Toronto Star - In winter, storm watching in this surfing town has become an iconic Canadian travel experience
Jeremy Koreski/Wickaninnish Inn
In winter on the west coast of Vancouver Island, winds can reach up to 100 kilometres an hour and swells rise to six metres. With nothing between the small surfing town of Tofino and Japan but open water, the percussive crash of big waves on the rocky shoreline and the creak and groan of ancient, wind-sculpted western red cedars signal the unbridled power of the Pacific Ocean.
by Chloe Berge, Special to the Star
One of Tofino’s most storied properties, the Wickaninnish Inn on Chesterman Beach, was designed around showcasing the exhilarating storms that pass through. Opened in 1996, the 75-room Relais & Châteaux hotel helped pioneer and popularize storm watching as an iconic Canadian travel experience.
Jeremy Koreski/Wickaninnish Inn
At the Wick, panoramic windows frame views of the water in the Pointe Restaurant, and each guest room also peers out at the ocean. Owner Charles McDiarmid grew up in Tofino after his father’s work as a doctor brought the family here in the ’50s, and has fond childhood memories of watching the frothy winter waves roar in. “Nature was our entertainment, and we thought, maybe there are other crazy people like us who would love to be here in a big storm,” says McDiarmid.
Durable neon rain jackets hang in every room for guests who want to brave the weather and treat themselves to a “West Coast facial,” as McDiarmid calls it. After an invigorating walk in the lashing wind and rain, storm seekers can warm up in their fireplace suite or while sipping a cedar-infused old-fashioned at On the Rocks Bar. “We’re not for the ‘mai tai in the sunshine, getting a tan on a lounger’ crowd,” says McDiarmid.
And that’s the beauty of it. In many ways, storm watching in Tofino is a beach vacation for people who don’t like beach vacations. Even in the depths of winter, the temperature seldom drops below zero degrees Celsius, making beach walks more refreshing than unbearably cold. You can still spot people out riding barrel waves — this is the surfing capital of Canada after all, with more than 35 kilometres of surfable beach and the laid-back, free-spirited culture to match.
