Surfing Fam Jam - Tofino, BC

Ah - the family holiday!

Those words stir the imagination, invoke a little bit of fear and take me back to the good, old days.  You remember?  The long family road trip, the arguments over front seat, back seat, who is looking out which window.  The days when kids actually had to look out windows and were not glued to smart phones watching full length feature films. The only source for music, if you were lucky, was the local AM radio station....top 40 all day long!  Fond memories of "parental units" threatening to either turn around or stop right now and make everyone get out and walk, motion sickness and getting lost....but, the most important and treasured memories of all...the laughter and shared time together.

As our family matures (at least chronologically) the family trip, or FAM JAM gets more difficult to coordinate due to busy schedules, but when we do manage to find the time, we attempt to make the most of it.  This year, we found a free weekend and decided to head for Tofino - the end of the road!

Room with a view - Long Beach

The lounge is open

Tofino is absolutely the place to be if you want to get outside and play!  It is located in the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Bioshphere Reserve and features the best of Mother Nature's work and a rich First Nations history.  The rain forest and beaches offer so much to do, not to mention the surfing, kayaking, paddle boarding, birding, hiking,wildlife viewing and fishing that is available.

Our first stop was Long Beach in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.  I have always felt that surely someone could have come up with a more inspiring name for Long Beach, yet, when you first step on the sand and gaze down the 16km (9.94 miles) of expansive beach and surf you gasp for breath and think to yourself, "WOW..that is a looooooong beach!"  I giggled as I came to the conclusion that maybe Long Beach is absolutely the perfect name for this magnificent stretch of waterfront.  No matter how many times I visit, my breath is taken away and I feel inspired!

Long Beach - it takes your breath away

Exploring tide pools- underwater photo of Giant Green Anemone

You can't visit Tofino without trying to surf.  We connected with Pacific Surf Co. and arranged for an afternoon lesson.  The staff team were brilliant!  We shared a laugh with the front office crew as we signed the waivers and arranged for our equipment rentals.  We also had the great pleasure of meeting Paul Levy, a globe trotting professional photographer who currently spends his days on the beach photographing surfers.  We enjoyed chatting with Paul and learning more about his work and his travels.  Paul is extremely charismatic and clearly enjoys meeting the many tourists who visit Tofino.  He manages to capture his love of people and travel in his photos - quite a talent!

I must confess, I am very jealous of Paul's office.  I suspect that he may be staying in Tofino for a while....it seems to have captured his heart!

Harry leads us through a safety talk - photo credit Paul Levy

We arrived at Cox Bay beach ready to go.  We were assigned to Harry - a crazy and very knowledgeable surf instructor from Australia.  At first glance, Harry was the stereotypical surfer....long blond hair, sunburned skin, athletic, Aussie accent and devil may care attitude.

He appeared to be quite puzzled by our group.  He had been told he was teaching a family, so I suspect he was expecting a mom and dad with a couple of little kids.  He was not at all prepared for the Weiss Goon Squad.  We chatted as we walked to the beach.  He was still confused by the age differences in our group and asked how we all met.  He seemed to think that since we were having so much fun, we must be friends, not family.  I must admit that comment warmed my heart.

Harry - Down Under.  This is what happens when you give your surf instructor an under-water camera.

Under Harry's expert leadership, we donned our wetsuits, completed our safety talk and hit the waves.  Kudos to Harry - he managed to get us all up on the surf boards.  Sadly, time has taken it's toll and I was certainly the weakest link!  In my head, I was able to pop up and ride the wave, but in reality it was an afternoon of crashing and burning Tofino style.  Harry was so encouraging!  Of course, Rob and the gang quickly learned the tricks and were soon riding the waves with confidence.

Adam auditions for Baywatch - photo credit:  Paul Levy

New twist on sibling rivalry as everyone attempts to catch the same wave

The "boys" face off

Emma brings it home!

We enjoyed getting to know Harry a little bit.  He has a degree in Journalism and is of course, an avid surfer, having traveled extensively looking for waves.  I asked about his favourite place to surf (after Tofino of course) and he shared a few stories about his time in Nicaragua.  Not just a "pretty face", Harry recently published his first short story, "The Best of Both Worlds."  We are looking forward to seeing more of Harry's name in print.

Harry - Making it look easy!

Our day ended with a beachfront view of the sunset, terrific food at Shelter and a roaring beach fire under the clear and spectacular Tofino night sky.  Whenever I have the opportunity to star gaze, away from the city lights, I remind myself of how lucky I am, and how nature inspires.  Imagine if all children had the chance to sit under the stars, connect to nature and dream!  Thank you Tofino!

Even the four legged visitors are captivated by the sunset.

Giggle of the Day:

Five Weiss' in wetsuits.....hard NOT to giggle!

Thanks to Harry and Pacific Surf Co. for a great day!  Also thanks to Paul for the great photos!

Map and Route Tips:

Be sure to check your ferry times:  www.bcferries.ca

Once you leave the Island Highway, the drive to Tofino gets more challenging.  Lots of twists and turns....imagine it years ago, when it was a logging road!


