From May 26 to 29th Helen (did the marine mammal masters course in Scotland with me), Emma (who I worked with at the Center for Whale Research in 2004), Al (worked with Emma on the Dolphin Encounter boat in Kaikoura, New Zealand) and I went to enjoy the sun, surf and whales of Tofino. It was a great time with perfect sunny and warm weather.
We departed on Tuesday and drove for about 5 hours stopping to check out the amazing trees at Cathedral Grove and the rooftop goats in Coombs. After the long drive up we chilled in the cottage we rented at Florencia Bay Hideaway cooking a lovely dinner and enjoying the hottub.
The next morning, Wednesday, we explored Florencia Bay beach which was walking distance from our cabin. That afternoon we rented surfboards from Long Beach Surf Rentals in Ucluelet and headed back to Florencia Bay to surf. Al's friend Josh, the other Canadian in the group besides me and a very knowledgeable local surfer, joined us for a surf. He was also great for giving some surfing tips. It was great fun and I actually got pretty close to standing on the board...and I haven't surfed since 2004! We were also lucky enough to have some gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) right near shore nearly in the surf themselves! After palying in the waves we made a beach fire to warm up and then headed back to the cottage for another delicious home-cooked dinner and a hottub.
On Thursday, we had another relaxing morning and then headed to Long Beach for another surf. I did even better today and, although they weren't as close to shore as the previous day's whales, we saw multiple humpback (Megaptera novaeangliaea) and gray whale blows offshore of the beach. It was another great surfing day and once again we cooked ourselves a great dinner and soothed our sore surfing muscles with a hottub.
Friday was our last day in Ucluelet and Tofino so we took it easy in the morning and then headed in to wander around the quaint town of Tofino. After checking out the town, supporting the local economy with a few purchases, watching the sea lions at the marina and doing acrobatics in the park, we went to Long Beach for one last play on the beach. Then it was the 5 hour drive home...we were all glowing the entire way after a successful trip of surfing, sun and whales!
No comments:
Post a Comment