Tofino
Tofino | |
|---|---|
| District of Tofino[1] | |
 View toward Meares Island | |
  Tofino Location of Tofino | |
| Coordinates: 49°08′38″N 125°53′30″W / 49.14389°N 125.89167°WCoordinates: 49°08′38″N 125°53′30″W / 49.14389°N 125.89167°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Regional District | Alberni-Clayoquot |
| Incorporated | 1932 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Dan Law |
| • MP | Gord Johns |
| • MLA | Josie Osborne |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10.53 km2 (4.07 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 10 m (30 ft) |
| Population (2016) | |
| • Total | 1,932 |
| • Density | 183.1/km2 (474/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−08:00 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−07:00 (PDT) |
| Postal code span | V0R 2Z0 |
| Area code(s) | 250 |
| Climate | Cfb |
| Website | tofino |
Tofino is a town of approximately 1,932 residents on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The District of Tofino is located at the western terminus of Highway 4 on the tip of the Esowista Peninsula at the southern edge of Clayoquot Sound. It is situated in the traditional territory of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations.
A popular year-round tourism destination, Tofino's summer population swells to many times its winter size. It attracts surfers, hikers, nature lovers, bird watchers, campers, whale watchers, fishers, or anyone just looking to be close to nature. Despite its small population, the town attracts a number of chefs and culinary professionals, which has resulted in a burgeoning choice of restaurants and specialty shops. In the winter, it is not as bustling, although many people visit Tofino and the West Coast to watch storms on the water. Close to Tofino is Long Beach, a scenic and popular year-round destination, in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. With its natural hot springs, Maquinna Marine Provincial Park[2] is a popular day-trip destination for tourists. Reachable by boat or floatplane, the park is located about 45 kilometres (28 mi) north of Tofino.
Etymology[]
The settlement acquired its name in 1909 with the opening of the Tofino Post Office, named after the nearby .[3] This geographical feature had been named in 1792 by the Spanish explorers Galiano and Valdés, in honour of Admiral Vicente Tofiño de San Miguel y Wanderiales (or Vanderiales), under whom Galiano had learned cartography.[4]
Transportation[]
Tofino Airport (YAZ), 11 km (6.8 mi) south of the town, is accessible to private and commercial aircraft. Floatplanes land on the inlet in town. Coastal fog is a common morning phenomenon in the summer, complicating access by air until the weather clears.
Tofino is located at the western end of Highway 4 that connects the community with Port Alberni and the population centres on the east coast of Vancouver Island. There are no roads connecting Tofino along the west coast of Vancouver Island, except to the nearby community of Ucluelet.
Boat services connect Tofino with coastal communities such as Ahousat and Hot Springs Cove. Wildlife-watching tour boats operate in the area. In October 2015, a whale watching vessel capsized off the coast of Tofino, which resulted in the deaths of 6 passengers.
Culture[]
Festivities and events[]
Every March, the migration of thousands of grey whales is celebrated with the . The last weekend of April has, up until 2020, been the Tofino Shorebird Festival. The first weekend of June, for 14 years, brought the Tofino Food and Wine Festival, featuring British Columbia wines and showcasing the creations of Tofino chefs. The Tofino Market takes place on the Village Green on every Saturday, from the Victoria Day long weekend through early October. The Tofino Lantern Festival (voted Tofino's most popular event by Tofino Time Magazine), was a Raincoast Education Society fundraiser each August, with its cancellation announced in 2021. Since 2018, early September has the week-long Race for The Blue Tuna Shoot-Out[5] hosted by Tofino Resort + Marina, and Queen of the Peak Women's Surf Championship typically takes place toward the end of the month.[6] In 2010, the O'Neill Coldwater Surf Classic took place on Cox Bay Beach, as the first professional ASP surf event ever held in Canada, with Tofino surfer Pete Devries winning the competition.[7] November has typically hosted the Clayoquot Oyster Festival,[citation needed].[8] Rip Curl Pro Tofino, the official Canadian surfing championship, has been held each year in May, since 2007.[9]
Poole's Land[]
Between 1988 and 2020, Tofino was home to Poole's Land, an ecovillage and "Hippie Commune" run on Anarchist principles. The Commune provided free accommodation to seasonal workers who would come to Tofino in the summer months as well as being a centre of counterculture in the region.
Freedom Cove[]
Located within the Tofino vicinity is the man-made floating Island of Freedom Cove. Constructed by Wayne Adams and Catherine King in 1992, the mostly wooden structure is both home to Adams and King as well as a tourist attraction and an art gallery. Freedom Cove attempts to live as sustainably as possible by such means as by using solar power, recycling waste, composting, drinking rainwater, and eating locally grown or caught food.[10][11][12]
Climate[]
The climate is marine west coast (Köppen: Cfb, clearly included in the temperate zone). Precipitation is concentrated in the winter, which is a characteristic of Coastal British Columbia; however, the annual amount of 3,270.7 mm (128.77 in) far exceeds nearby areas. By comparison, Victoria, British Columbia, which is located only 203 km (126 mi) away, receives only 607.6 mm (23.92 in).
