Surfing, Long Beach, Vancouver Island, BC06.23.10

The Pacific Ocean has helped to create Canada\’s own surfing paradise. Long Beach of the Pacific Rim National Park is well-known for its kilometres of gorgeous sandy beaches and is also one of the best places to surf.

Surfing the Tofino area can be done year round. You should know that the ocean temperature here hovers in the 8 -14 C throughout the year, so it hardly matters what month it is.

Parks Canada states that all surfers considering coming to the area are to be made aware that the majority of their rescues are for people not wearing wetsuits. The wetsuit technology of today makes it possible to go for a couple of hours without getting cold.

It should be noted that within 30 minutes of Ucluelet there are six top quality surfing beaches. All beaches face in a slightly different way so no matter which way the swells are approaching, there\’s usually a beach that has something for surfers to ride.

Storms that originate in the Gulf of Alaska seem to generate the best swells to whack the coastline of British Columbia with. This weather pattern is in place from late September through March. Some swells come all the way across the Pacific from Japan. In summer, the distant Southern Hemisphere swells have a lesser effect, particularly on Southern Vancouver Island.

Tofino is the most popular surfing destination in Canada, offering year-round surfing that is enjoyed by surfers from all over the world. This area can even boast that it receives world-class waves on occasion.

Surfing is more popular in the winter months, with some of the surfing businesses offering popular Christmas Surf Packages. There are a number of companies in this area that offer surfing lessons, surf camps and equipment.

The Nitinat Lake has been named as one of the ten best windsurfing areas in the world. You have to be committed to make this long journey to the west side of Vancouver Island. You should also expect and be able to handle the constant thermal winds that sweep across the lake at speeds of up to 50 kph.

Nitinat Lake is a tidal saltwater fjord, 23 kilometres in length and 1.2 kilometres wide is part of the West Coast Trail Unit of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Nitinat Lake is located on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, 45 miles southwest of Cowichan Lake and the same distance southeast of Port Alberni.

At this point you may be wondering where you need to go to find information on this. Click here for more information on the Surfing in BC? Or to expand your search to the coast of BC in general go here! Around Vancouver Island

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Snorkeling And Diving Vacation Tips06.14.10

Scuba diving and snorkeling are always a popular vacation activity. Snorkeling is particularly easy and fun for every family member, including the children. Scuba diving and snorkeling allows people to view a beautiful under world not often seen. When planning a scuba diving and snorkeling vacation, it is important to be aware of such considerations as what to bring and safety measures.

1. When you are booking your flight, it is important to tell the airline that you are a diver and you may require a larger baggage allowance. As well, find out if there are any additional fees for extra baggage and what preparations have to be made to ensure there are no issues when checking in. Remember, you will likely be bringing a tank, air regulator, supply regulator, pressure gauge, tank harness, pair of diving fins, snorkel, and face mask and fins. If you book your flight through a travel site, you may be able to get a cheaper price if you pay ahead instead of paying when you check-in.

2. If you are going to a warm destination via flight, it will be easier to make sure you do not exceed the maximum baggage weight allowance. Just try to pack as light as possible. If you do exceed your baggage allowance, you will have to pay extra baggage fees. Airlines differ in their baggage weight policies. For instance, Air Transat will allow up to 20kg (44lbs) of scuba-diving equipment without charging any extra fees. Air Canada will count one piece of equipment as one piece of baggage.

3. You have to consider the financial loss if your equipment was lost or stolen. You can protect yourself if you acquire travel insurance. As well, your travel insurance should have enough medical coverage if you require medical attention. Read over your policy to make sure you have the right amount of coverage.

4. You should be able to fit some items in your carry-on bag. For instance, a face mask, scuba dive computer, certification documentation, and the log book can easily fit in a carry-on bag. It is important to remember that items deemed dangerous such as a diving knife will not be permitted on the plane. Other items such as snorkel, fins, wetsuit, etc, will go with the checked luggage.

5. It is important to have a medical kit that contains essential medical supplies. This can include: sunscreen, ear drops, band aids, decongestants, and sea sickness pills, etc.

Scuba diving and snorkeling are fun activities that will make a vacation extra special. Most resorts that are located directly on or near an ocean or gulf will offer some sort of snorkeling or scuba diving. Rent scuba gear from a rental company. When scuba diving, it is important to know your limits. It is important not to do anything that could cause you serious injury. When you are finished diving, make sure you take a day to relax before flying home as it is dangerous to fly right after scuba diving. You will need 12 to 24 hours to evade decompression illness. The most important tip for a snorkeling and diving vacation is to have lots of fun.

