Kayak and Kingfisher

Beaches 4 - McNeill Bay

This tiny bay and islet provide a perfect resting place for this group of kayakers out for a paddle. This place marks one end of McNeill Bay. The three ocean beaches I featured last week are all on the eastern side of the southern tip of Vancouver Island. McNeill Bay is just around the corner and faces south rather than east. This bay and rest of Victoria's beaches are on the south and west sides of the island and are generally pebble beaches rather than sand. They are not so kind to bare feet and are hence less popular with beach people. The eastern beaches also seem to be more sheltered from the prevailing winds.

Kayaking

Sunday was HOT. In fact, according to my personal calendar it's the only summer day we've had so far this year. We were out on the Saanich Peninsula for an art show and stopped at this lovely little beach afterwards. It was also the disembarkation point for this group of kayakers in their colorful little boats. This has become a popular sport here. The word "kayak" comes from the Inuktitut language to describe the boat developed by them and other northern peoples. Wikipedia has an interesting article on this HERE. The low mountain in the background on the left is Saltspring Island, one of the Gulf Islands.

Saxe Point Promenade

Harbor Seals loll on the rocks off Saxe Point and lazily watch the passing kayak traffic. Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina), also known as Common Seals, live around here all year. I often see them off Saxe Point as in the photo above, swimming at nearby Fleming Beach, occasionally in the Gorge or closer to the downtown at Fisherman's Wharf, where they take advantage of summer's influx of tourists who line up to buy fish to feed them. It is a treat to see how gently they pick small pieces of fish from children's hands. Below is a short video of my granddaughter Rosie feeding a Harbor Seal at Fisherman's Wharf.

Blue....

Even the kayak is blue. How's that for color coordination? This photo looks out through the entrance to Victoria Harbour across the Strait of Juan de Fuca towards Port Angeles, Washington, USA, where, if you look closely, you can almost see the Port Angeles Daily Photographer standing on the beach. And on the far left, although he is very tiny, you can nearly make out the Port Townsend Daily Photographer out for a stroll on his bit of shoreline.