Proximity to the Pacific Ocean keeps temperatures cool in the summer and mild in the winter. Average high temperatures in the summer and winter are relatively stable and cool, coming in at 19.1 °C (66.4 °F) and 8.1 °C (46.6 °F), respectively. Compared to the Canadian city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, which rests on a similar latitude, Tofino's average high temperature is 6.8 degrees cooler in the summer and a whopping 19.4 degrees warmer in the winter.
During the cooler season, there is a lot of precipitation, with 492.1 mm (19.37 in) in November alone. Nearly all of the precipitation that falls throughout the year is rain, with 203 days with rain and only 7.8 days with snowfall. Due to its location on the westernmost part of Vancouver Island, Tofino faces the Pacific Ocean, unimpeded by any mountains to the west (and therefore not subject to a rain shadow effect like much of the eastern island and the BC interior). Winter cyclonic storms frequently pass over the town deluging it with rain, making it one of the wettest locations in Canada. The month of November alone brings more precipitation to Tofino than that received for an entire year in parts of the BC interior such as Kamloops and Penticton.[13] Like the rest of coastal BC, summer brings relative dryness; even so, it still receives much more summertime precipitation than the interior (which can often be susceptible to drought-like conditions until the onset of autumn).[13]
The highest temperature ever recorded in Tofino was 33.9 °C (93 °F) on 15 July 1941.[14] The coldest temperature ever recorded was −15.0 °C (5 °F) on 30 January 1969.[15]
| hideClimate data for Tofino Airport, 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1896–present[a] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high humidex | 18.3 | 18.4 | 18.1 | 23.0 | 27.6 | 32.9 | 35.5 | 42.7 | 33.6 | 25.9 | 20.6 | 15.2 | 42.7 |
| Record high °C (°F) | 20.1 (68.2) |
19.4 (66.9) |
19.4 (66.9) |
24.4 (75.9) |
29.4 (84.9) |
32.2 (90.0) |
33.9 (93.0) |
32.8 (91.0) |
29.4 (84.9) |
25.6 (78.1) |
21.1 (70.0) |
19.4 (66.9) |
33.9 (93.0) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 8.3 (46.9) |
9.0 (48.2) |
10.1 (50.2) |
11.9 (53.4) |
14.5 (58.1) |
16.8 (62.2) |
18.9 (66.0) |
19.1 (66.4) |
17.8 (64.0) |
13.6 (56.5) |
10.0 (50.0) |
8.1 (46.6) |
13.2 (55.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.3 (41.5) |
5.4 (41.7) |
6.5 (43.7) |
8.0 (46.4) |
10.5 (50.9) |
12.9 (55.2) |
14.7 (58.5) |
15.0 (59.0) |
13.4 (56.1) |
10.0 (50.0) |
6.8 (44.2) |
5.0 (41.0) |
9.5 (49.1) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 2.3 (36.1) |
1.9 (35.4) |
2.7 (36.9) |
4.0 (39.2) |
6.5 (43.7) |
8.9 (48.0) |
10.5 (50.9) |
10.8 (51.4) |
9.0 (48.2) |
6.3 (43.3) |
3.6 (38.5) |
1.9 (35.4) |
5.7 (42.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −15.0 (5.0) |
−11.1 (12.0) |
−6.1 (21.0) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
1.1 (34.0) |
3.3 (37.9) |
3.3 (37.9) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−12.7 (9.1) |
−12.2 (10.0) |
−15.0 (5.0) |
| Record low wind chill | −18 | −17 | −9 | −6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −6 | −14 | −16 | −18 |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 486.6 (19.16) |
336.1 (13.23) |
329.8 (12.98) |
269.9 (10.63) |
153.0 (6.02) |
129.7 (5.11) |
71.0 (2.80) |
88.1 (3.47) |
132.8 (5.23) |
341.9 (13.46) |
492.1 (19.37) |
440.0 (17.32) |
3,270.7 (128.77) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 477.4 (18.80) |
327.3 (12.89) |
325.7 (12.82) |
269.2 (10.60) |
153.0 (6.02) |
129.7 (5.11) |
71.0 (2.80) |
88.1 (3.47) |
132.8 (5.23) |
341.8 (13.46) |
489.4 (19.27) |
432.0 (17.01) |
3,237.2 (127.45) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 9.2 (3.6) |
8.7 (3.4) |
4.0 (1.6) |
0.7 (0.3) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.1 (0.0) |
2.8 (1.1) |
7.9 (3.1) |
33.3 (13.1) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 22.7 | 18.7 | 21.7 | 18.4 | 15.7 | 13.8 | 10.0 | 10.9 | 11.7 | 19.4 | 22.9 | 21.9 | 207.8 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 22.1 | 18.4 | 21.5 | 18.4 | 15.7 | 13.8 | 10.0 | 10.9 | 11.7 | 19.4 | 22.6 | 21.6 | 205.9 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 1.9 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 7.8 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 83.6 | 76.7 | 75.6 | 73.2 | 71.3 | 71.7 | 71.7 | 74.8 | 73.2 | 79.3 | 82.9 | 84.6 | 76.5 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 58.6 | 81.6 | 126.3 | 170.3 | 203.1 | 190.9 | 226.7 | 199.6 | 175.8 | 116.1 | 62.5 | 56.5 | 1,668.1 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 21.7 | 28.5 | 34.3 | 41.5 | 42.9 | 39.4 | 46.4 | 44.8 | 46.4 | 34.6 | 22.7 | 22.0 | 35.4 |
| Source: Environment Canada[15][16] | |||||||||||||
Telecommunications[]
Tofino has modern cell phone and land line access (including Internet and ADSL).
