Day 2: The Intertidal Area

South Beach

As my family got up all rested and reenergized the next day we were all greeted by the sweet smell of bark and wet grass. The resort was truly delightful; it had accommodated us with a luxurious room and delectable food. We had enjoyed the meals so much the day before that we again decided to go to the Great Room for breakfast. This time around, we had decided to try something different, so we all ordered the Fireside Quiche, which was a fresh baked quiche of the day served with fresh fruit, inspired ingredients, and farmer ben eggs, we were all licking our fingers at the end.

Then we all got ready to leave, for our second adventure, which was another tour but of the intertidal area, it was known as the Intertidal Exploration tour, an astonishing and truly worthwhile tour. After a 10 minute drive, we arrived at our destination which was South Beach. This time around, our tour guide was a woman, her name was Silva Johansson. She was a kind lady, with a beautiful smile, she loved to talk and was ready to answer any type of question that you had.

South Beach Rocky Shore-line

The beach stretched out many kilometres ahead of us; it seemed as if it was endless. The beach itself was a marvel on its own, its rocky beaches and the water that came up, kissed the sand and then ran back was a beautiful aqua-blue that shimmered and glittered when the sun reflected off of it. The entire scene felt as if it had come off of an artist’s canvas, it was truly a vision of ecstasy. The smell of pine in the air, the warmth of the sun and the cool breeze in the air made the trip even better.

Ochre Sea Stars

Tidepool Sculpins

Purple Sea Urchins

That day we were exploring the low tide rocky-shore line region of the beach. Silva informed us that the low tide zone is covered by water 70% of the time. There, plants and animals have to find ways to survive without water for short periods of time. In

Rockweed

order to conserve moisture, many of them close up tight or dig in. Also, since the beach had a rocky shoreline we observed many marine animals and plants on the rocks since they were holding onto them for dear life because of the constant barrage of waves coming and going. The marine animals and plants that we got to experience first-hand in their natural habitats were the Rockweed (an olive green seaweed), Ochre Sea Stars (starfish, that are actually not fish but spiny-skinned animals), Purple Sea Urchins (purple ‘pin cushions’ found under rock ledges and in tidepools), Tidepool Sculpins (tiny fish with the ability to change their colour to blend in with their tidepool), Hermit Crabs (crabs that use the shells of other creatures for armour), and the Northern Abalone (slow growing, ear-shaped marine snails).

Pretty soon, after a whole day of walking across the beach on our bare feet, capturing memories in the form of pictures, and observing different marine life in its natural habitat, the tour soon came to an end. But I still wanted to learn more and I assumed that Bill had talked to Silva, because she had come to educate me on marine life in all of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, its landform and its climate, she even provided me a copy of the climate graph for Tofino, Vancouver Island (where Long Beach is located).

MARINE LIFE:

Harbour Seals

Beaches are home to many species such as razor clams, sea worms, and beach hoppers, while the tidal pools are alive with barnacles, mussels, hermit crabs, small fish, sea stars, and sponges. But offshore species such as halibut, sole, cod and schools of salmon feed on shrimp, plankton, and small fish. In the ocean you are to find many types of whales that include killer, gray, sperm, hump-backed and blue whales, sea lions, and harbor seals.

LANDFORM REGIONS:

Western Cordillera

The Pacific Rim reserve’s landform region is known as the Western Cordillera. The area consists of range after range of mountains that are separated by plateaus and valleys. The North American and the Pacific plates are responsible for a collision, which is the cause of uplifting the region into several different regions, all 700 kilometers wide. This is the reason why Vancouver is limited in growth and there is a small population in the cordillera due to its mountains. There are three major divisions in the Western Cordillera: Coast Mountains, Interior Plateau, and Eastern Mountains.

CLIMATE: 
The Pacific Rim reserve is located in the Pacific Maritime Ecozone. That is why it is known for its maritime climate that is reason for an abundance of heavy rains, prolonged cloudiness, and moderate temperatures. Due to its onshore flow of Pacific air, the climate is typically moist and mild. During the winter, rain storms are common, while large pressure areas off the coast are the reason for long hours of sunlight. Temperatures in winter are usually above 0°C, while in the summer the temperature rarely goes above 30°C. Also, the average annual temperature is 9.5°C and the average annual precipitation is 3270.7mm.

Climate Graph of Tofino, Vancouver Island
(where Long Beach is located). 

Surfing on Long Beach

After gathering all the knowledge that I needed to know, my father called me over to the picnic tables, so that we could have a quick lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches. We had decided that we would go up to Long Beach (which was just a fe minutes away from South Beach) and for the rest of the day, we would surf and just enjoy that beach and its exquisite atmosphere. As we watched the sun set over the now orange, mauve, and gold horizon, we all sat and rested over prune-like fingers and toes, wet hair, and tired bodies. Surfing was quite the adventure, at first it was hard, but then we all eventually got the hang of it. The ride back to the resort was quite the wait considering the fact that we were all starving! For supper we went to the Great Room again and feasted upon the Tofino Crab, which was a locally caught Dungeness crab, roasted potato wedges, and a caesar salad, it was heavenly.

Sunset on Long Beach

As I laid in bed that night, I was really excited for our third adventure tomorrow, but I was also really sad, because tomorrow was our last day in British Columbia, then it was back home, school was about to start. As I reflected on the day that had gone by, I told myself that next time when I am to go to a beach I should bring plenty of sunscreen whether the sun is shining or not to avoid even the slighest bit of sun burn. I then slowly closed my eyes, the exhaustion of that wonderful day would not let me stay awake a single second longer.