During our travels to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, Bob and I decided to visit Botanical Beach along the Pacific Ocean coastline. It took us about 2 hours to drive there from Victoria. Our visit was carefully planned so we would arrive at low tide. Low tide provides the best viewing opportunities and ensures your safety.
The overall hike from the trailhead parking lot took a few hours, but that included stops along the way to snap photos and eat our lunch.
Botanical Beach at low tide provides a series of magical discoveries. As you see in our photo, the terrain is very rough and uneven, so sturdy footwear is a real benefit. Being at the edge of the rainforest, even on a hot sunny day, the weather can change in the blink of an eye. We were sure to carry our rain jackets.
With so much water left trapped in the nooks and crannies as the tide went out, tidal pools were alive with sea life. Equally, there were ample opportunities to come in contact with nature along the treeline at the edge of the beach.
Things like barnacles, snails, mussels, sea anemones and even a few starfish dazzled us.
Giant Green Anemone is a species of intertidal sea anemone. It only achieves this bright green colour if exposed to sufficient sunlight when sitting in the tidal pools. It was magnificent!
Although, according to the University of British Columbia, no Sea Anemones in British Columbia are poisonous to humans, we only touched the anemone gently with a stick to see how it would react.
Sections of the shoreline are made up of a sandstone shelf that is covered with rounded pools. These pools were created by the action of rocks swirled by the waves. The circular motion of the rocks grinds away the sandstone leaving holes that trap seawater. It is in these tidal pools that we found so many forms of life.
Some of the tidal pools were quite deep providing habitat for a whole host of both flora and fauna. Barnacles and Mussels were quite common as well as Green Surf Grass.
What a delightful surprise when we found a Common Ochre Starfish. Also called an Ochre Sea Star, this species is quite prevalent and is described as a keystone species, one that contributes significantly to maintaining its surroundings.
There are a couple of different species of Limpets seen at Botanical Beach, Shield Limpet and Ribbed Limpet. These conical shaped creatures are species of sea snails.
One of our most fascinating discoveries was that of a Mossy Chiton. These very unique marine molluscs are sometimes referred to as coat-of-mail shells because their shell is composed of eight separate shell plates or valves. These are easily visible in the above photo.
Bob came up with a couple of crabs that were hiding in the crevices of one tidal pool.
A rainbow of colours presented itself in some tidal pools. With a Latin name as long as a yardstick, this Calliarthron tuberculosum is a species of intertidal red algae. Sunshine glinting from its rosy surface is what caught our eye. It was like gazing upon a jewel box filled with jewels.
Standing out against some of the grey rocks was a Purple Sea Urchin.
Although we did not see any Sea Otters along this section of the shoreline, one of their favourite foods is Purple Sea Urchins.
In fact, a number of years ago, while spending time with some Haida people on one of the islands of Haida Gwaii, north of Vancouver Island, Bob actually ate one of these Purple Sea Urchins. The Haida, as they have for thousands of years, split the Urchin open with a knife then placed it in a bowl. Bob admits that at first, he was hesitant to try it but soon discovered the inside contained a salty yet very sweet fleshy morsel.
As Bob and I explored the shoreline, it was imperative that we kept track of the rising tide. We did not want to get caught between the ocean and the high shoreline behind us.
A Starburst Anemone lay in wait in a tidal pool next to a few black California Mussels.
Among the things in this one tide pool were California Mussels, a green colored Limpet and some Pacific Acorn Barnacles.
Heeding the park sign at the beginning of the trail, Bob and I kept aware of the waves coming in off the Pacific Ocean. It is not unheard of to have a massive rogue wave break along this coastline even on a quiet day.
At first, we did not know the name of this creature. Through a little research and help from iNaturalist, it was determined to be a Northern Hairy Chiton. We couldn’t believe our luck at finding a second variety of chiton.
The shoreline, itself, held a great deal of interest. We had the opportunity to look upon an amazing section of granite outcroppings that are only visible during low tide.
The sandstone and granite rock walls at Botanical Beach look very strange and seem prehistoric.
In fact, these walls are the end result of millions of years of wind and wave erosion.
Having arrived at Botanical Beach a few hours before the high tide gave us the chance to explore these rock walls intimately.
The colours and carvings made for a stunning natural piece of artwork.
With no one else around, we had Botanical Beach to ourselves. Time seemed to stand still.
A cozy little corner with a small section of flat rocks made a sheltered spot for our picnic lunch.
Keeping us company was a Bald Eagle that flew in and perched atop a nearby tree.
Having completed our shoreline hike, we exited up a giant wall of rock to the hiking trail.
This photo captures the sheer mass and scale of the wall of stone.
After clambering over the uneven and wet surfaces of exposed rocks all morning, Bob and I stepped easily through the rainforest of twisted trees and lush vegetation atop a well-maintained wooden boardwalk. It made for a relaxed walk back to the parking lot.
It was magical in this mossy, wet world of ancient trees, and as always, the kid in me came out to play.
Never ones to be careless, however, vigilance was paid to our surroundings where Cougars and Grizzly Bears both have been seen.
This world of enchanting forest trails and amazing ocean shoreline truly was worth the effort to visit. It is one place we will not soon forget.
Checkout Out Our Other Adventures
Frame To Frame – Bob and Jean