Surfing Vancouver Island

"I generally come in at least fifteen minutes late, after that I just sorta space out for about an hour...I just stare at my desk; but it looks like I'm working...I'd say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work."

- Peter Gibbons, Office Space

Like most employees, I spent the vast majority of my non-working time on the internet (I wrote spent and not spend for good reason; I'm currently unemployed - note that this is a choice that I am very happy with). One of the particular sites that I spent hours on was Surfline's Travel Section, which provides intricate details for a lot of surf breaks across the globe. Keep in mind it fails to list a lot of places, and at times the information provided for certain breaks is completely wrong. It does get a lot right though, and gives you enough verbiage and imagery that you can daydream for hours at a time, picturing yourself surfing in a far-off place while an agitated boss is ringing your phone off the hook, wondering why your work isn't finished.

So when I decided to spend a couple of months on Vancouver Island, I immediately found that Surfline's map and coverage of Vancouver Island was off. For starters, the map places Wickaninnish Beach north of Long Beach when Wick is actually far south of Long Beach.



And when I asked locals how the surf is at Rosie's Bay, I would get quizzical looks, with responses varying from "Rosie's Bay has surf?" to "I think you're talking about Mackenzie Beach." Rosie's Bay is in fact a resort south of Tofino, with little to no surf at the property's coast. Surfline's overall description of the region is fairly accurate, thanks in large part to Stormrider Guide: North America and Lonely Planet: British Columbia, two books credited for the exact description.

All in all, after nearly two months of surfing all the significant breaks, it's safe to say that if you're up to dealing with occasional drizzle, a lot of overcast days, and the usual summer lulls which could last a week, the region is thriving with surf. Both Tofino and Ucluelet have more than enough surf shops to help you out, and the surf itself can be amazingly good with sparse crowds. I've compiled a brief description of each break, in the event you decide to visit the area for both its pristine wilderness and great surf.

Florencia Bay

Probably the most beautiful of all the beaches between Tofino and Ucluelet. You won't see Florencia Bay (the locals call it "Flo") listed on Surfline's Travel page, and if a local didn't tell me about this special spot on my first night in town, it probably would have taken me weeks to find the place.

Truth be told, it isn't hard to find. You head towards Wickaninnish Beach and turn left at the sign that says, "Florencia Bay". Simple as that. Yet, with the exception of an unusually warm summer day where temperatures were in the upper 80's and bomb sets measuring close to 10 feet were pounding the beach, it's relatively empty. On small days a decent set will come through every 5-10 minutes. The beach faces directly south, so when a great south swell comes in, this place goes off the hook. Probably caught the biggest wave of my life here. And the best part? The way it's topographically set up, it blocks out most wind so the water stays calm.

One day I surfed Flo for two hours with not another soul in sight. The only time this has ever happened to me. Talk about a peaceful experience. It isn't always going off, but when it does, I highly recommend spending a couple of hours in this little slice of paradise.



Wickaninnish Beach

The best way to describe Wickaninnish Beach is to compare it to Ocean Beach, San Francisco. It can get choppy and windy in a hurry, with heavy fog preventing vision past 15 feet and currents pulling you down the beach in a flash. But when it's small nearly everywhere else, Wick will have something, and most of the time that "something" will be a pretty good ride. I caught a few lefts here that turned out to be some of the rides of my life.

"Wick" is extremely popular amongst locals and tourists staying in Ucluelet, since it's only a 15 minute drive away. The convenience factor is a plus, but from my short time here I've found that if it's good at Wick, it's great at Cox Bay. Problem is, Cox Bay is another 20 minutes away from Ukee (Ucluelet). It's a love/hate relationship with the Wick: Some days it's great, others can be flat-out nasty. You'll never get the same day twice at Wick.











Long Beach

Near the mid-way point between Ukee and Tofino lies the most well-known break in the area: Long Beach. Parking lots here are packed regularly with tourists and beginners during the summer, but unless it's firing, the break doesn't provide much of a swell during the summer season. When a good swell does come in though, Long Beach can provide some epic rides.

There's a rock that splits Long Beach into a north and south side, and this rock sets up one of the few peaks in the area. During a recent strong south swell that hit the Pacific Coast, I managed to grab an incredible left courtesy of said rock. A local surf instructor I hung out with a few times told me that twice he got barreled at Long Beach. Long Beach definitely has some great days.



