From October to March, the open ocean beaches are swept by
the storms and seas that once made the Island’s coast notorious to
sailors as the ‘Graveyard of the Pacific.’
Exposed to the full
force of the Pacific’s northwest storm swells, Chesterman Beach in
winter is one of the most spectacular stormwatching locations on Earth,
as thirty-foot swells and fifty-knot winds whip the water into what the
oldtimers called ‘Victory at Sea’ conditions.
As storms are
bred in the Gulf of Alaska to the north, they track southeast to slam
into the Island coast; as they set in on the outer shores, huge walls
of grey
water break onto the beach, sheets of rain stream down from the sky,
and the wind that tears branches off trees and makes mariners fear for
their
lives squalls its way out to sea.
From the safety of solid ground,
being in one of the storms that batter the open coast is an elemental,
unforgettable
and essential British Columbia experience. And it’s an experience
that’s made all the better by having a warm and welcoming cottage
awaiting your return.