October marks the first great kick-off to the winter surf season in Tofino. As the swells grow bigger and steadier, the dedicated surfers return in numbers, and it brings to mind my own beginnings on a board.

During my preteen years, my parents devised a clever ruse as a way to take our measurements for wetsuits, inventing a national survey to measure children of a certain age. We received the suits, made to fit, as Christmas presents in 1969. Around that time, with surfing reaching a peak in California, my aunt and uncle came up from the San Francisco Bay Area with a board by Greg Noll, the legendary big wave pioneer known for his iconic handcrafted boards. Suit and surfboard in hand, I was ready to give it a try.

Getting out on the water, however, proved to be an ordeal. Wetsuits back then were made of thick, stiff neoprene designed for scuba diving, complete with a beavertail, a flap that snapped the jacket in place, and there were no surf leashes.

Only a handful of early surfers were in the water at the time, among them Ralph Devries, who had moved from the Netherlands to pursue the sport.

With hardly anyone to learn from, Chesterman Beach became my classroom and the waves my rather unforgiving instructors.

Life eventually carried me far from the ocean, to university back east and then to work in Calgary, Dallas, and Washington, DC. In the meantime, surfing in Tofino gained real momentum. Surf shops opened, and the Bruhwiler siblings, raised on Chesterman Beach, became Canada’s first professional surfers.

Over fifteen years ago, I took our young daughter out to learn the basics and remembered how much I enjoyed surfing. Before long, I was hooked all over again.

Meanwhile, technology had advanced, wetsuits now came in a variable thickness design, leashes were standard, and a small local surf culture had begun taking shape

The scene has only continued to flourish, putting Tofino on the map as a well-known surf destination. Ralph’s son Pete brought attention from around the world to Tofino when he won the O’Neill Cold Water Classic on home waves.

Surf Sister, with its team of female instructors, have played a pivotal role in drawing women into the water.

Each year, Tofino hosts multiple surf competitions from the Rip Curl Nationals to the all-female Queen of the Peak.

Further afield, local surfers like Sanoa Olin, Canada’s inaugural Olympic surfer, are making their mark on the international stage.

Above all, surfing here is open to everyone. The sandy beach breaks are forgiving for beginners, and there is almost always a wave awaiting the seasoned surfer.

However you choose to experience the Pacific this season, whether paddling out or watching the storms roll through with a warm beverage in hand, we look forward to welcoming you to a community shaped by the ocean.

Warmly,

Charles

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