Unless you’ve been living under a rock (safely away from our ocean beaches), you’ve heard the warnings about the huge storm expected to arrive here on the Island on Saturday.
It might be massive, in fact it might be the largest thing to hit this coast since the Columbus Day storm of 1962, that killed at least 46 people.
But in any event, if it lands during daylight hours, you’ll want to go see it – remember to use caution. If there is flying debris, it may be best to watch from the safety of your own home.
Here are 5 places to settle in for the show:
5. Cattle Point in Oak Bay. Plenty of free parking.
4. Clover Point in Victoria. This will be busier, but you can stay in your car to watch.
3. Lochside Drive in Sidney. Again, you can stay in your car.
2. Witty’s Lagoon in Metchosin. If it’s safe, you can get out, and check out the new stairs down to the beach that just opened this week.
1. Jordan River up to Port Renfew and along the Juan de Fuca Marine trail. The easiest accessible location would be Botany Bay and Botanical Beach in Port Renfrew. This is as far as you can go out to the wild west coast. It’s a bit of a car trip, plus a walk down, but Botanical Beach will be very wild. Be careful! Large pieces of driftwood are tossed around like toothpicks.
WARNING: Storms, waves and water hazards can be dangerous. One must take extreme caution while storm watching. The rocks and paths can be slippery and many people underestimate the power of these seas which are relentless. Stay well back on the trails. Waves come in sets and most usually the first large wave isn’t the biggest. Make sure you use caution and adhere to all warning signs. Keep yourself safe and read up on all water hazards here.
