In my yellow raincoat with the hotel logo, I go to the beach at Cox Bay on Tofino on Vancouver Island and look at the wild waves of the Pacific Ocean, dotted with brave surfers.
The sound of the sea is captivating, like cinema surround sound. I record it on my phone and hope it brings me back here when I get home, far from the restorative healing powers of the sea.
Getting there isn’t easy, requiring a ferry from Vancouver and a five-hour winding road trip or seaplane flight.
As you soar from Vancouver to Tofino over Pacific Rim National Park and Clayoquot Sound, expect your stomach to drop as you descend. But if ever travel was part of the experience, it’s here, where one of Canada’s westernmost cities seemingly sits on the edge of the world.
In Tofino, everything is connected to the water. The way it cuts you off from the mainland, surrounds and feeds wildlife, and creates dramatic waves and swell that attract visitors from around the world for storm watching.
Fiona Tapp explores Tofino, a district on Canada’s Vancouver Island where “everything is connected to the water.” Above is the port of Tofino
A bird’s-eye view of Clayoquot Sound, where travelers can fly by seaplane
The area offers opportunities for whale watching, notes Fiona. She says Tofino “feels like it’s on the edge of the world.”
I’m staying at the Pacific Sands Beach Resort, where you’ll be steps from the ocean and can learn to surf and enjoy a Scandinavian-style hydrotherapy course that starts with wood-fired barrel saunas, then an invigorating swim in the Pacific Ocean and …Rest in the Adirondacks lounge chairs.
The storms that bring visitors also cause inconvenience such as power outages. Chocolate Tofino is offering 50 percent off its gelato before the lights come back on; What better way to weather a storm than with a spoonful or two of Hammerhead, their secret recipe flavor?
Tofino is located near the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Region and on the traditional territory of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation of the Nuu-chah-nulth Peoples. The therapeutic properties of the region are well known to the original custodians who have lived here for over 5,000 years.
Fiona goes to the beach at Cox Bay (above), where she “looks out on the wild waves of the Pacific, dotted with brave surfers.”
The region’s waters produce “dramatic waves and storms that attract storm-watching visitors from around the world,” says Fiona
Fiona stays at the aforementioned Pacific Sands Beach Resort, where guests are “steps away from the ocean and can learn to surf.”
During a nature walk with Elder Moses Martin of Clayoquot Wild, I see beautiful cedar totem poles being carved. The company also offers whale watching excursions and trips to Hot Springs Cove to hear stories while soaking in the healing waters of the sacred pools. Sail from here and there is no land until Japan.
Pacific Sands is relaxed yet luxurious with beachfront accommodations, cozy fireplaces and large bathtubs.
One evening I walk to Pettinger Point for dinner along a cedar boardwalk with beautiful ocean views. My Dungeness crab dinner was fished out of the ocean minutes before being cooked in salt water over an open fire. Research shows that proximity to the sea or “blue spaces” has a positive effect on mental well-being, reduces stress and the rhythmic pull of the tides can help you find balance and calm. For me it worked.
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