Accommodation in Tofino ranges from tent camping to 5 Star Accommodation.  Be sure to book ahead, especially in the summer!

#surf #explorebc #family #nature #yourtofino

Kayak Cypress Island - Launch from Anacortes

A Weekend of Misinformation and Mistakes

We ALWAYS advocate for and trust in local information and 99% of the time local knowledge serves us well.  This weekend, however, was a comedy of errors.  The forecast for the weekend was amazing and we simply could not miss the opportunity to head back to the San Juan Islands.  We only had a couple of days so we made the decision to launch from Anacortes and paddle to Cypress Island for the weekend.

We excitedly loaded up our gear, made our customary food run at Freddy Meyers and drove to Washington Park on the west end of Fidalgo Island.  We were absolutely thrilled to be heading out for another weekend in the Islands.

Boat Launch area - Washington Park

As we were loading our kayaks, we began chatting with another paddler on the beach.  He was paddling solo over to James Island for the weekend.  He seemed very knowledgeable about the area and we eagerly asked for his advice.....and then it began!  He told us that the campsites on Cypress closed on Labour Day weekend.  It had not even crossed our minds that the campsite would be closed.  The sun was shining brilliantly and the forecast was for temperatures in the high 20's.  I must confess we didn't quite believe him, but we decided worst case, that if we were careful to plan our route with the tides we could enjoy a nice day trip to Cypress.

We bid farewell and with gear loaded and chart in hands we looked out over the water to plan our crossing to the Island....and then we made our second fatal mistake.  There was a local fisherman loading up so we decided to ask him if he knew about the campsite closures and also if he could recommend the safest area to cross.  Excited to help, he pointed us in the direction of Guemes Island and recommended that we paddle to Strawberry Island to spend the night camping there.  Unfortunately for us he was not pointing at Guemes Island!

Mount Baker provides a scenic backdrop for the crossing

Have you ever watched the television show "The Amazing Race?"  During the show, contestants solve clues and perform tasks in a race around the world.  I am always amazed how the contestants often seem to get caught up in the adrenaline of the race and forget to think.  I must confess, that is exactly what we did.  So excited to have this new camping option, we blindly took the fisherman's advice, jumped in our kayaks and began paddling off in the direction he had recommended - without even double checking our charts.

Under water photo of Jelly 

Cormorants rest on exposed rock

As we neared what we thought was Guemes Island we were both commenting on how things just didn't seem right.  The chart and compass readings were not making sense.  We both know better, and I am embarrassed to say our thinking was limited by our blind faith in local advice.  Finally, Rob took a moment to think creatively and tentatively made the suggestion that we had indeed paddled to Cypress Island all along.

Black Oyster catchers point us in the right direction.  Love the bright bills and bright eyes.

To make a long story short, we pulled up on Strawberry Island and called it a day.  The tidal current was really strong around the island and we were both shaken up by our rookie navigational mistakes. Once again we were humbled by how easy it is to get in to trouble so quickly when exploring the outdoors.  We assure you that we will be much more thorough when planning our next route.  We were also reminded to trust in the compass and the map.

Video of the tidal current - Strawberry Island

Survey marker confirms our location

Rob checking out the tidal currents

Kayak landing site on Strawberry Island

We enjoyed a wonderful evening on our private island, complete with a porpoise show and amazing sunset.  The crooked leaning trunks of the Arbutus trees gave the island a unique feel.

Thin reddish brown bark of the Arbutus trees

The next morning we were up early and had fabulous sunshine and flat water as we explored Cypress and Guemes Islands....with time spent properly charting our route!

Sun sets over the kelp bed

5 star accommodation with a view

Perfect morning conditions

In one last ironic twist, when we arrived back at Washington Park we met a group of four paddlers returning from Lopez Island.  We shared our story....only to be told that Strawberry Island has been closed to camping for the last four years.  A fitting end to a weekend of misinformation!

Waiting for the ferry to depart before paddling on

Giggle of the Day:


Most of our adventures begin with an early morning pit stop at Tim Horton's, our favourite coffee shop.  On this trip we were responsible for absolute gridlock in the drive through lane.  Rob, still groggy from the early start, ordered a large black coffee with cream and sugar.  The staff simply could not understand if he wanted black coffee or coffee with cream and sugar.  As with most misunderstandings and language issues, Rob fell in to the trap of repeating his order over and over, getting LOUDER with each attempt.

One Black One Black with Cream and Sugar #timhortons

Map and Route Tips:

Be sure to check your Tide Charts, Marine Forecast and ferry schedules.  There is heavy boat traffic in the Rosario Strait and the Guemes Channel can be very busy with ferry and pleasure boat traffic.

Overnight parking (small fee) is available at both the Anacortes Marina and at Washington Park.


Washington State Ferries

Marine Chart

Tides and Currents

Marine Forecast

Cypress Island Trail Map

Discover Pass

#kayak #nature #getoutside #discoveroutdoors