With nearly 1,000 Provincial Parks, National Parks, Marine Parks,
Regional Parks, Protected Areas, Conservancy Areas, and Ecological Reserves. Some
from volcanic rock and full of beauty and natural splendor, Vancouver Island
and the BC Gulf Island and Discovery Islands offer magnificent rain forests,
towering mountains, sparkling blue seas, remote shell beaches, and secluded
bays. Rugged Central and North Vancouver Island feature a largely uninhabited
wilderness of forests, lakes and snow-capped peaks. The Pacific Rim on the West
coast delivers wild landscapes, old-growth forest, and never-ending sandy
beaches, with wildlife residents such as black bear, cougar, Elk, bald eagles,
a variety of whales, Vancouver Island is a unique, natural paradise awaiting
exploration through your lens.
The first area I want to highlight is the Tofino area. Tofino is a
pretty fishing village at the tip of Esowista Peninsula near the entrance to
Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It is here where you step
into the land of the “Group of Seven” painters and capture the essence of the
Pacific Northwest… The Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, typifies the
majesty of the Pacific Northwest, boasting flawless natural beauty accentuated
by a tapestry of vibrant communities.
This area inspires many renowned artists and artisans, who honor the
magic of this land by bringing it into the physical realm. Add to that a
climate that summons outdoor enthusiasts from all corners of the Earth and it
is clear that this area is poised to please the photographer.
An ancient settlement on the northern edge of Barkley Sound, Ucluelet
takes its name from the Nuu-chah-nulth phrase, Yu-clutl-ahts, the people with a
good landing place for canoes.
A bit further south is Ucluelet. Ucluelet is situated in the Long Beach
of Pacific Rim National Park, located between the villages of Tofino and
Ucluelet – the most accessible and most developed component of the Pacific Rim
National Park. Named for its 12-mile stretch of surf-swept sand, Long Beach is
open year-round and offers outstanding beach hiking, surfing, storm watching
and whale watching. The open sea stretches off unbroken and vacant, while the
elemental forces at play here, the winds and tides, the sun and rain, excite
within visitors a deep-seated resonance, a sense of belonging in this place.
Both Tofino and Ucluelet are excellent areas to observe, and photograph
numerous whale species, bald eagles that dot the shoreline, and black bear.
As we move east, we always visit the charming and picturesque seaside
village of Cowichan Bay. Cowichan Bay is located on the east coast of southern
Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The Cowichan Bay settlement started in the
1850s as a Hudson’s Bay Company fort. The original site was located at the
flats at the top of Cowichan Bay. Cowichan Bay was the earliest development
north of Victoria, with Europeans settling on the secluded Cowichan Bay to farm
and trap, and eventually moving into fishing and logging. In 1862 the HMS
Hecate arrived with a boatload of settlers. A store and hotel soon followed,
and by 1900 Cowichan Bay was a tourist mecca with steamboats calling regularly
at the government dock.
Cowichan Bay draws its name from an Island Halkomelem word meaning warm
country or land warmed by the sun. The name originated because of a large rock
formation on the side of Mount Tzuhalem that supposedly resembled a frog
basking in the sun. Originally both Cowichan Lake and the settlement were known
as Kaatza, the Cowichan word for big lake. The Cowichan Bay area and much of
the southern Strait of Georgia is the traditional land of the Cowichan First
Nation.
Today, the village of Cowichan Bay and the surrounding area is home to
historic buildings and a host of artists, craftspeople, unique shops, and
cottage industries – including some fine local wineries and organic farms. Take
a step back in time to enjoy the slower pace of life in this community that
embraces the values of local resources and sustainability.
But this is much more than that. All you have to do is look towards the
ocean. Its home to dozens, if not hundreds of transient and resident Orca
Whales. This area has always been our favorite, and first choice to take zodiac
tours to follow the orca pods to watch them frolic, hunt and breach amidst some
of the most photogenic islands in the Pacific Northwest.
The viewing of wildlife on and around Vancouver Island and the Gulf and
Discovery Islands of BC offers something for all nature lovers and wildlife
photographers. Whale watching requires little introduction, as British Columbia
is well known as the place on earth to watch migrating and resident whales
feeding, breaching or spy-hopping. The phenomenon of salmon spawning draws
people from all over the world to the Pacific Northwest to watch schools of
salmon return from the sea to lay their roe in their ancestral spawning
grounds. Vancouver Island happens to be conveniently located on the Pacific
Flyway for the millions of migrating birds that miraculously find their way
north and south with the changing of the seasons. Vancouver Island supports
black bears, cougars, wolves, elk, deer and many other mammal and bird species,
both abundant and threatened in numbers.
Whale watching around Vancouver Island in British Columbia is an
exceptional experience that will leave you awestruck after watching whales that
weigh thousands of pounds frolic in their natural habitat. Killer whales
(Orcas), Gray whales, Humpback whales and Minke whales ply the waves and
perform their watery rituals. Whale Watching tours are operated along the east
coast of Vancouver Island, from Victoria to Campbell River and Port Hardy, on
the west coast of the island out of Tofino and Ucluelet, and from the BC Gulf
Islands and Discovery Islands. Whale watching at its best!
And finally, there is Campbell River. Campbell River marks the spot
where the open waters of the Georgia Strait narrow down and fill with a tight
cluster of islands. The BC mainland’s coastal mountain range looms large to the
east.
The Discovery Passage runs north along the coast of Quadra Island
through Seymour Narrows (famous for its surging tides) and onwards to the
Johnstone Strait. This is prime whale watching and salmon fishing. In fact,
this area has been called the salmon fishing capitol of the world… and it’s
just not humans that know it. The bears know it too.
That is why we visit the area. We go to photograph the black bear and Grizzly
Bear as they feed on the surging salmon coming inland to spawn.
We have numerous trips running on Vancouver Island… Please visit our
Canadian workshop page as we are constantly adding tours for wildlife and for
landscapes. http://northof49photography.com/photo-workshops/
