The Legend of the Skookumchuck

June-July 2001

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

"Skookum"-it's a forceful, guttural sound when you pronounce it, a word from Chinook Jargon (the trade language of First Nations and fur traders), used throughout the Pacific Northwest to describe powerful water. You may have heard wild tales of this place and its aura of power. Few whitewater paddlers are unaware of this tidal rapid, yet it remains surrounded by an alluring mystique that is wickedly magnificent.

The standing waves at Skookumchuck Narrows. Photo by Stuart Smith

Skookumchuck Narrows is a channel on the coast of mainland British Columbia where the daily exchange of water into and out of Sechelt Inlet produces the spectacle of Sechelt Tidal Rapids. Every day-actually twice a day-the tide rushes into Sechelt Inlet, and pours over a bedrock outcrop. Fortunately for paddlers, this ledge is at just the right angle and depth, so that the incoming water erupts into a set of outrageous waves. A combination of the huge volume of water rushing into Sechelt Inlet and the bedrock features produce the epic known as 'Skooks'.

Sechelt Inlet is 45 kilometres long, so during a big exchange, when the tide rises 3 metres, a volume of 350 million cubic metres of seawater rushes through the 300-metre-wide Narrows in one 12-hour cycle. At peak, the flow rate is approximately 18,000 cubic metres per second. Current velocities of 16.5 knots (over 30 kph) have been recorded just off Roland Point. This is something that redefines "big-volume" for most paddlers!

On top of all that-or rather just below it all-is an incredible array of spectacular marine life: colorful starfish, anemones, abalone, and assorted other creatures. The continuous exchange of water produces excellent conditions for filter-feeding organisms. On the paddle out you pass through kelp beds which provide shelter for numerous fish species. Paddlers with extra time should bring a mask and snorkel, and enjoy the underwater show-though do so at slack tide. It is not uncommon to see large flocks of Harlequin ducks, and other migratory birds. Keep an eye out for outrageously talented surfers-the ones without boats. Seals generally frequent the area, and I have seen them emerge in the eddy, near waiting paddlers, and take to the waves, slicing and carving with an unparalleled display of acrobatic moves-the linecutters!

The precious heart of the Legend is a set of standing waves that extend 10-20 metres off the south shore at Roland Point. Though the waves are constantly changing as surges and boils come through, the shoulder of the first wave remains constant, with an eddy on the south shore. A trough feeds out to the action-a wave that often reaches 3 metres in height, and cycles through periods of "green out"-with a seamless, sparkling and truly magnificent face. All variety of moves are possible, although, as the current increases with the building tide, the green water starts to feel somewhat like concrete, and boat-flex and hull deformation begin to occur.
As the tide builds, the waves extend farther from shore and the break forms a mammoth foam pile. A second outrageous wave forms immediately below the first one, and combines a steep face with a top-lip kicker that provides retention during even the wildest rides. Water temperatures are usually mild, and the scenery is great. The only drawback: at high flows (current speeds of over 13 knots) a boiling eddy fence forms at the top wave. This is often so steep, and violent, that there is a period of time in each tide exchange when it is simply impossible to get to the first wave without carrying up the shore. At smaller flows, or the beginning or end of a tide cycle, this is not an issue.

Stuart lists his whitewater run "pick of the week" in the Lower Mainland, updated every Thursday. See www.headwaterspress.com under the Featured Run Link. He can be reached at headh2o@uniserve.com.

With these awesome features comes a darker side-massive boils and exploding whitewater chaos, which forms just downstream of the waves. These boils are as large as 60 metres across, linked for 350 metres in length, and erupt 2 metres above the surface, sending hapless paddlers "on tour." These "tours", as they are ghoulishly known, occur when you fail to make it back to the eddy near the upper waves. With current speeds of over 30 kph, you have only seconds to power back toward shore, and hit the eddy, before you are swept low, and into the maw.

Slow rolls, tiring bodies, or exits off the far end of the wave make going "on-tour" a looming possibility. The end result: a forced loop that can extend for more than 1 kilometre in length, to circumnavigate the boils, and paddle back up the eddy along the shore. Repeated "tourists" are quickly exhausted by the overwhelming magnitude of the spectacle. More than a couple of tours, and you are seeking respite on shore! Out of boat experiences are a significant debacle, as current differentials erupt 1-2 metres in height, and transitory whirlpools, collapsing waves, and other nasties can submerge you and your boat for far longer than is comfortable. These boils and associated features have claimed numerous small craft, including a 50-foot vessel. The darker side to the stuff of Legend.

Despite accurate tide charts, known location, and reasonable access, it is best to leave lots of time for unexpected delays when attempting to find your way to the site. Ferry line-ups, late sailings, traffic jams, and road construction are frequent occurrences that can throw off your schedule. Aside from that, strong winds from the southeast and the northwest can alter the size of the waves and current velocities, positively or negatively. Catching a good tide on the building part of the cycle (when each successive tide gets progressively larger) usually means the waves are crisper, and the surfable portion of the cycle is longer. Generally a current speed of greater than 10 knots produces some good features, but at such flows, the aforementioned wind and cycle variances, can produce unexpected flat conditions.
With flows greater than 10.5-11 knots, the site is very reliable. You can also expect periods of "green-out" (no foam pile), where only the fastest boats will be able to stick with the front wave. As the current velocities increase, so does the chaos below. Intermediate paddlers can surf some portion of most tide cycles, but at flows above 12 knots, the peak part of the cycle will be much more challenging, the boils below less forgiving, and the exploding chaos in mid channel much more intimidating.

When using the published tide tables, be sure to choose a flood tide that occurs in daylight hours and remember to add an hour for daylight savings time during the summer. At most flows you can begin surfing about 30 minutes after the tide turns.

An incredible experience is surfing the site at night! In the fall or winter, when bioluminescence occurs (living organisms giving off light), riding the wave turns into an amazing show of pearlescent green glow, as any foam or disturbance in the water sets off a shower of eerie light. Trippy, for sure.

Getting There

A 50-minute ferry ride takes you from Horseshoe Bay, just north of Vancouver, to Gibsons Landing, where you head north along Highway 101, to the small town of Egmont. Once there, a 40-50 minute flatwater paddle puts you at the heart of the Legend.

Egmont is a small, out-of-the-way, seaside hamlet with few facilities, so stock up in Sechelt with whatever you need for the trip, though you can get some basics at the small Egmont store near the government dock. There is a motel at the Egmont Marina, just west of the government dock. There you will find showers, a laundromat, and the colorful Backeddy Pub, where you can feast on a Skookum Burger after a surf session, and whoop the night away with local entertainment. Car camping is available at Klein Lake, 8 km from the dock, or you can camp on the islands near the site. Water taxis are available in Egmont and the charge for a group heading to the site ranges from $60 to $100, one-way.

Make sure you obtain a copy of the Canadian Tide and Current tables for 2001 from Fisheries and Oceans Canada to determine the timing of the tides. Seek out Volume 5, Juan de Fuca Strait and Strait of Georgia, and you can plan the trip months in advance with the assurance of good flows. River paddling was never like this!

Stuart Smith is a paddling addict, publishes a series of whitewater guidebooks, and hopes that not TOO many people will be heading to
Skookumchuck on his next day off!

Stuart lists his whitewater run "pick of the week" in the Lower Mainland, updated every Thursday. See www.headwaterspress.com under the Featured Run Link.
He can be reached at headh2o@uniserve.com.