Surfing Canada

[Natho]

Thanks 2nd Reef.

Yeh I think the cold is the big thing. Would have to buy a bloody thick wetty so it may not be worth it. I know the West Coast of Canada gets good waves off Vancouver Island too. Once again I think the cold is an issue. The good thing about cold water locations = lack of crowds.

[sickpig]

Hi

Yep, I've surfed Canada - specifically Vancouver Island and it was really really good !!!

I was there in March. Tofino has a surf shop - you can hire gear there, and the Canadian scene is quite well documented. There are surf shops in Victoria as well.

It is clearly a place to explore and not fearing potential big swells and remote locations - opportunities abound. A definite thumbs up from me if you are in to frontier exploring surfing, enjoying the journey as a whole

I can give you some weblinks etc if you are interested. Would be interested to hear about surfing Nova Scotia if you go

Sickpig

[Natho]

Thanks sickpig,

yeh I go to Canada about 4 times a year and have never surfed there. I thought it was about time I gave it a go. I hear both coasts are good and there is even good waves off Newfoundland (if you are into dodging icebergs). I have to go to Newfoundland however I think I will give surfing a miss there. It will be iceberg season/

I just need to check my work load to make sure I have some time to surf in Newfoundland and will let you know what it was like. (fingers crossed).

[nick2308]

where abouts in newfoundland? my parents are living in St John's there, i go over to vist them but never heard of swell there.

[Natho]

Not sure where in Newfoundland, however I had a couple of surfers in BC tell me there are waves to be had there. I would imagine off the whole East coast if you look at the map. I would imagine it is probably fairly fickle though.

Im off to St Johns in a few weeks. Great place and great people. Farrrk it was cold last time I was there. Can't understand that funny local dialect though.

[sickpig]

Check out MagicSeaweed.co.uk - has some good shots for Vancouver Island

The best thing was the rental suits were Quiksilver full hooded shoulder zip all in one - great for the conditions

Sickpig

[SharkBoy]

check this site out it's pretty informational;
www.surfingvancouverisland.com

I lived there for a year and trust me, it's not too cold, I lived in Norway for a while ...that was cold! The water never really goes below 49 degrees on vanc island so use boots and gloves, and occasionaly a hood (i never used one the whole year) with a 5/3" and you'll be fine for hours.

The surf is pretty good too. On the south (localized coast) there are decent waves that break on reefs during the winter. There is also a pretty crowded point called Jordan river which produces long rights and short punchy lefts but is the more heavily localized spot of the bunch. There are a few spots further west that I think is better but they are further from civilisation (Victoria)

If you go to Tofino there are basically plenty of beachbreaks, a pretty atmosphere and no hassles with crowds. Wind can be a problem

PM me for more detail

Peace