December 24th, 2009 by admin

After some how surviving the night with 15 pounds of Christmas Dinner turkey in my belly, Steve and I left Nanaimo around 8:00 heading South towards Lil China.

We got to our destination and were greeted by the parking attendant who told us it was pretty flat down on the beach.  We got a little nervous because up until that point we still hadn’t seen a single person in the water.  It had been a long time since either of us had been in the water so we didn’t even take the recon mission to see if there were wave we just geared up and began our hike.  There were a noticeable amount of big trees that had fallen since my last visit there must have been some pretty big wind storms  in the area already this year.

We were pleasantly surprised by the sound of nice sized waves crashing as we approached the beach.  We turned the last corner and within seconds saw some pretty descent waves coming in.  They weren’t quite 13 feet as the forecast projected but the only thing that really matters is that they were rideable!

We went in just before Rock Piles and stayed there for the majority of the day.  The day was absolutely perfect.  It was around plus 8 or 9, the sky was blue and the sun beat down on us the entire day allowing us to go hoodless near the end of December.  There wasn’t one other surfer out there the entire day.  Our spectators consisted of a couple of eagles who stared at us from the top of a tree right off the point and a few different families of seals who got a little to close for Steve’s comfort at one time as he had to shout at it to get out of the way as he was riding out a wave.

December 6th, 2008 by admin

Adam, Bob and myself hit Jordan River by about 7:45 -8:00.  The waves were shaping up and looked promising but there were already a few people out in the water so we decided to go check out China.  We hiked down and saw there was only one guy out there.   We figured we could definately surf here but we would give one more look back at Jordan River before we committed.  JR was about the same so the decision was made, we drove back to China Beach suited up and hit the water.

The waves were not all that big (4 to 6 ‘ers) but provided for some fun rides.  There was barely any wind whatsoever and the waves were rolling in from the Northwest.  The tide was all the way in but just starting to head back out.  The waves were swelling up best right in the heart of Rock Piles so that’s where we rode for the majority of the day.  The Rock Piles may be one of my new fave spots.  When your out there you can easily identify the huge piles of rock that sit just below the surface, through the crystal clear teel green water.  You just gotta make sure you keep your head on a swivel and always know where the rock piles are when your charging through on a wave.

Adam gave me a few really great surf tips that made an immediate impact on my surfing.  He suggested I pull myself up higher on my board and then really lean back when getting up to my feet.  The reason why I have been further back on my board is because I have been nose diving when I put my front foot down, but when you lean back you eliminate that problem.  My pop up is all of a sudden beginning to feel very natural and less forced which also results in my footing being in exactly the right place on the board which makes my turns much more comfortable as well.  Thanks Triple-A.

November 23rd, 2008 by admin

Adam and I left around 5:45 and headed up to Port Renfrew.  This is my first time ever being to Renfrew, what an awesome spot, definitely coming back camping.

There was a pretty thick layer of frost covering everything it was a bit nippy but a beautiful day, not a breath of wind.  Unfortunately there were no waves either.

We could see the lines approaching in sets of 4 or 5 coming in from the Northwest.  They were sooooo close, they were breaking pretty much right on shore but you could see the potential.  We hung around for about an hour or so and watched the tide come right in with our fingers crossed but it just didn’t happen.  I talked to a man who was camping on the beach and he said the waves were three times the size for the last four days.  That was the last kick in the nuts with a frozen moccasin we could take, we headed back to Sombrio. SKUNKED!

The pic below is what the waves are supposed to look like at Port Renfrew.

At Sombrio the waves looked alright but as usual there were far too many people out there trying to catch them to be even worth suiting up.

China Beach was a mild lake.  The highlight was that some way, some how, someone got a car all the way through the narrow winding trail all the way to just before the steps to get on the beach and that’s where they left it.  I really have no idea how they got it down there or how the hell they will get it out.

Jordan River looked like it was going to be alright when we first past by at day break but when we got back they had died right off to the odd white cap.

The MagicSeaweed report called for 9.5 footers which was obviously way off.

October 18th, 2008 by admin

Adam and I left Nanaimo and got to JR point in real good time.  Tide was on it’s way in so we stayed in the truck and examined the waves while we were waiting for Lanny, who camped over at Renfrew but woke up to a glassy lake so he was on his way to meet us.

We checked out JR camp which also looked decent and then LilChina which looked to be shaping up but was breaking to shallow.

Lanny arrived so we did a recon on the beaches again before deciding JR point would be our best bet.  The waves had definitely begun to tame down, but Adam and I got suited up anyway hoping for the best.  After about another hour of sitting in the truck (sweating with our suits on)  the waves progressively got worse and worse.  There would be 1 set of 1 or 2, 4′ waves every 15-20 minutes coming from the Northwest.  Anger.

Oh yeah, we did see a whale though, that was pretty cool.

October 18th, 2008 by admin

Al and I hiked our way down to Lil China.  Gorgeous day, ferocious waves.  Waves were coming in from the West, 12-13 ft and breaking in about 2.5-3ft of water.  Tide was about 3/4 in.  I’ve never felt more powerful waves in my life nor have I felt a rip with so much pull going straight out.  Waves were coming at us from every angle, it was pretty intense.  I’d line one up and right before I would catch it I’d get slammed by a wave that came out of nowhere from the opposite direction.  Not a great day for surfing, but as always a beauty day to be at the beach.

One of the only place on earth where the rain forest reaches the beach.