Don’t you just love the ocean? Living on our magnificent Island, and especially in Nanaimo, not a day goes by when you would not catch a glimpse of it. I revel in the beauty of its many faces. The Georgia Strait, with the magnificent mainland vistas from Departure Bay, the panorama of the Winchelsea Islands, or the wide blue swells from a kayak are all spectacularly beautiful. Standing on an outcrop at Neck Point with the wind in your hair, the smell of salt in the air and watching the tempestuous waves, makes you feel so vulnerable and small. The changing moods of the sea is what is so fascinating … the angry winter ocean in a million shades of grey with petulant white crests reflect the pregnant clouds and is a stark contrast to the kaleidoscope of blues and azures on a sunny day.

The many-textured patchwork surface is punctuated with a variety of sea-faring vessels, from sturdy white ferries, magnificent cruise ships, to stocky tug boats and pleasure vessels, which carve their way through the murky depths leaving purposeful wakes and a myriad shore-bound ripples … and an amazing spectrum of sea life – seals, sea lions, birds … even whales are in abundance. Every day brings a different view … a windy day brings forth a dark indigo ocean with choppy white caps … a still day gives rise to gentle swells or a surface so smooth it is like a vast mirror. Sunsets are exquisite … as every single day reveals another unique array of colours and textures which are reflected on the water.

From the chaos of the herring runs; to the awkward take offs and landing of the sea planes, to the calm and serenity of a cool summer evening on the shore, we are enraptured. From Bath Tubs, Silly Boats to Dragonboats festivals, fishing off the shore or searching for giant purple starfish, our lives revolve around the sea. The rugged beauty of our forested shoreline with rocky beaches, the gnarled bleached driftwood and the spectacular silhouette of the mountains on the mainland are what make Nanaimo so exquisitely beautiful!