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There are enough elements, places to discover and activities around Tofino and the surrounding region to fill a year’s worth of Island Profile posts. However, as it’s my first day back from holidays, I thought it would instead be nice to view the seaside village through my eyes.

To view all the photos I snapped on the wet coast, please visit my Tofino Set on Flickr.

Vancouver Island is essentially surrounded by one endless beach and as much as the terrain changes, one thing remains certain: beauty. Kilometres of sand are constantly licked by refreshing salty water. While the east coast of the Island is certainly not without its charm, nothing compares to the shores of the west coast.

Photo: CanadaGood on Flickr

Nestled at the half-way point between Port Renfrew and Sooke on the southern part of the Island, China Beach is one of those special spots that seems untouched. Located next to Jordan River, it is part of Juan de Fuca Provincial Park.

Photo: Water Lily Lane

Like most beaches on the west coast of the Island, it’s not unusual to see many surfers and seals alike bobbing in the salty Pacific Ocean water.

Photo: Spiritwood Images on Flickr

Photo: maplemusketeer on Flickr

While a perfect setting for camping, picnics, swimming and sandcastles, China Beach is also the trailhead for Vancouver Island’s famous Juan de Fuca trail. The Juan de Fuca trail stretches 47 kilometres along the shore to Botanical Beach – most hikers make the journey in two and a half days.

Photo: nuanc on Flickr

Photo: maplemusketeer on Flickr

China Beach offers endless stones to be overturned and a number of trails to be explored, but grey whale migration is certainly a sight to see. During the spring and fall, it’s estimated that up to 17,000 of these beautiful behemoths make the journey past China Beach.

Photo: BinoCanada on Flickr

Photo: Zero-X on Flickr

Photo: CanadaGood on Flickr

There’s certainly something surreal about watching the sunset and knowing that it’s simultaneously rising over Japan.

Photo: BinoCanada on Flickr

It should go without saying that if you plan on visiting China Beach or any of Vancouver Island’s other parks, please respect the land. Take your garbage with you, leave the vegetation alone and avoid any wildlife you may encounter. Bears, cougars and rogue ocean waves are frequent visitors to China Beach.

To visit, head west on Highway 14 past Sooke and click over to the BC Parks website for further information.

You know those days that are so mellow, yet hold a great deal of anticipation? I know that I have many fun adventures ahead of me in the coming days, while today I am free to relax, do everything at a slower pace and daydream about what’s to come.

It’s been nearly a year – a year! – since my last shopping adventure in the U.S. with Susan, so we’re heading down at the break of dawn tomorrow. I don’t know if I’m more excited for Nordstrom and Victoria’s Secret or for Auntie Anne’s Pretzels and IHOP! And following that, I have the SPCA Paws For A Cause Walk and a visit from my mom to look forward to.

But today…today will be divine. Once I manage to make it through this work day, I’ll spend some time at the gym, followed by black bean and garlic prawns from Noodle Box for dinner, re-watching season 6 of SATC on my laptop in bed and closing my eyes for a divine sleep by 9pm. I find it incredibly odd, but I am not only enjoying going to the gym, but I also look forward to it. I have even started running en route.

Forget skinny; this chica is aspiring to Kate Bosworth à la Blue Crush. Bikini season 2009 won’t be able to handle me and my soon-to-be surfer-esque bod.

As the first few waves of frigid, salty Pacific Ocean water crashed over my braided head, the only thing I could think was that surfing was better than sex. Really. It’s been close to a decade since I last set foot on a surfboard, and even then I was no good. This time I wanted to do it right and signed up for an afternoon session with Tofino’s legendary Bruhwiler Surf School [website]. While there are a handful of schools on Vancouver Island’s West Coast, it seems to me that the Bruhwiler crew teach simply for the reason that they want to share their passion and way of life with others.

It’s all about the love of the wave.

We arrived at the shop a bit early in time to sign in, and were happy to hear that our wetsuits were already loaded onto the truck for us – one of the many advantages of sending in your body specs by e-mail prior to arriving.

Raph Bruhwiler and Dave the Moustache Man (who gets props for wiping the snot off my face) were our instructors for the day, and I can truly say that both did a stellar job. After a quick 15 (or so) minutes of chat on the sand – including important safety rules and basic theory – we grabbed our boards and headed out. In the words of Johnny Castle: “the best place to learn really is in the water.”

Snaking is definitely not allowed. Catching a “double up” is also not recommended.

Jenny and I hoped to ride another day without instructors, but due to less-than-favourable weather (more about that in the next post), we were forced out of our campsite earlier than we’d hoped.

To say that I can’t wait to head out again would be the understatement of 2008. The boys of Bruhwiler were phenomenal teachers and the encouraging vibe in our small group gave me the get-up-and-go that I needed. After about half an hour in the waves, I was actually standing up on nearly every other wave that I caught, and the feeling was simply euphoric. Like I said, better than sex.

I’d like to catch one of Bruhwiler Surf School’s two-day Roxy surf camps next summer with some girlfriends (and I think they know who they are). To find more information on the sport, the instructors, rates and camps, visit Bruhwiler Surf School’s site by clicking their logo in my sidebar.

To view all the photos from our ultimate surfing experience, click on over to my Flickr.

This past weekend I sighed and lamented over how much longer I’d have to wait until my planned trip to Tofino with Jenny, until I realized that the trip is, in fact, happening next week! Though we have only two nights in my little homeslice of heaven, both us girls plan to make the most of it. Being that it’s Tofino we’re camping at, surfing is item number one on our menu of merriment.

Photo: jesse edmonds on Flickr

It’s been probably no less than five years since I set foot on a surfboard, and even then, I wasn’t very good. Teaching yourself is rarely a good idea. It’s no secret that the West Coast of Vancouver Island boasts some wild waves, so learning in a safe environment is key. I signed Jenny and I up for an afternoon lesson with the Bruhwiler Surf School, and can’t even begin to tell you all how excited I am.

According to Bruhwiler’s official site, the legendary Bruhwiler family has grown up on the shores of Tofino, which provides years of stellar experience to share. I have zero doubt that Jen and I are both in for an exciting adventure because I’m going into it knowing that I’ll have fun whether I eventually stand up or not. And besides, if all else fails, I can just run up and down the beach in my blue bikini with a board tucked under my arm, à la Cameron Diaz.

Photo: Beth77 on Flickr