Media[]
Tofino has one newspaper, the . Tofino Time is a monthly magazine that publishes local new and articles about Tofino and the surrounding areas. CHMZ-FM on 90.1 FM, nicknamed Tuff City radio, is a local radio station. Tofino also receives CBC Radio One via CBXZ-FM on 91.5 FM.
Health and education[]
Public education is offered by the School District 70 Alberni, through the Wickaninnish Community School in Tofino and Ucluelet Secondary School in Ucluelet. The town's hospital is the , operated by the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA).[17]
Cultural references[]
Music[]
- Montreal third wave ska band The Planet Smashers recorded a song on their album Life of the Party entitled "Surfin' in Tofino".[18]
- Canadian band Prairie Dance Club recorded a song entitled "Tofino".[19]
Film and television[]
- Tofino was a filming location for The Twilight Saga: New Moon in March and April 2009. South Beach, located near Wickaninnish Beach inside Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, and Incinerator Rock at Long Beach were used.[20]
- Tofino was also a filming location for the third installment of the new Planet of the Apes movie series called War for the Planet of the Apes. Long Beach and surrounding areas inside Pacific Rim National Park were used as filming locations.[21]
- In the Canadian film One Week, main character Ben Tyler (played by Joshua Jackson) rides his motorcycle from Toronto, Ontario to Tofino, British Columbia.[22]
- Tofino was one of the many filming locations for the movie The Big Year starting Jack Black, Owen Wilson and Steve Martin. It filmed several scenes in the town of Tofino at Schooner Restaurant and 4th street dock in the harbour.[23]
- Going the Distance
References[]
- ^ "British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address" (XLS). British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
- ^ "redirect". Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ^ "Tofino". BC Geographical Names.
- ^ Dionisio Alcalá Galiano: The Canadian Adventure of a Spanish Naval Hero, Malaspina University-College
- ^ "Blue Tuna Shoot-Out". Tofino Resort + Marina. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ^ Tapp, Fiona. "Learn To Surf At The World's Largest Female-Only Instructor Surf School". Forbes. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ Windh, Jacqueline (2 November 2009). "How a Tofino Guy Earned a Surfing Crown". The Tyee. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ Trefler, C., ed. (2008). Fodor's Vancouver and Victoria (illustrated ed.). Fodor's Travel Publications. p. 262. ISBN 1400019184.
- ^ "Rip Curl Pro Tofino - Announces Dates for 2017". Rip Curl. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ "Freedom Cove, B.C. Float Home, Is A Whole New Level Of Off-Grid Living". Retrieved 6 July 2020.
- ^ "Freedom Cove A floating sanctuary provides artistic inspiration". Retrieved 6 July 2020.
- ^ "Living on water: Welcome to Freedom Cove". Retrieved 6 July 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Canadian Climate Normals 1971-2000". Environment Canada. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
- ^ "Daily Data Report for July 1941". Environment Canada. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Calculation Information for 1981 to 2010 Canadian Normals Data". Environment Canada. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ "Clayoquot". Environment Canada. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ Tofino General Hospital. Retrieved 2011-10-24
- ^ Huey, Steve. "The Life of the Party". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ^ "Prairie Dance Club - Prairie Dance Club | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- ^ "Tofino provides perfect setting for Twilight's vampires". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ^ "Long Beach Lodge Resort Tofino | Apes invade Tofino!". www.longbeachlodgeresort.com. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ "One Week: Canada rides along on this odyssey | The Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ Drews, Keven (13 April 2010). "Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson have Tofino chef checking recipes". CP24. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
External links[]
Media related to Category:Tofino at Wikimedia Commons
 |
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Tofino. |
| show Subdivisions of British Columbia |
|---|
| Authority control: National libraries |
|---|
- Populated places on the British Columbia Coast
- District municipalities in British Columbia
- Populated places in the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District
- Surfing locations in Canada
- Clayoquot Sound region