Bamfield is a marine enthusiast’s paradise.
Located on the outer west coast of central Vancouver Island, Bamfield is the perfect place to spot marine life, from whales, sea lions and sea stars to spawning sockeye salmon in its river tributaries.
I’ve always considered myself fortunate living in British Columbia with its many opportunities to see wildlife, especially whales off our Pacific Ocean coastline.
But no whale sighting was more thrilling for me than the one my daughter and I recently had with Outer Shores Lodge in Bamfield, co-owned by marine scientists Russell Markel and Scott Wallace.
As part of Bamfield’s growing eco-tourism industry Outer Shores Lodge offers visitors a chance to experience B.C.’s coastal eco-system, through guided boat trips, hikes and kayaking outings.
Our first adventure took us and five other guests to the nearby Deer Group Islands, in the south east corner of Barkley Sound.
Everyone on board knew a whale sighting was hit and miss but we were confident we would at least see Stellar and California sea lions, after Wallace tells us Folger Island, part of the Deer Group, is a winter haul-out site for them to feed and rest. As many as 1,000 Stellar and California sea lions have been known to congregate on these rocky shores.
But before rounding the island to their sheltered cove we heard the sound of a whale spouting. All eyes immediately began scouring the ocean’s surface. Less than a minute later we spotted a cloud of air and condensed water vapour formed by the whale exhaling.
“Wow,” my daughter and a few of the other guests exclaimed when they caught a distant view.
Then silence as we waited hoping to see this awe-inspiring creature again. Much to our surprise the whale resurfaced, but this time just three metres away from the side of our rigid hull inflatable boat.
“We’ve never been this close,” I said, before the whale took a deep dive and its hump, ridge of sharp bumps along its back and tail were seen for a final time.
After the sighting there were many questions from guests and with a marine scientist on board nothing went unanswered. Turns out a gray whale’s echolocation system isn’t as good as other whales so perhaps it didn’t realize it was so close to our boat. And the whale’s tail flip we witnessed is known as “fluking,” which helps it begin a sharply angled dive into deeper waters.
Bamfield, near the edge of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, is one of the best places to see marine life. It’s also known worldwide for coast and marine research since it is home to the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, where both Wallace and Markel have taught. Wallace worked there for a couple of summers and Markel taught in its public eduction program as well as doing marine research on sea otters.
Markel is also the founder and president of Outer Shores Expeditions, which has been offering wildlife, wilderness and cultural experiences on the west coast aboard a classic wooden schooner since 2012. While Wallace, prior to becoming a co-owner of Outer Shores Lodge, was working as a senior scientist with the David Suzuki Foundation for 15 years.
Both men have a personal connection with the lodge, built in 1965, and once an American-based semester abroad program called the School for Field Studies, so when the opportunity to buy it came up during COVID it was an easy decision for the two. (Wallace worked at the School for Field Studies as the coastal ecologist instructor or four years, starting in 1999, and when he left, Markel took over his job.)
“We both taught here so we knew this property very well. We love the lodge and Bamfield,” says Wallace, of the small community of about 240 people.
The property was last owned by six Alberta families, who completely renovated it and operated it as a private fishing lodge. While Bamfield is known for its fishing this is not part of the Outer Shores Lodge experience.
“The vision is to attract people interested in ecology. It’s a subtle version of coastal cultural and natural history…I want as many British Columbians to come and appreciate what’s in our own backyard,” says Wallace.
Outer Shores Lodge opened in the spring of 2022, with guests enjoying daily excursions with either co-owner. Although Wallace lives in Comox and Markel in Cobble Hill the two men, who are married to marine scientists, take turns living on site overseeing operations.
Outer Shores Lodge, runs from from mid-April to mid-October, and offers three, four or seven night stays, on the five acre property located in West Bamfield, just a short walk from the government dock.
Although you need to cross Bamfield Inlet to get to the west side and it feels like you are on an island since it’s not accessible by car. (West Bamfield is actually a peninsula on Vancouver Island.)
Guests can also independently stroll along the historic waterfront, wooden boardwalk or walk to Brady’s Beach, with its impressive sea stacks and a blow hole, on the south end, that shoots water upwards of 6 metres (20 feet).
The lodge’s location is a significant archaeological site since it was a Huu-ay-aht First Nation village, dating back 5,000 years, and important for Huu-ay-aht whalers.
Today, guests not only enjoy comfortable lodging, fine dining with an award-winning chef but have easy access to nature that surrounds the lodge. There’s a bluff where guest can try and spot whales themselves off Vancouver Island’s outer shores or relax and take in panoramic sunsets at the end of the day.
The lodge has five bedrooms and private cabins on the property.
Guests share a great room, with a massive stone fireplace and large windows to take in the view, games room and a dining room with one long table that encourages conversation.
There’s no better time to chat with fellow guests than while enjoying a meal by the lodge’s new chef Jeanne Rankin. The talented chef is the author of six cookbooks, ran a Michelin-star restaurant in Ireland with her former husband, and was once a food commentator with the BBC.
Asked what made her move back to Canada and specifically B.C., the Winnipeg-born Rankin says she enjoys the outdoors.
While guests were out on our first wildlife viewing, Rankin had her own encounter with wildlife at the lodge. She shows me a picture of a black bear she spotted on the front yard. It had come along a cliff edge to pick fruit off the point and was later seen scampering up the bluff.
My daughter later spots the same bear while on a solo hike near the lodge as well as a sea otter.
“I love it out here. We get all this beautiful food from all over Vancouver Island,” says Rankin, who impressed us with delicious dishes, impeccably plated at every meal.
Some of my favourite meals included the sablefish from Haida Gwaii, done with a miso-glaze, the sockeye salmon with a horseradish crust and the seared scallop in pea puree.
Getting to the lodge will soon become easier than taking the rough, logging road between Youbou/Lake Cowichan and Bamfield with the completion of the surfacing of Bamfield Main, an 85-km. logging road between Bamfield and Port Alberni. The Huu-ay-aht First Nations will be celebrating the completion of the Bamfield Main chip seal on October 10 at the House of Huu-ay-aht. Visitors can also take the M.V. Frances Barkley passenger boat from Port Alberni that leaves at 8 a.m. and arrives into Bamfield 4.5 hours later.
Kim Pemberton was hosted by Outer Shores Lodge, which did not review or approve this story. Follow her on Instagram at kimstravelogue.
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