Cox Bay

Overall, Cox Bay has the best surf in the area. The way Cox Bay is situated, swells tend to squeeze their way through the bay's entrance, giving it an extra push that you won't find at other local breaks. When it's flat everywhere else, a longboard can give you decent rides at Cox Bay. When it's firing at a place like Wick (both breaks face similar directions), Cox Bay provides nice peaks with the occasional a-frame, providing ample room for surfers to go right or left. You'll find more beginners at Cox Bay than at any other break in the region, mainly due to its reputation and location (it's located 15 minutes from the heart of Tofino). As a result of this, at times some of the beginners become delusional and think they're ready to go past the whitewash and attempt to catch the bigger outside waves. It's wise to be cautious of the beginner herd when they get adventurous, for they can drop-in on you and ding your board (or head). I was lucky to avoid any unpleasantries with beginner kooks, but I could see this being a problem, and it'll become a major dilemma in the near-future, as Vancouver Island continues to explode in popularity.

There is a downside to Cox Bay: It can't handle swells that go above 6+ feet. With larger swells, Cox Bay turns into Closeout City. This will be interesting to note as Canada's first ASP event, the O'Neill Cold Water Classic Tofino, comes to town in October. Cox Bay will be the contest organizer's preferred choice, but if a larger swell hits the region during the contest, it's likely that the contest will be moved to different locations.





Chesterman Beach

During a recent interview I conducted with Pete Devries (Canada's top surfer), he mentioned that he started learning at Chesterman Beach, located just a few minutes outside of Tofino. This was the only major break I didn't have a chance to surf, and for good reason: A major swell is needed for this place to go off. Every time I would drive to Chesterman, thinking that there was a sufficient swell, all I would see was Lake Pacific. Flat. I'm guessing that Chesterman Beach (which is actually two separate beaches called North Chesterman and South Chesterman) fires during the winter, because I didn't see a thing during the summer months.

Others

There are a few other breaks in the region whose knowledge is kept relatively quiet to avoid the word getting out to tourists and potential residents. One of them is rumored to be north of Tofino and accessible only by boat. There are also a couple of breaks located near Mussel Beach; one of them supposedly reaches near-perfection when most other breaks are too wild and nasty during the winter months. And during a whale watching trip in Barkley Sound, our guide showed us a reef break just outside the Broken Group Islands that he said provides a beautiful right that peels forever.

Vancouver Island: A hidden gem with countless options to catch waves. While the winter conditions can be downright nasty, there can be something for everyone if you look hard enough, and none of the ego and congestion that surfers are used to in places like my home state of Cali-For-Nye-A.

The Great KL&C Northwest Odyssey II

When we last left the original version of The Great KL&C Northwest Odyssey, we experienced a great escape in the Pacific Northwest. Alas, where one journeys to a destination, one must return. And in this case, the trip back becomes a whole new adventure. Or rather, an odyssey.

The odyssey home started with a backtrack through Vancouver Island. And for the first time, both KL and myself found ourselves utterly and completely bored. It then occurred to us that driving on the same road lacks the luster that comes with experiencing new roads. It also didn't help that unlike our original adventure, where we had the chronic to help pass the time go by wonderfully, I've been plagued with acute bronchitis. Lung butter galore. Brutal.

Fortunately, the De Vries family, whom we became good friends with during our escape, recommended a slight detour to a small town on Vancouver Island called Coombs. They told us that there would be a gift shop there that, in addition to having great ideas for souvenirs, featured goats on the roof of the building. No joke. And sure enough, when we arrived in Coombs, there they were: Goats on a roof.





We decided to continue the theme of the original odyssey: Drive far each day, but not to the point where we would burn out. And after our last experience crossing a border, we wanted to give ourselves ample time to make sure that the transition back to the U.S. of A. would go a lot smoother. So the plan was to stay the night in the capital of British Columbia: Victoria.





The town was surprisingly a treat. A lot of the architecture is similar in style and theme to Britain, which is apparently what the town was going for. And while I still don't understand why countries like Canada and Australia pay homage to the Queen, Victoria is a pretty rocking town. Beautiful scenery, great vibe, even the dining was well above par. We were stoked to stay here for a night. We were even more stoked to find out that, after initially fearing that we would have to wait possibly all day for a space to open up on the ferry back to the States, a couple of spots had amazingly opened up on the ferry the next morning, as a phone call I made to the ferry company that night resulted in us avoiding hours of waiting for an open spot to come home.

The next morning started with a stop at Blenz, which is one of Canada's coffee shop chains. It was here that I bid adieu to our stash, and my old pipe. My old friend Alyssa gave me the pipe over a decade ago as a Christmas gift, and to this day it served its purpose wonderfully. The guy who served us coffee didn't want it or the stash we had to ditch, but as we left Blenz, one of his friends raced outside and took the gifts. Adiós old friend.

