The Skook. Paddlers travel from all over the world to experience this phenomena. The Skookumchuck Tidal Rapid forms when the tide rises in the ocean, and accelerates as it is constricted through the channel leading into a large fjord area. During the tides, approximately 200 billion gallons of water jets through the narrow channel at speeds of 10-17 knots during flood tides. It is an amazing site to see, even if you weren't going to kayak. Skookumchuck means "Strong Water", and this area will not disappoint.

To get to the Skook is quite an ordeal. First, you must get into Canada, easier for some than others. Usually the Canadians are cool, but are suspicious of kayakers, so most of the time you get stopped and inspected at the Border. Once in Canada, you need to get to Highway 1, and to Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal, about 20 minutes outside of Vancouver, BC. The ferry to get on is the one to Langdale, and it runs roughly every two hours (BC Ferries Schedule). The ferry is quite nice, but quite expensive, so planning ahead and carpooling up is essential (BC Ferries Fare Schedule). Keep in mind that your car will probably be charged "Overheight" because of the kayaks, nearly doubling the cost of crossing. Note though, that you don't need to pay for the ferry on the way back.

Ben stylin' on the Horseshoe Bay to Langdale Ferry

Once on the Ferry, its a smooth 45 minutes to Langdale. From Langdale, its another 1:20 to the tiny town of Egmont, the small town that is only known for its access to Skook. From the town, you can either put in at the Marina and paddle in, or hike in on the popular trail. More than 60,000 people per year hike the 2.5km in to see the tidal rapid.

This trip was the first time I got to witness the tide going out to sea. If you look at a tide chart or calculator, there are a few things to look for to understand the rapid, and when it will be flowing. On the chart, there is a max flood, max ebb, and slack. The max flood is the fastest the rapid will run during a tide, and is what is important. Optimal surfing flows occur between 12-14 knots. The other thing that is important to remember is that the flow begins two hours before max flood, and lasts two hours after. A max flood at 9pm is great, except the last 2 hours will be in the dark. You also need to figure in a 45 minute hike/ paddle out.

Skook flow table:

The tide going the wrong way, out to sea. There is no Skook wave when the water flows in this direction. The islands form some amazing tide pools though.

This trip was the first time I have arrived before the tide begins heading into the channel. It was sweet to see the water flowing the other direction, and it made some HUGE whirlpools out near the islands. Once the tide reaches slack, the water totally stops, and minutes later begins heading into the channel, creating the wave. An hour or so later, voila! The Skookumchuck wave.

Mike 'Oly' Oliver during formation.

The wave starts with a few small ripples that build until they start breaking. Once they are breaking, they increase in size until the max flow is reached. At flows above 14.6 or so, the wave gets too big and stops breaking for a bit and goes green. Once the tide begins slowing down, the wave comes back in for the second session.

On this mission we met some really amazing paddlers. We met a crew from the UK that could throw down hard. These guys were doing everything in the book, and were super stoked about everything paddling. We had a swimmer and a lost boat at the Skook, and they were willing to give up some surf time to help out. Really appreciate it guys. Check out their new film, The Chaos Theory.

Jonathan and Danny Noblett bounce on the Skook around 13 knots.

Danny goes huge, as usual.

Spectators are part of the scene. People actually come out just to watch the kayaking.

At flows above 15 knots, a huge wave opens up on the far left side of the rapid, known as TubeSteak. This wave is enormous, and gives up some huge air.

Oly zipping by TubeSteak wave in his Zodiac

Ali Marshal blunts huge.

Ali throws a Helix... amazing playboaters..

Ben enjoys a PBR.... Post boating refreshment at the Skook.

Once the wave has run, you have a few options to get back to Egmont. You can paddle out, but that goes against the tide. There are only a few spots where it is a strong current, but it can take a while to paddle out. The other option is to hike out, which takes about 45 minutes. Walking out has a big advantage as it goes by Brown Lake, a freshwater lake that is awesome for a quick swim to wash out the saltwater.

Rinsing off in Brown Lake is an essential part of the Skookumchuck experience. Enjoy.

A few video clips from the media gallery:

Jonathan air blunting near max flood at 15.4 knots (2.5mb)

Danny goes for it in TubeSteak (4.6mb)

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