Surfing, Long Beach, Vancouver Island, BC • 06.23.10
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

