Tofino! Just the name makes me smile. The wild seas, rolling surf, tree-clad islands and snow-topped mountains. I’ve just enjoyed a fabulous week of surf kayaking, hot tubbing, laughing, walking and  relaxing with friends.

We stay in a house right on Chestermans Beach so we can check out the surf over breakfast. Shawna & Leon from Body Boat Blade have been making the annual pilgrimage for 20 years, and even got married here 2 years ago.

It’s a varied group of paddlers who make it every year. This year, Barry and I were delighted to join in the fun & Sarah Outen came along to continue her training for the 1400 mile Aleutian islands paddle that we start in April.

Thanks to Erik Schorr for some of the photos. I hope to make it again another year!

There are more photos on Facebook. Thanks to Rob Avery and Valley Sea Kayaks for lending us the fantastic Gemini SP, which is a dream in the surf, and the Rush 3, which is also a fantastic surf kayak.