Tide’s Out

Flying over the west coast of Vancouver Island gives one a whole new perspective.

The trees look like miniatures made for a hobby railway and the seaweed just before the waterline looks like a rusty ring around the tub.

The green tinge of the sand and shallows that make everything look like its been iced by mint topping is actually algae and seaweed floating on a skim of water or deposited on the shore.

It’s a bird’s eye view that allows one to take in and see the complete picture.

Much different than if you were actually seeing it from the ground.

If you were in that group of trees on the top right, you literally wouldn’t be able to see the forest for the trees.

Under the trees is heavy underbrush usually made of something like salal bushes which are very dense and form like a thicket.

I’ve seen it so thick before that being unable to walk through it or around it I actually swam over the top of it as if it were a sea of green.

As the tide is out the sand on the right-hand side would be lovely and hardpacked.

Easy to walk barefoot on and sink your toes into.

The rust stain around the rocks is kelp called bladderwrack and is the ocean’s equivalent of bubble wrap.

It has little air pockets in it and they make a popping sound when you break them.

Unlike bubble wrap, bladderwrack is actually edible and if you don’t go foraging you can always buy it in a health food store in the shape of a supplement.

Walking the coastline is not a walk in the park.

The rocks are sharp and treacherous and even though it looks fairly flat you would have a hard time navigating the shore when the tide was up.

The greenish sand on the top left almost looks like a river delta and the water is quite shallow as seen by the three herons that are feeding in the farthest channel.

This sand is not the solid sand on the right-hand side.

This sand is wet, heavy and like quicksand.

You would be well advised to go further inland to cross or wait for high tide and take a boat as it’s not a place you want to lose your boots or something worse.

Haven’t I made it sound attractive and aren’t you glad that this is a bird’s eye view?

But you know what?

I’ve way rather be walking in all of that splendour.

To feel the trees and the wind.

Smell the smells of the ocean and hear the sounds of the gulls as they fly overhead.

Watch the heron catch fish and scrabble over the rocks to the next point of land.

Sit on the shore and watch the ebbing tide and find seashell treasures on the beach and rocks.

Flying is great when time is limited, but to get the full flavour one needs to take the time to savour.

Having walked many miles on our coast I can honestly say… there is no place like home.

Jigsaw Puzzle

If you need help with instructions click here.