Bungy Jumping — Imagine the excitement of throwing yourself off a 42-metre bridge over the Nanaimo River with just an elastic bungy wrapped around your ankles! This thrilling sport attracts droves of daredevils to Nanaimo’s Bungy Zone, the first legal bungy jumping organization in North America. Highlights include the Ultimate Swing, which reaches speeds up to 140 km per hour and the Flying Fox, a zip line over the river.
Surfing — Experienced long-board surfers love to ride the waves year-round at Long Beach, a 20-km stretch of sand between Ucluelet and Tofino. Another popular surfing spot is Jordan River in Juan de Fuca Provincial Park. Nearby, Sombrio Beach offers more surfing thrills. From Tahsis, in Nootka Sound, local charter operators take surfers to remote wilderness locations along the coastline of Nootka Island. Because of the chilly water, full wetsuits, including hoods, gloves and booties are recommended.
Mountain Biking — Mountain bikers looking for rough and rugged adventures to test their skills have a wide choice of challenging trails in designated areas. In Victoria, mountain bikers enjoy the Millstream Highlands and the Hartland section of Mount Work Park, an attraction for single-track riders and the National Mountain Biking Team. Mount Tzouhalem in the Cowichan features a number of trails accessible from Maple Bay.
Near Parksville and Qualicum Beach, lop Bridge Park and Englishman River Falls are very popular and host a number of annual competitions. In the Comox Valley, choose from an incredible mix of high alpine to ocean trails, along with more than 20 trails on Hornby Island and the intense downhill tracks at Mount Washington. More trails await in Campbell River and, farther north, Rumble Mountain near Port Alice is the location of the annual Mud Run Mountain Bike Race.
Windsurfing — This challenging sport is pursued
throughout the Vancouver Island region. Among
the best spots are Nimpkish Lake (near Port
McNeiIl), Upper Campbell Lake and Buttle Lake in
Strathcona Provincial Park, Goose Spit (Comox
Valley), the Oceanside region, China Creek
(Alberni Inlet), Cowichan Lake, Nitinat Lake,
Jordan River (the Sooke region), Elk Lake in
Saanich and the waters off Dallas Road in
Victoria.
Rock Climbing — Strathcona Provincial Park in
the Comox Valley near Campbell River, offers exhilarating challenges and excellent vacation packages that combine a number of exciting outdoor adventures. In the Comox Valley, the area around Comox Lake offers climbs for all levels. Home Lake is another rock-climbing hot spot and features the Home Lake Amphitheatre, rated 5.14a, one of the toughest routes of its kind in Canada. Neck Point near Nanaimo offers more great rock climbing. |
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