Surfing Tofino

A quick stay and surf in Tofino BC

• When – Anytime of year (in this case winter).
• Where – Chesterman Beach.
• Why – Surfing.
• How – Drive or bus.
• Difficulty – all levels.
• Cost – can be done for less then 100$/ a person. (See below for details).

Directions / Location

Take Highway 19 until you can merge onto Highway 4. Follow Hwy 4 through Port Alberni and continue on until you reach Tofino and the end of the road.

To get to Chesterman Beach from Hwy 4, turn left onto Lynn road or Chesterman road (they connect as a loop back to the main highway). There are multiple parking areas as well as beach access trails. At times you may be required to park along the street.

The Trip

These days surfing has become synonymous with Vancouver island, and seeing surfboards strapped to the roof of a car as surfers head for the coast is the norm for every community on the island. Leading the way is the community of Tofino, Canada’s only “surf town”.

In this case, a friend and I ventured out in January, as the winter months bring bigger swell for more advanced riders. Although smaller waves can still be found closer in the shore break for beginners, as well as less populated, giving you more room to catch waves more often. Winter also has the benefit of having considerably less tourists visiting, and with less tourists comes cheaper rates for hotels, shorter lines at the eateries, as well as a better overall experience around town, in my opinion.

Over the years, I’ve spent enough time in Tofino to know what to expect, the winter months are great to check out the area even just for a getaway, and if you’re on a budget, you and a friend can make the trip for less than $100 each, if done right. I usually don’t bother making reservations this time of year (although checking online is alway a good idea to get a deal or “off season rate”).

We showed up mid-day and easily found a hotel with a twin room right in town, without calling around too much. From there we had a bite to eat and a few drinks, of course. With surfing being the primary goal of the trip, we headed for bed at a reasonable time to get up and check the surf early.

In the morning, we checked the weather and surf report on the way to the beach. We arrived at North Chesterman beach to take a look, but the swell wasn’t quite ideal so we went back to town for coffee and breakfast. By the time we had finished up and returned to the beach, the surf was in our favour and we suited up and head out. A few hours and many waves later, we decided we had had enough and geared down, to start the process of heading for home. A quick stop back in town to grab another meal to refuel, and we were on the way home. We arrived back in Nanaimo by 8 pm and ready for work the next day.

With amazing places to stay, eat, drink and explore, a person can spend a fair amount of money, but if you’re more interested in budget friendly trip, I have a few tips & tricks:

– If you don’t drive you can take the Tofino bus – a round trip ticket costs around $55. Once in Tofino there are a few cabs around, public transit, bike rentals, etc. The city bus even has surfboard racks inside, makes stops at all the beaches, AND it’s free. (The city bus has been noted as summer only, but I have seen it running through the winter months as well).

– Sharing a twin room will halve the price of your stay. I have found hotels for as low as $90/night, this time the room we found was $120. As an alternative, you can choose to stay at one of the guest houses/hostels for around $35. Always check online for deals.

– Buy groceries or pre-made meals/snacks from the Co-op grocery store.

– If you’re looking for things to do, there are lots of hikes in and around the town of Tofino, all of which have there own amazing views. In the evenings there are usually fires along the beach, and in my experience people are usually kind and inviting to let you join, or they may be ready to leave their fire, at which point it’s yours for the taking.

– As for surfing gear, many deals can be found for rentals (board, wetsuit, boots, gloves). One for instance, is the “Live to Surf” deal on Groupon. I’ve seen it on there for quite a few years now, mainly in the off-seasons, and it’s great way to get started (https://www.groupon.com/deals/live-to-surf-4