Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is situated on the west coast of Canada and the province of British Columbia.

Our island is approx. 300 miles long, 90 miles wide at its widest point and is the largest island on the coast.

A rugged mountain range with peaks over 7000 feet high separates the populated east coast of the island with the rain forests of the west coast.

Vancouver Island's treacherous west coast is referred to as the "Graveyard of the Pacific" because of the numerous shipwrecks over the years from vessels trying to navigate the reef encrusted shoreline in storms and fog.

Getting to Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island can be reached by ferry from Vancouver B.C. or from Washington State in the USA. There are two major international airports, one in Victoria, the provincial capital and another in Comox. There is also a smaller airport in Nanaimo that can land small jets. There a major expansion of the Nanaimo airport in the planning stages.

The island highway runs up the east coast from Victoria on the southern end to Port Hardy in the north. Although there are no highways running the length of the west coast it can be reached through Sooke, Ucluelet, Tofino, and several rough logging roads througout the island.

Vancouver Island Industry

Commercial fishing and logging used to be the major industries on Vancouver Island but are quickly being replaced by tourism. The commercial fishing industry has been severely curtailed in recent years although there are still excellent opportunities for the sportsman.

You can still find a wide variety of fishing experiences ranging from bass, trout and steelhead in the many lakes and streams to 60+ lb. chinook and halibut over 300 lb. in the waters around Vancouver Island. There's even a few monster lingcod like the one in the picture above.

There are many commercial fishing charter operations throughout Vancouver Island willing to take you on a fishing adventure of a lifetime. There are whale watching opportunities from Victoria where you stand a great chance of seeing Orcas or Killer Whales as they are sometimes called. In May the annual Grey Whale migration takes place on the westcoast and whale watching adventures can be found in Ucluelet and Tofino for those brave enough to handle the weather and seas.