Ogden Point Breakwater

While looking through the archives for some silhouette photos I came across this post from August 2008 and like it well enough to re-post it in its entirety. Its original title was, "Why I Love the Ogden Point Breakwater."

---

---

All the world's a stage,And all the men and women merely players:They have their exits and their entrances;And one man in his time plays many parts....

Stormy Weather

Victoria is usually a sunny place but lately the weather has been pretty much as pictured above. This is the entrance to the Inner Harbour, Work Point on the right and the Ogden Point Breakwater beyond the rocks.You can see the people out for a Sunday stroll on the breakwater when the rain let up for awhile.

Fishing on the Breakwater

We went for a walk on the breakwater yesterday afternoon and came upon this fisher just in the final moments of reeling in a sizable lingcod (I'm guessing). It was pretty exciting to see it come up out of the water just thrashing around like crazy. I have to admit though I was happy when he put in back in the water. - Fern

Work Point

This photo is taken looking in the same direction as yesterday's but from below and eastwards on the West Bay Walkway. If you want to orient yourself, look at the RV Camp in roughly the centre of yesterday's photo. Part of the same camp is visible on the far right of today's photo. Here we are really looking at the entrance to Victoria's Inner Harbour. Any vessel entering the harbour must pass between Work Point (on the right) and the Ogden Point Breakwater (on the left). Blustery weather lately has given us some great cloud formations.

A Walk Beside the Breakwater

In last Friday's post about Ogden Point I mentioned how popular it is for strollers but I neglected to note how popular it is with scuba divers. The bottom off the breakwater is about 100 feet (30 meters) deep and the seaward side faces a kelp forest that is home to many sea creatures. Divers don't need a boat; they can simply walk along the breakwater for a few hundred yards and they are in deep water. I suspect it is fun but those divers are carrying a hefty load of equipment. It must be a great relief to get into the water.

A Walk on the Breakwater

After several days of rain and overcast a break in the gloomy weather brought many Victorians (including me) out to enjoy the sunshine and bracing winds on the Ogden Point Breakwater. It's a great short walk (785 meters) - like walking out into the ocean. And when the walk out to the light and back has blown the cobwebs out of your brain it's only a few steps to the Ogden Point Cafe and a hot cup of whatever you like.

Inversion

This is a kind of weather we see often. Here we are looking at the Coho, a car ferry, as it exits the Inner Harbour on one of its trips to Port Angeles, hidden beneath that cloud bank on the horizon. Poking up above the clouds are the peaks of the Olympic Peninsula. I'm happy to say that this kind of weather usually stays over there on the other side of the strait. Victoria is relatively flat and it seems these low level clouds either stay on the US side or blow over us to Vancouver where the mountains bring them up short again. That's my personal theory for why Victoria gets so many more hours of sunshine every year than its neighbours. Anyway, this kind of low cloud is called an inversion because it is the opposite (the inverse) of what we normally see - clouds up in the sky and clear air near the ground. On the left of this photo you can see the Ogden Point Breakwater.

Dallas Road

This is a excellent little beach just below Holland Point to enjoy the sun and sea and watch all the comings and goings from Ogden Point. While we were there for a few hours one cruise ship docked and two more appeared on the horizon. - Fern

Ogden Point Breakwater

The cruise ships that visit Victoria really light up the night sky. - Fern

Enjoying the View

My walking partners enjoyed the walk on the breakwater as much as I did. - Fern Long

Ogden Point

With a kind of backwards logic I thought it would be interesting to go for a walk last night on the breakwater while it was so foggy. Guess what? We couldn't see much really. The water was absolutely calm and these tugs looked quite cozy tied up for the night. All the same it was lovely to be out surrounded by the sound of the foghorns and the distinctly metallic tang of the fog. - Fern

New Railings on Ogden Point Breakwater

The Ogden Point Breakwater has new railings and Victorians of all ages were out on the weekend to enjoy them. While the initial idea of railings on the breakwater was met with mixed reactions, now that the railings are up everyone is very happy with them. The breakwater used to feel just a little too dangerous for anyone with slight mobility issues. And it was completely out of bounds for those in walkers or wheelchairs. This is not the case any longer and many seniors were out with friends and family enjoying the fresh sea breezes and the record-setting May temperatures.

The Sun!

So after a week of fog and rain the sun has emerged for the weekend but with it has come the wind. It was crazy down at Fleming Beach but the views were well worth it. - Fern

Guard Rails

The Ogden Point Breakwater is getting a new look - guard rails. When they have finished installing these I suspect they will look very nice and encourage more people to walk out on the breakwater. Click the Ogden Point Breakwater label below to see how it looked without the rails.

Sanderling (Calidris alba)

I joined causeway artist Dean Lewis for a walk along the Ogden Point Breakwater this morning and we were happy to spy these two little shorebirds having breakfast amongst the barnacles and limpets on the lower edges of the breakwater. I have identified these as Sanderling (Calidris alba) though I'm not 100% certain since there are many small sandpiper-like birds that are very similar. Any birders out there who can confirm or correct this identification are invited to make a comment. After we watched these birds a bit Dean and I took the hint and went and had breakfast ourselves at the nearby Ogden Point Cafe. Dean had the barnacles on toast and I satisfied myself with some fried kelp and a side of limpets.

Ogden Point and the Juan De Fuca Strait

Can you feel the weight of those clouds? I can. - Fern Long

Ogden Point Breakwater

We haven't been for a walk on the breakwater for such a long time and even though it was raining we decided to go for it. There was absolutely no wind so the water was calm and you could hear the big, fat rain drops hitting the water. Quite cool. - Fern

Ogden Point Breakwater

Continuing with our departure from Victoria, this is the Ogden Point Breakwater that marks the entrance (or exit in this case) to the Inner Harbour. It provides a sheltered anchorage for the Ogden Point Cruise Ship Terminal. It's a favourite spot for Victorians to stroll on and a favourite picture-taking location for me.

Stormy Weather

Ogden Point Sundial

While I was at Ogden Point I checked out the sundial that is set into the sidewalk near the Ogden Point Cafe. Depending on the date, one stands in different locations and where one's shadow falls on the dial indicates the time. The photo above was taken at 12:06 pm. According to the instructions, one is supposed to add 19.6 minutes for August first. If one also adds 1 hour for daylight savings time then this dial is fairly accurate though there is considerable room for error due to poor posture or odd head/hat shapes....