In honor (spelled honour) of our Canadian neighbors and Canada Day, we look at the premiere surf spot in Canada (yes, Virginia, there is surf in Canada!) Tofino, British Columbia …

These guys surf twice a day. For them, surfing isn’t a casual hobby; it’s a way of life.

But wait a minute. This isn’t Southern California and no one here has a tan. Although surfing has become an established sport on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canadian surfing is still a well-kept secret. So well kept, in fact, that at a recent surfing trade show in San Diego, Fernie had trouble getting people to take him seriously.

“People were constantly underestimating us because we’re from Canada,” 22-year-old Allister Fernie says. “They have no idea that we surf up here. They thought we’d come to buy surfboards to hang on the wall for decoration!”

Fernie is originally from Maple Ridge on the British Columbia mainland, but he’s a dedicated island resident now. “I love to surf and living here lets me go any time I want,” he says. “It’s a good lifestyle. In the city, you look at people and you can tell they don’t like what they’re doing. Life’s too short.”

Situated on the edge of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Tofino (population 1,300) is Canada’s surfing capital. Although there is surfing up and down the coast of the island and there are many secret spots, which shall go unnamed, the park is by far the most accessible surf destination, particularly for “kooks” (neophyte surfers).

The park’s signature attraction, Long Beach, offers six miles of blond, curvaceous shore. It’s one of a series of exquisite beaches, both long and short, with a variety of surfable breaks.

Just south of Long Beach is secluded Wreck Beach on Florencia Bay. North of Long Beach, just outside the park boundary, is Cox Bay Beach, which offers a nice left break off rocky Cox Point.

Farther up is Chesterman Beach and Rosy Bay Beach. Separated by Frank Island, they face the Pacific at different angles and “go off” at different times and under different conditions.

Surfers have been spotted in local waters since the 1960s and their numbers continue to grow. On any summer Saturday as many as three dozen people can be seen out in the water atop long boards, short boards and body boards.

Benefiting from Canada’s mildest climate, the surfing continues year-round. (Full wet suits are worn in spring, summer and fall; add booties, gloves and hood in winter.)

But even with the growing numbers of surfers, Long Beach bears little resemblance to some of the crowded conditions at surf breaks south of the border, particularly in California.

While many U.S. breaks are crowded and often suffer from insurmountable tribal “localism” (the organized shunning of all outsiders), surfing at Long Beach and environs is refreshingly friendly and laid back. On big, sunny days you might see a lineup, but people are polite and there’s always plenty of room to maneuver.

Like their brethren the world over, Vancouver Island surfers follow the swell. It’s pretty common to see wet, neoprene-clad surfers commuting between beaches in Volkswagen microbuses or beach bikes. When it’s flat at Long Beach, it might be cranking at Cox Bay. Being adaptable means you can take advantage of a good thing while it lasts.

[by Brian Payton]