Witty's Lagoon: A Day Trip from Victoria

December 1997 - January 1998

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

by Maurice Robinson

One of the ironies of the human condition is that we tend to seek adventure in distant and remote locations and forget that our own environment, to wit the coastline of British Columbia, offers some of the most exotic flora, fauna and scenery on this planet. Furthermore, many remarkable kayaking destinations are within a few kilometers of our major centres; Witty's Lagoon on Vancouver Island is a case in point.

Geoff and I launched from Weir's Beach in Metchosin early one Saturday morning. We first have to haul the boats over a tangle of wave tumbled logs, then through a half meter of deep emerald green, water sodden seaweed which sucks at our boots. Steaming, we peel off a layer of fleece. The sun radiates in a bright blue cloudless sky and is reflected back from a flat calm sea; T-shirts are the order of the day. As we paddle away from shore, deep solar heat penetrates my skin and I have to remind myself that we aren't in the tropics; it is the first of November on southern Vancouver Island. El Niño is welcome today.

Cruising slowly east, past orange lichen-coated cliffs topped with stunted Douglas fir and spindly wind blown Garry Oaks, we encounter a family of miniature Ogopogos. Not 400m from our launching point six sleek otters undulate sinuously on the surface, cheeky whiskered faces popping up and down like corks. One scrambles out onto the rocks, its fat brown body glistening in the sun. It scampers about for a moment before retreating with scarcely a ripple. We stop paddling some 30m away and drift towards them carried by a slight current. Heads turn at our approach; a few curious spy hops, two quick photos and they vanish.

We move out and away quickly so as to not disturb them further, but stop paddling within a minute or so to watch a Great Blue Heron fishing from a floating log close to shore. Its gray blue colourations almost match that of the background rocks. Only the yellow flash on its beak stands out, perhaps the last thing that an unsuspecting fish would see before sliding down a dark slippery slope on its way to becoming brunch. The heron pauses from its focused intent stare at its toes and gives us the benefit of its bright beady eyes. We back away ever so slowly and it carries on with more pressing business. Another couple of hundred meters further on Geoff points to a Bald Eagle overhead, effortlessly winging its way South on a fishing expedition, or perhaps to check out the recent reports of Pelicans at Race Rocks (El Niño again)! Its mate, with haughty arrogance, watches our progress from the topmost branch of a tall fir.

We'd intended to spend most of our time this particular morning exploring Witty's Lagoon but already the best part of an hour has gone by and we are only at Taylor Beach. A new set of stairs leads down to the pebble beach from the end of Taylor Road, and this will greatly facilitate launching here. This is a good starting point to explore Devonian Park both before or after a paddle. It is a small linear park which you can circumambulate in about 30 minutes. In Spring Easter Lilies bloom on the banks of Sherwood Creek and the park has a good mix of old growth conifers and Big Leaf Maple in which Screech Owls, Flickers and Pileated Woodpeckers nest. A small reedy pond just back of the beach is also a great place for bird watching.

Beyond Taylor Beach rich red and yellow sandy cliffs tumble into the water, literally; several large slides and many uprooted trees are evident. The few homes perched precariously above will likely succumb to nature before too long and many of the resident Sand Martins will also have to find new accommodation this year. We turn away from the shore towards the Haystack Islets which guard the entrance of Witty's Lagoon and are greeted with several loud FLAP FLAPS. About thirty brown and black bowling balls with doe-like eyes and whiskered noses bob about around us, mingling with scores of surface feeding gulls. The rocky islets are a favourite haul-out for a colony of Harbour Seals. Today they are all in the water and several come close. A Bald Eagle on the islet's marine marker is clearly agitated by our presence but a flock of what look like Dunlins in winter plumage give us the cold shoulder as they peck together on the rocks just above the waterline. I begin to wish I'd brought my binoculars. Turning North towards the narrow entrance of the lagoon Cormorants fly overhead and pairs of tiny Cassin's Auklets scurry out of our way. The water here is shallow and you can sometimes play in breaking waves when there is an onshore wind and an outgoing tide. Today there is an incoming tide and we are quickly carried though the narrow deep channel between a sandy spit on the end of Witty's Beach and Tower Point (all part of Witty's Lagoon Regional Park).

Waterfront homes along Olympic View Drive above us quickly recede and the lagoon opens up before us. Giant Arbutus line both shores, some ablaze with red berries giving a decorated Christmas tree appearance. Today it is close to high tide and we cruise along slowly, immersed in red water and a green peacefulness from the shore. Curious about the colour of the water I sample it with an old yogurt container (emergency pee container) and discover later that it is full of microscopic flagellates....a red tide. This is somewhat unusual for this time of year. They have usually crashed by now. Another effect of El Nino I muse.

This warm, shallow water lagoon and salt marsh is a birder's paradise; over 160 species have been recorded here. Raft upon raft of gulls are spread out before us. They appear to be a mix of young and adult Herring and Californians, but without a bird book I'm lost. It's impossible not to disturb them if we are to visit the waterfall. We rudely interrupt their conversations and they rise. A coordinated cloud of white and gray envelopes us in a cacophany. They circle, wheel and in minutes settle back down behind us, fluff feathers and continue their socialization as we move ahead.

A squadron of fighter planes takes off in tight formation to starboard. They bank and head out to sea on a sortie. Black and white markings readily identify the Black Turnstones as friendly craft. TATATATATAT to port and we see fuel tankers lumbering along the watery runway, straining for lift-off. Black, plump, fat filled bodies of a score of Pigeon Guillemots finally catch air. Geoff comments that they sound as if someone is repetitively hitting the the return key of a typewriter. Modern word processors just don't cut it! Absorbed in their flight we are caught off guard and duck instinctively to avoid imaginary bullets. KAKAKAKAKAK, the enemy, a Belted Kingfisher, swoops in from the rear, guns blazing. My wing man, mortally wounded, slumps into his cockpit. I appeal for some new life from a solitary Blue Heron on neutral ground but he ignores my pleas. Oblivious to all this activity he stares intently at his toes; deeper, fishier thoughts are afoot. The game is up and, laughing, we paddle on.

Rounding the bend at the end of the lagoon we navigate through a tangle of branches from downed trees to enter the pool below Sitting Lady Falls. Although she is a big lady with a powerful voice, we sleek, tube-enclosed visitors catch her by surprise and she plays coy in the shade. Nevertheless she is in all her finery, white flouncy skirt flared and legs akimbo. She grants us an audience. Pouring out her own throaty soul, she envelopes us in a fine spray of tears and offers a rainbow gift of welcome. We pay homage by circulating counterclockwise in the deep black pool at her feet, and then drift out on her foam-flecked train.

Why do people pay thousands of dollars and travel thousands of kilometers for experiences such as these, when they are right here on our own doorstep?

If you go:

Witty's Lagoon is about 18km from downtown Victoria on Metchosin Road. Take the Old Island Highway (1A) to Sooke Road and then turn left onto Metchosin Road in Colwood. You can launch from several locations along Metchosin Road. For a full day paddle launch from Ocean Boulevard next to Esquimalt lagoon (turn left down Lagoon Road). For shorter trips (2 to 5 hours) launch from either Albert Head lagoon, the end of Taylor Road or Weir's Beach on Sandgate Road (left off William Head Road).

Maurice Robinson is professor emeritus at Royal Roads University.