User Tools
Sidebar
This is an old revision of the document!
Table of Contents
Victoria and nearby to the west
Taking advantage of the prevailing westerlies on the west end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca
Looking West from Macaulay Park in West Victoria photo: Hi Beam google maps
Conditions
- Be prepared for cold water - usually sub 50 deg. F / 10 deg C year round
- BigWaveDave wind, waves, etc.
- …
Downwind/Paddles
Near Victoria
- Ross Bay
- Greg Miller: “In town, there is a great spot that is my go to place for laps in the prevailing westerlies - Ross Bay. It usually kicks in early evening and when there is a good flood tide a back eddy forms in the bay which can create a great line of waves on the outside while the inside is flatter with positive current going back upwind. Very popular for wings, kites, and wind foiling. Last night was typical, around 15-18 knots with some good runs on waves far larger than typical for the wind strength. Not quite Swell City, but pretty nice. Water temperatures are cold: sub 50F even this time of year (Late July)”
- Conditions
- Wind
- BigWaveDave Look at Dallas Road
- Webcam Ross Bay sponsored by local Ocean Rodeo shop
- …
Ross Bay Laps
More from Greg Miller:
“Victoria's Ross Bay is a hotspot for wind sports, and particularly the rapidly growing sport of wing foiling. It is an ideal spot for Surf ski paddling in waves. There are just a few of us that have found this sport here in Vic and there should be many more!
Some things to note about surf ski paddling and Ross Bay in particular:
- A surfski will surf in all sorts of conditions, even when there isn't enough wind for wings / kites etc. Waves that look unremarkable from the shore can be super fun and satisfying to work with. (Ed. Note - It is very common to misjudge wave quality and size just a short distance from shore when viewing from shore)
- Ross Bay can have really rough and challenging conditions off of Clover point, but the waves in the bay are often great particularly near the east corner (downwind end in a westerly). You can stay close in to shore to start and work up as you progress.
- Paddling back up wind along the shore avoids the bigger waves and wind further out.
In this wingfoiling video you can see the great conditions - nice waves on the outside, smaller waves in the middle, and relatively flat along the shore. Great for learning and advancing.
…
Note: Paddling here is very different from the flat water conditions that most paddle in.
Surf ski paddling is a great cardio workout, excellent for building core strength, and has an endless learning curve of working with waves and mastering the paddle stroke. And,,, the beginner boats now being produced are remarkably stable and have lowered the barriers for beginners. We are very lucky in Victoria to have Ocean River Sports at Oak Bay Marina step up and bring in beginner Surf Skis for rent. IMO an essential step to building up this amazing and largely unknown sport.”
Weir Beach - Victoria Harbour
- Metchosin's Weir Beach Park to
- Victoria Harbour (Saxe Point Park? or Macaulay Point Park?) 12 km video
- Ross Bay 17 km
- No ocean swell this far down the straight, but still a great run.
- Conditions:
- BigWaveDave Dallas Road is the spot.
- BigWaveDave Victoria Harbour
- …
Sooke
Various starts to Sooke (Whiffin Spit)
- Greg Miller: “We have many good days / evenings when the onshore westerly push builds down Juan de Fuca Strait. Our favourite run is the Sheringham run, from near French Beach park / Sheringham Lighthouse to Whiffin spit in Sooke. This run often has ocean swell and wind waves“
- Wind BigWaveDave Look at Gordon's Beach
- Sheringham Runs
- Whiffin Spit guards the large Sooke Harbour and provides a convenient takeout at a small park/parking lot. Don't turn into shore until you are a bit past the parking lot or you may have to negotiate more bull kelp coming in than you would like.
- Jordan River - Whiffin Spit 27 km
- French Beach Provincial Park - Whiffin Spit ~ 17 km
- Flea Beach - Whiffin Spit ~16 km (Flea Beach is a small day use public beach)
Conditions
If you are traveling a ways to get to this area, you don't have the luxury of being able to go whenever you know the conditions are right. But locals tells us that good conditions often are sustained for a week or more, so if you can arrange for a visit with a week's advance notice (or less) or so you should be able to look at long range forecasts and see when it looks like sustained favorable conditions are likely coming that will merit you traveling and spending a number of days downwinding here.
Annual Wind Sheringham Point
source: windalert.com
- …
French Beach Provincial Park photo Handsome Dan's Port Renfrew
Safety
Tidal Races
- Baynes Channel Victoria, BC WestCoastPaddler.com for info (sea kayak oriented),
- sea kayak video (no sound?), another sea kayak video
- Conditions
- nearby Tempest Weather Sta.
- Lookup Discovery Island Tides on Big Wave Dave
- …
Baynes Channel Surfski
Photo: East Victoria Paddling Map from Colin @infiNorth - click for higher resolution version to zoom in on
- Tillicum Narrows Victoria, BC
- map & description this is a narrow channel constriction with a small/medium, narrow standing wave on strong current in channel center with narrow eddies on each side. Probably not a great place for surfski play/surfing?
- …
Dealers/Shops
- Ocean Rodeo Canada HQ 41 Cadillac Ave, Victoria, BC, Canada, Saanich, British Columbia V8Z 1T3 Canada, Kiteboarding Retailer, 888-544-4969, oceanrodeo.com
- Ocean River Sports hrs: M-Su 10am-5pm, 1327 Beach Drive, Victoria, BC. 250-381-4233, retail@oceanriver.com, as of summer 2023 surfskis - Nelos?, now for sale
- …
Rental
- Ocean River Sports hrs: M-Su 10am-5pm, 1327 Beach Drive, Victoria, BC. 250-381-4233, retail@oceanriver.com added some Nelo 510 plastic beginner skis in 2023 for rentals
- …
