There is something for everyone in Tofino
We have just spent another glorious week in Tofino – also fondly referred to as “my happy place”. It never disappoints and each visit seems to get better and better, even in the variable weather.
Over the past 20 years we have been here eight times and these visits have ranged from campground (no amenities) all the way up to a 5 star Relais and Chateau Inn on the beach. Our last two stays have been based in a friends one bedroom condo on South Chesterman beach and I think we’ve found “just right” for us… We walk right out onto the beach and the level of surf is perfect for our abilities on any given day.  It is great to be able to play in the surf, even in the rain, and then come back in and dry off and have never ending hot chocolates! It’s even better having somewhere that your gear will dry so when head back out later in the day you aren’t cold, wet and clammy 🙂
At the midpoint between South Chesterman and North Chesterman is Frank’s Island, which you can get to at low tide and is a mecca for tidal pool exploring. Starfish colonies and clusters of Sea Anenome’s abound! Walking the full length of North and South Chesterman beaches (and back) takes about an hour and is something we do every day, rain or no rain.
We flew this year verses drove and it felt like an exercise in minimalism to get down to 40lbs per person (not per bag) due to the KingAir flight from Vancouver to Tofino. We had left our boards and surf kayak there in the spring so our big splurges were taking the new inflatable SUP and Hunter’s Scooter. One bag full of water gear and one shared duffle bag for the rest of our clothes, ranging from shorts to fleece plus rubber boots and rain coats.
Much to Hunter’s dismay it rained about 80% of the time this trip. We caught two sunny breaks and headed straight for the skateboard park so he could get some scooter time in. It’s one of his favourite parks and he loves to be able to gauge his improvement over past trips. We like it because it’s really family friendly and graffiti free, which is possibly due to it being just across the street from the RCMP station.
We got the SUP out on our second day and both Tim and Hunter had fun experimenting with it. It’s definitely harder to get out through the surf and the crashes look fabulous thanks to the extra length (9ft 6″) plus paddle that go flying around. We attempted to take it out another day but the storm swell was just too powerful and it quickly became clear how futile this was. The rest of our time was split between surfboards and Tim in his surf kayak.
The more I surf, the more I love surfing…
- a bad day surfing is still a day outside in the ocean with my family
- how can you not smile when you are “playing” in the ocean?
- the crashes don’t hurt nearly as much as they do in other sports, and many of mine are epic!
- the sense of community and camaraderie at the beginner areas is fabulous – you often cheer for strangers
While it was nice to be able to fly in for a quick visit, we definitely missed having all of our toys with us. Hunter wished he had his BMX and his skateboard. We all wished we had our mountain bikes to play in their bike park and ride to town an back on the bike paths. Hunter was also wistful for his kayak. Visit #8 was not a disappointment and we’re already planning out when we can come next and how we can bring all the toys…