The best nature’s got to offer

The off season makes travelling a little harder. In the morning it still wasn’t sure if my tour could actually go. Luckily they confirmed just in time. The upside of the off season is that if you can do the things you want to do, it is a lot quieter and a lot more peaceful.

In this case I got on a boat with 7 other tourists to go out to hot springs cove. The small boat took us there on the open sea, in hope of finding some whales. Unfortunately it was a really choppy day. I didn’t get sick, but the ride wasn’t pleasant either. We did get to see a whale. We saw the spray of a whale and after a few tries, we even got to see it. It was a big grey whale that showed itself just for a few minutes. Then it dove back under. We also raced past some sea lions.

I was glad when we saw the jetty. It felt good to be back on land and walk a little. They’d built a boardwalk all the way to the hot springs. It was about half an hour through a beautiful forest. At the end was a covered area with benches and change rooms. There were already people in the water and birds were trying to steal their food.

The hot springs were pretty small and two boats full of people filled them up pretty well. I guess in summer you have to wait your turn. Carefully I shuffled over the rocks that were covered in algae, while people all around me warned me about the slippery surface. The water was way too hot at first. A damp came off the waterfall and stream and it smelled like sulphur. Slowly my feet got used to it and I made my way down to slightly colder water. Way down the water entered the sea. In between the rocks there were some pools where you could enjoy a hot bath.

After soaking and walking back, our captain took us back to Tofino via the inside of the islands. The water was calm. A sea otter lay quietly in the water and eagles were soaring in the sky. We drove past some fisheries and a lot of trees. The sounds were so spectacular that I braved the cold and stood out on the deck. It was so wonderful to be out on the water and watch the birds and the other boats.