With coffee and breakfast in hand, we headed for the border ferry where, unlike our previous experience going through customs into Canada, was unexpectedly easy. They asked us a few questions, and we were on our way. Simple as that. The way it should be when a couple of normal people like ourselves want to go back home (even if I am sporting a beard that makes me look like a terrorist). We had dumped our stash so that the trip back would be stress free, but found out after getting on the ferry that A) KL had a nug stuck on her shirt in plain sight, and B) I missed a bag that was in my backpack. Fortunately, because we (relatively) looked and acted like normal Americans, they let us through with ease. Whew!

The ferry took us to Port Angeles, a city that seems to exist simply to send and return ferries. From there we hit the road to Brainbridge Island, which has a ferry that takes passengers and vehicles directly to the heart of Seattle. I've been to Seattle countless times. My mom lived there for five years, so I would visit her at least once a year during her time there. And in all my visits, I never realized that the best view of the Seattle skyline was right on that ferry from Brainbridge Island. The views were stunning.



My sister, who moved up to Seattle with my mom, still lives there. And because we had dumped all our recreational vices (at least most of them) prior to crossing the border, we would need to be replenished. My sister came to the rescue. Her roommate made a call, and we were quickly on our way to what my sister told me was the shadiest neighborhood in Seattle. Compared to the ghettos of Oakland and San Francisco, this place was like Shangri-La. Violent crime doesn't seem to have afflicted Seattle the way most other major cities suffer.

We picked up some goodies, then headed to the U district, home of the University of Washington. KL and I were pretty tired since we had to get up early back in Victoria to catch the ferry, so my sister decided to take us to a coffee shop that she claimed had the best coffee in all of Seattle. Not bad. We also made a quick stop in a smoke shop, where new utensils were purchased, in addition to nice stogies that KL picked up for her dad and brother.

The visit to the University district wasn't the end of my sister's fun tour guide. I remember hearing rumors years back about some troll living under one of Seattle's bridges, and it turned out that the troll does exist, in the form of concrete artistic expression. Part of the body of the troll is made out of a Volkswagen beetle, with the body formed out of concrete. A nice little gem within the city limits of Seattle.



Before we said goodbye to my sister, she mentioned that she's neighbors with what she claims is the city's only surf shop, Wave Hounds. So we decided to make a quick stop to check the shop out. Fun little store, I picked up a cool rug shaped like a surfboard, and saw the first Meyerhoffer boards available for purchase. Despite the weird shape, they're getting great reviews, so it's just a matter of time before they become a regular fixture in surf breaks.

We spent the night on the other side of town, at my old friend Dave's house in West Seattle. I had never been to this part of town before, and it's a cool spot, perfect for Dave and his beautiful young family. We didn't get much sleep however, since we stopped at a nearby bar to drink cocktails, then downed two bottles of wine back at his house. The next day hurt. Bad.

With just hours of sleep, a bad hangover, and the lung butter back in full effect, we embarked on a journey to the coast. We stopped in Tacoma to check out Stadium High School, a national landmark probably known more for being the high school in 10 Things I Hate About You.





The drive through Tacoma and Olympia is pure congestion. Think of the drive from San Francisco to Sacramento. Especially the nasty Fairfield and Vacaville section. That's Tacoma and Olympia. Getting through there was rough, but we finally cracked through the traffic and eventually hit the coast. The first city you encounter is called Aberdeen, which is extremely proud of being Kurt Cobain's hometown.

The drive south along the coast that day was nice. Nothing extraordinary, but traffic was minimal and the weather was pleasant. We stopped for the night in a town called Tokeland (no joke), staying in a nice suite with a sweet ocean view. This was the night that I introduced KL to National Lampoon's Vacation. The perfect movie to watch during a road trip (forgot to mention, Netflix stupidly doesn't work in Canada - another reason we're glad to be back in the States).

This is where the trip took a rather ugly turn. From Long Beach, WA (where we took a break and drove on the beach, pretty cool experience) all the way south to Port Orford, OR is just one major clusterfuck of traffic, annoying tourists, and rare glimpses of the ocean. In other words, I absolutely advise people to never drive this section of the coast. I had no idea the coast would be this congested with towns and cities. You can never drive faster than 40 mph (mainly because you're either stuck behind a train of cars or you're constantly entering new towns that lack any appeal and force you to drive unbelievably slow) and quite often you're inland. The towns reminded me of places like Modesto and Willits. Astoria didn't remind me at all of The Goonies. You can rarely use cruise control, and the people - the people! Argh! Oregon really is a dump of a state. I've always thought Portland was vastly overrated, and now the coast sucks too.


No different than working ants...


...or a herd of cows...


...yes, the drive was this annoying the whole way.

I'm going off on a rant here. We did stay the night in a nice hotel in Newport, OR that provided a deck with a view of the ocean. That was pretty cool. Beyond that, the drive all the way to Port Orford fucking blows.



