On the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, the Ucluelet Aquarium has a uniquely sustainable approach to exhibiting marine animals without harming them in any way. All specimens in their displays are collected from the Pacific Ocean, mainly from Barkley Sound and Clayoquot Sound, and are released back into the ocean after spending a summer vacation in popular Ucluelet.

Most specimens are collected by scuba divers, by aquarium staff at low tide, or by hand-seining along beaches, which allows staff to return untargeted species to the water. The aquarium continuously pumps fresh sea water through its exhibits to increase the diversity of life and provide an environment that is as natural as possible.

The Ucluelet Aquarium on Ucluelet Harbour, Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Tomorrow is the official opening day for the non-profit public Ucluelet Aquarium, with free entry until 5pm. Ucluelet Aquarium offers great family fun and a chance to welcome the star of the show, the Giant Pacific Octopus, and discover the amazing marine life that inhabits the waters of Vancouver Island.

If you can’t make it to Saturday’s opening or visit during the season, another hands-on experience is available when volunteers assist aquarium staff at the end of the season in early December, to release all specimens to the locations where they were captured.

Ucluelet Aquarium
180 Main Street
Ucluelet, BC V0R 3A0

Phone: 250-726-2782
Website: www.UclueletAquarium.org

Related Post: Release Day at Ucluelet Aquarium (December 4th, 2014)

Featured Image: Giant Pacific Octopus. Photo: BritishColumbia.com

Whilst sandy Long Beach on Vancouver Island’s west coast is the region’s most famous beach, the unique beaches of Ucluelet BC and the southern peninsula are great for hikes, beachcombing and picnics.

Many of Ucluelet’s beaches have access to the Wild Pacific Trail, with its incredible vistas of ocean, forest and islands. Most beaches have parking and washroom facilities. Dogs are allowed on the beaches but they must be on a leash.

Big Beach

Big Beach, Ucluelet, Vancouver Island, BC. Photo: Tourism Ucluelet.

Located a short walk from town at the foot of Matterson Drive in Ucluelet, this beach has a sheltered picnic area, warm sandy beach, volcanic rocks and access to the Wild Pacific Trail. Facing west, the beach is a great place to watch the sun set.

Fletchers Beach (Ucluth Beach)

Fletchers Beach (Ucluth Beach) Ucluelet, Vancouver Island, BC. Photo: Tourism Ucluelet.

Fletchers Beach, or Ucluth Beach, is a pretty, secluded beach a few kilometers north of town. The trail to the beach is located on the west side of the highway across from Fletchers Cove. From the highway this Ucluelet beach is a 15 minute walk, and the boundary of Pacific Rim National Park is just to the north of Wya Point.

Half Moon Bay and Florencia Bay

Halfmoon Bay and Florencia Bay, Ucluelet, Vancouver Island, BC. Photo: Tourism Ucluelet.

Located in Pacific Rim National Park, these three beaches are worth checking out. They are about 2 kilometers south of the Tofino-Ucluelet junction. Coming from Ucluelet turn left on Willowbrae Road, and the parking lot and trailhead are at the end of the road. It is about a 20-minute trek to the fork for either Half Moon Bay or Florencia Bay, also known locally as Wreck Beach.

Halfmoon Bay is secluded with a sandy, steep beach which is best visited at low tide. Then you’ll see many tidal pools where inter-tidal life abounds. To reach the tide pools, walk to the left at the end of the stairs to the rocks along the edge of the cove.

Florencia/Wreck Beach is a 5-kilometer long beach with another access at the north end via Wick Road. Florencia and Wreck beaches are favorites of local surfers. You’ll need to watch for tides on this beach as well, with the best time to visit at low tide. Long Beach, Vancouver Island’s iconic beach, is located in Wickaninnish Bay, just to the north of Florencia Bay.

Little Beach

Little Beach, Ucluelet, Vancouver Island, BC. Photo: BritishColumbia.com

Little Beach is also close to town and south of Big Beach. It is a BC Heritage Site where archaeologists have found remains of an old First Nations midden. This small beach is sheltered, has great views of the shoreline, and is located along the Wild Pacific Trail.

Terrace Beach

Terrace Beach in Ucluelet , Vancouver Island, BC. Photo: Tourism Ucluelet.

Terrace Beach is a quiet sandy public beach set amongst the trees adjacent to the Wild Pacific Trail’s Terrace Beach Interpretive Trail. Not far from Little Beach, Terrace Beach is between He Tin Kis Park and Terrace Beach Park.

Wickaninnish Beach and South Beach

Wickaninnish Beach on west coast Vancouver Island, BC. Photo: Tourism Ucluelet.

Located in Pacific Rim National Park these beaches are about 3 kilometers north of the Tofino-Ucluelet junction. Heading north from Ucluelet turn left on Wickaninnish Beach Road and follow that until you reach a T-intersection. The Kwisitis Visitor Centre and access to Quisitis and South Beaches are to your left. Parking lots with washroom facilities and beach access to Wickaninnish Beach are to your right.

Wickaninnish Beach is home to the Pacific Rim National Park’s Kwisitis Visitor Centre and the Wickaninnish Restaurant. It is the most southern end of Long Beach. Wickaninnish Beach is a great place for beach combing, picnicking and surfing. Travel north along the beach and discover the natural sand dunes.

To get to South Beach find a trail behind the Kwisitis Visitor Centre. This trail becomes a boardwalk before reaching a fork in the trail. Turn left to follow the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Trail to the Florencia Bay parking lot and turn right to continue to South Beach. South Beach is picturesque with a sandy and pebbled beach. It also features interesting grey rock formations and is an ideal location for watching the waves surge and spray up on the rocks.

Source:
Tourism Ucluelet: Experience Breathtaking West Coast Beaches
Tourism Ucluelet Website: www.ucluelet.ca

More Information:
Ucluelet, British Columbia
Pacific Rim (West Coast)

The residents of the quaint village of Ucluelet, on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, are justifiably proud of their Ucluelet Aquarium, which exhibits the amazing marine life that inhabits the waters of neighbouring Barkley Sound and Clayoquot Sound.

Not out of the ordinary, you might say, but Ucluelet Aquarium is unique in that they capture their marine creatures before the commencement of each season, and release the critters safely and humanely back into their marine habitat at the end of the season.

The animals on display at Ucluelet Aquarium may not be aware that they provide a stimulating hands-on and close-up learning environment for 30,000 adults and children every year, but the interesting and beautiful specimens are quite possibly aware that their well being is the primary concern of the aquarium … and that care is evident in the respectful and careful way they are treated and exhibited.

The Catch-and-Release practice minimizes the impact on the environment and ensures that displays are always new and interesting. The aquarium is located right on the promenade on Ucluelet Harbour, with fresh seawater from the harbour flowing directly through their exhibit tanks.

Saturday, December 6th, is the big release day this year, and the public is invited to participate and assist with the heartwarming and popular venture. All marine residents, including the Great Pacific Octopus, the starfish, sea urchins and sea cucumbers, and many species of fish, will be returned to the wild – back into the same areas and habitat from where they were collected.

These critters will likely be warmly welcomed back into their local hood, but man, do they ever have some explaining to do. Setting out to fetch dinner and returning six months later empty handed requires a pretty convincing explanation, and we all know how intelligent an octopus is, so Mister Octopus Prime had better have a plausible story prepared if he hopes to enjoy an eight-arm embrace from Missus Great Pacific.

Ucluelet Aquarium
180 Main Street
Ucluelet, BC V0R 3A0

Phone: 250-726-2782
Website: www.UclueletAquarium.org