Explore:NW Spring 2017 | Page 39

It ’ s no Hawaii , but British Columbia has plenty of surfing opportunities .
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THINK OF A BEACH IN British Columbia , and you probably imagine the steady cadence of Pacific rollers crashing against a rocky shoreline . What about warm water and white sand ? Or urban gems that boast striking views of the city ? In BC , there ’ s a beach that ’ s perfect for everyone from lazy sun lovers to active thrill seekers .

Few know the pull of the ocean like local Charles McDiarmid .
“ My childhood was a bit like Huckleberry Finn ’ s ,” says McDiarmid , who ’ s spent most of his 50-plus years on one of British Columbia ’ s iconic beaches . Long before there was a road across Vancouver Island to the west coast he was building sand castles and beachcombing the endless strands outside Tofino , where his father was the only doctor . The McDiarmids went on to build the Wickaninnish Inn in 1996 on land that the family patriarch purchased on Chesterman Beach . “ We especially loved winter storms , when the entertainment was complements of Mother Nature .”
At “ the Wick ,” the McDiarmids created a Storm Watchers experience for getting up close and personal with winter ’ s
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