Once you pass Port Orford, the hype surrounding the Oregon Coast finally lives up. The Southern Oregon coast is absolutely beautiful. Stunning views of amazing rocks jutting out from the ocean, with beautiful beaches everywhere you look. The wind is crazy. I've never experienced gusts of wind so strong. KL was freaking out at one point when I got out of the car and went close to a cliff's edge to take some pictures. The wind was that dangerous. I can't imagine surfing here. KL and I decided at one point to go for a hike. Breathtaking scenery. Some of the places up north seemed to offer some decent surf, but for whatever reason it had zero appeal to it.













Worth noting as well that the Oregon Coast as a whole has a plethora of sand dunes. Even saw a sign at one point advertising sand board rentals. A trip.





After passing through Gold Coast, OR, we entered California and spent the night in Crescent City. Despite spending nearly two years of my life in Arcata, I never drove this far north. Nothing special, although our hotel room did have a jacuzzi in the room. That was pretty cool. And we had yet another ocean view.

The next day was the last of the Odyssey. And we received a blessing. Throughout the entire journey, KL and I witnessed in the wild Bald Eagles, Bison, Pronghorn, numerous Deer, Humpback Whales, a vast variety of Seals, a Sea Otter, and Bears. The only thing we thought was missing was Elk. There were numerous signs on the highway warning drivers of Elk crossings, yet we never caught one. Until, shortly before reaching the town of Trinidad, there on the side of the road, laying in the shade, was an Elk.



KL spotted it in the same fashion as when we spotted the Bears: With her uncanny vision. It was a beautiful site, and a beautiful way to end the KL&C Northwest Odyssey.

Total distance driven in the KL&C Northwest Odyssey: Approximately 5,300 miles.

The Stalled Evolution of Wave Pools

I will plead ignorance here and say that not only have I never personally been to a wave pool, but I haven't even looked at footage of a wave pool in years. Which is why when I saw the video below, it blew my mind. No wonder people are advocating the development of wave pools to replenish a very limited resource.



The wave pool was located in Miyazaki, Japan as part of the Seagaia Ocean Dome. Prior to watching this video, the only type of wave pool I've seen footage of are the tiny ones that require an incredible amount of balance and don't provide a long ride.



The wave pool in Japan however looks like the real thing. Straight authentic. And led me to investigate what exactly makes this particular wave pool so special, considering we here in the U.S. don't have anything even resembling this.

Correction: We here in the U.S. do have something resembling this. In Orlando to be precise. To be even more accurate, Typhoon Lagoon, the name of said wave pool, is located in Disney World. No joke. Supposedly they open up the wave pool after the park is closed, since generating larger waves could endanger the health of little gromlins during park hours.



So my question is: Why haven't these massive wave pools been mass produced? Think about it: General retailers like Wal-Mart, Costco and Target have been pushing surfing hard to the general populace. Between the invasion of $100 blue foam boards sold at Costco and $600 Stand Up Paddle boards available at Target to Kelly Slater's new Dream Tour introducing surfing to the general populace via Disney's ESPN, it's only a matter of time before surfing's popularity explodes to the point where every known surf break will become grossly overcrowded.

So why not mass produce wave pools in major cities that aren't near the coast? Probably the one thing that prevents a lot of great things from happening: Money. As more and more people inside the industry learn everyday, surfing is not bringing in a ton of cash. Sure, a few individuals here and there are making out just fine, but a lot more barely get by just so they can stay close to their true passion: Surfing. In fact, the wave pool at the Seagaia Ocean Dome in Miyazaki, Japan shut down at the end of 2007 after nearly 15 years in operation because the owners of the dome found it more financially feasible to demolish the dome and build a new hotel. Cost overrun of the establishment was too much for the owners to handle. It didn't help though that the dome was built right next to a beach.

A lot of people feel strongly about the effectiveness of wave pools, both on a personal level and financially speaking. Surf designer Greg Webber is working on a concept called the Liquid Time Wave Pool, where the pool is actually a man-made river surrounding an island, with a boat-like hull circling the river to create wakes.



In theory it looks amazing, considering you could ride a six-foot barrel for an astounding 30 seconds. Again, in theory it looks and sounds amazing. Having someone invest millions to make the dream a reality remains to be seen. Not to mention most surfers enter the ocean to feel closer to nature, to feel one of the Earth's amazing sources of energy right beneath their feet. Wave pools are completely man-made. Nonetheless, if I were living inland, I would probably be a regular visitor to a wave pool (especially during summer/fall months when there was no snow on the peaks).

Overcrowding in surf breaks is a problem that continues to worsen. Are modern, spacious wave pools the answer? Only one way to find out. Here's to concepts like the Liquid Time Wave Pool becoming a mass-produced reality.