Surfing in Tofino BC

We left Whistler and drove south west to the town of Nanimo where we boarded the ferry with our car and dog to Vancouver Island. It was a beautiful view of the skyline of the city of Vancouver as we left. There was an upper deck with seats for passengers that we checked out eventually. The trip was about an hour and a half. We landed in departure bay and took highway 4 west to the coast. We arrived at our campsite which was located in the Pacific Rim National Park. We set up camp and walked a short distance through the woods to the beach. It was a little chilly, but the beach was beautiful. We checked the water and then decided to go into the town of Tofino to get some dinner. The restaurant "Shelter" was outstanding and we loved the food so much that we wanted to go back the next night again.

The next morning at 10am we had booked a 2 hour surf lesson with a company called surf sisters. We met at the shop, and then drove to the beach. The lesson includes a surfboard rental plus wet suit. We learned about balance, foot and hand positions and how to "pop up". The boards we would be riding on were called soft tops, they are soft on top and float well. Also they are of the long board type and are much easier to learn on. After about an hour of practicing, we hit the water.

It was ice cold and took my breath away. It took a good 10 minutes of swimming around and getting dunked by waves before you got used to it. The instructors helped to stabilize us on the board then gave us a tug toward the shore for some momentum in order to "pop up" on the board. It was very helpful! Before we knew it we were out farther and in the larger surf. Andy was up on about every other wave. I could pop up but fell off right away. Towards the end of the session I was able to stand for most of the ride in. It was awesome. We agreed that it wasn't that cold once you were moving around.

We later found out that these Canadian surfers ride in the winter, they told us that that is when the waves are the best! We went back to the shop to warm up with some espresso and thanked our instructors. We would definitely recommend this company, "Surf Sisters" to anyone who is interested in learning how to surf!