status as one end of the Pacific Rim National Park, which stretches about 75 miles south along the wild coastline to Port Renfrew.
There's also the attraction of a wide variety of water sports. Near the Clayoquot Sound harbor, adventure companies with bright red "survival" suits hung on door frames lure vacationers on kayaking, whale watching, and salmon fishing trips. A shop sells new kites and rents old mountain bikes. The requisite quaint shops cater to visitors, while the local crowd hangs out at the bakery, which offers views of the harbor.
Kayakers launch into the sound near the float plane dock, while those going whale watching meet under one or another red suit. Other visitors choose a trip to the Hot Spring Cove, bear watching, or exploring a native village.
Those staying the night can select from several B & B's , a number of beach resorts and motels, the ocean view cabins of Middle Beach Lodge, and the luxurious Wickaninnish Inn. "The Wick," as the locals call it, offers ocean views from every room, and guests drift into slumber to the sound of crashing waves, or watch the majestic sea from the Wick's Pointe restaurant, cantilevered out over craggy volcanic rocks.
This experience is the general manager Charles McDiarmid, who's managed to sell visitors on coming to Tofino during the winter months to watch the violent winter storms raise the 20 foot waves that spay the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the restaurant. Just to make sure diners get the full experience, the sound from outside is piped into the restaurant, along with a selection of classical music.
Nine Miles by boat from Tofino (but seemingly far from civilization) lies the floating Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, a football field-sized luxury barge permanently moored in the northwest corner of the sheltered cove. The boat, draped with hanging flower baskets along the deck, is hidden by a narrow channel from Cypress Bay.
Guests can hike, ride horseback along miles of former logging trails, go whale or bear watching, sail, canoe, kayak, or take day cruises to nearby Hot Springs Cove. Onboard, guests can work out in the small fitness center, soak in the hot tub, or enjoy a massage. Guests also have an option of a stay at the Clayoquot Outpost, a safari-type camp situated between the Bedwell River and one of its estuaries.
Another option is the 11 Km Ahousaht Wild Side Heritage Trail, built by the Ahousaht First Nations People and opened in 1996. Hikers are transported by boat from the Tofino harbor to Flores Island's Cow bay. The trail features a mile of cedar plank boardwalk through the boggier parts of the forest. It wanders for eight miles, over ups and downs, turns and twists, through dense rain forest and beaches. In addition to the challenging hike, at points along the route, signposts are accompanied by series of placards sharing the myth and history of the Ahousaht First American Nation.
More beautiful views are available near Ucluelet, about 25 miles south of Tofino, along the recently opened Wild Pacific Trail. The 2 Km groomed trail winds along the rugged coastline, revealing stunning Pacific views at every turn. Hikers can stop for lunch or a view at strategically placed cedar benches overlooking the bays and coves of the Pacific.
At low tide during most of the year, the sights expand to include black bears and eagles, who share the shore during low tide, hunting for crustaceans tangled in the beach's seaweed.(In the fall, when the salmon head upriver to spawn, the bears turn their attention to fishing.) Salmon draws human fishermen to the region too. Serious anglers time their fishing around the slack hours of the tide's flood and ebb, when the waters bring in the smaller sea life on which the fish feed.
A pod of orcas (killer whales) compete for the same feed, rolling, breaching, and "sky hopping" in circles, to the delight of whale watchers. Resident gray whales and occasional humpbacks can also be sighted
The Pacific Rim National Park ends a few miles outside Tofino. Established in 1970 as Canada's first national park on the west coast of BC, including most of Vancouver Island, the mainland coast, the coastal mountains, and the Queen Charlotte Island. Camp sites dot the Pacific Rim; Long Beach is a popular place for surfing, particularly during winter.
Back at the beach, folks can dig for clams or search for oysters and sea urchins in tidal pools left by the outgoing waves. Children hop from pool to pool, looking for brightly coloured star fish and anemones.
Visitors whose love of oysters extends beyond seeing then on the beach can head out to Jim Martin's oyster farm, where Martin tends his flats of oversized roasting oysters, harvesting nearly 100,000 a year. Martin is BC's champion oyster farmer, providing scrumptious roasting oysters to select restaurants and groceries in nearby Tofino.