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Say Aloha to Hawaii's best shirts!02.21.10

If you’re a true-blue surfer, chances are that an Aloha shirt or three are lurking in your closet – the next time you plan to wear your bright, tropical Hawaiian gem, spare a thought for this article of clothing’s colorful history…which you may not have been aware of…

Hawaiian shirts were actually popular long before Elvis Presley wore that famous red aloha shirt on the album cover for the “Blue Hawaii” soundtrack in 1961. In fact, the modern Hawaiian shirt came about in the early 1930s.

A Chinese merchant named Ellery Chun of King-Smith Clothiers and Dry Goods, owned a store in Waikiki. Ellery started to sew brightly colored aloha shirts for tourists fashioned from old kimono fabrics he had leftover in stock.

The Honolulu Advertiser newspaper quickly coined the term ‘Aloha shirt’ and Ellery trademarked the name. The first advertisement in the Honolulu Advertiser for Chun’s Hawaiian shirts was published in June 1935. Local residents and as you’d expect…especially those in the surfing community, as well as tourists descended on Chun’s store and bought every shirt he had.

Withina short space of time, major designer labels sprung up all over Hawaii and began manufacturing and selling Aloha shirts en masse. Retail chains in Hawaii, even mass produced aloha shirt designs to use as their employee uniforms. At sites like Hawaiian Shirts Central you’ll see some of the best examples of Hawaiian clothing and apparel.

After World War 2, many servicemen/women returned to the USA from Asia and the Pacific islands with aloha shirts that had been made in Hawaii since the 1930s. Then as tourists started flocking to Hawaii post WW2 in the 1950s, the tropical-print shirts for men and sundresses for women became standard souvenirs for travelers.

In 1962, a manufacturing association called the Hawaiian Fashion Guild began to promote Hawaiian shirts and clothing for use in the workplace, particularly as business attire. In a campaign very aptly called 'Operation Liberation' the Guild delivered two aloha shirts to every member of the Hawaii House of Representatives and the Hawaii Senate. This was a success because soon a resolution was passed in the Senate recommending that aloha attire be worn throughout the summer in Hawaii.

In 1965, Bill Foster, Sr., the then president of the Hawaii Fashion Guild, led a campaign lobbying for an official and regular “Aloha Friday”, a day when all employers would allow their staff to wear Hawaiian shirts on the last business day of the week. In 1966 Aloha Friday officially began in Hawaii and has since spread worldwide – although now-a-days it is commonly referred to as ‘Casual Friday’.

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The Best Surfing Sites In America09.26.09

First and foremost you cannot visit the States on a surfing holiday without heading to Cocoa Beach, Florida. This beach is home to some classic breaks but you have to make sure your trip is timed right. Head here in the summer months and you stand a chance of getting some waves but there is also quite a high risk you’ll spend a lot of time sitting on the beach wondering where they have all gone. The winter months however will give you something different altogether. The winter surf is a great deal more reliable and often kicks up swells of close to 10ft. This place is a lot of fun and is a friendly and safe place to hang out, making it perfect for amateurs or those looking for a good party. Best surf is between November and March

Secondly, how about visiting the surf that started it all. Hawaii is well known for being a surf haven, and for good reason. There are waves here that are as tall as sky scrapers and as regular as day and night.  It’s so steeped in surfing history that you could easily spend your whole time on your Hawaii holidays, cycling around on the traditional second hand bikes, visiting historic sites, talking to locals about the good old days when surfboards were made out of wood, or checking out the thousands of surfboards on sale. Well, perhaps not the whole time, some must be saved to witness the 20ft beasts in Oahu, and the luxurious sands and swells at Ehukai Beach and Waimea Beach. absolute paradise

Last but not certainly not least, no American surf holiday would be complete without experiencing the “surf city” of the USA, Huntington, which funnily enough is also known for the snowboards they produce.The sun loves being in the sky here and top surfers flock like sheep whenever there are waves. Some of the biggest names in surfing spend a lot of their year here and its no surprise there are surf comps going on all the time.It can get a little on the busy side however, there were eleven million visitors last year. So if the bustling atmosphere isn’t your scene then come in winter to enjoy equally good riding conditions.

 

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