Every November, something shifts on the coast. The summer crowds disappear. The surf shops go quiet. The parking lots at Long Beach, which were a nightmare in August, sit empty. And then the storms roll in.
I live in Tofino year-round. And I’ll be honest — storm season is my favourite time here. Not because of some romantic idea about wild weather. Because the town becomes itself again. The people walking the beach in January are here because they actually want to be, not because they saw it on Instagram.
If you’re thinking about coming out for storm watching, good. You should. But most of the guides online read like they were written by someone who visited once in July. So here’s what it’s actually like, from someone who watches these storms from his living room.
When Storm Season Actually Is
Tourism Tofino says November through February, and that’s roughly right. But the real answer is: it depends on the year.
I’ve seen massive systems hit in late October. I’ve seen February go weirdly calm. The peak — the storms that make the news, the ones that send spray over the rocks at Cox Bay and rattle your windows at 3am — those tend to land between mid-November and mid-January.
If you only have one weekend to come out, aim for late November or early December. That’s your best odds.
Pro tip: Watch Environment Canada marine forecasts for the west coast of Vancouver Island. When you see sustained winds above 70 km/h and significant wave heights above 5 metres, that’s a real storm. Book your accommodation, get in the car.
Where to Watch
Every guide lists the same spots. They’re not wrong, but here’s the honest breakdown:
Cox Bay — The Best All-Rounder
Cox Bay faces due west into the open Pacific. No islands breaking the swell. No headlands softening the wind. When a system hits, Cox Bay takes the full force of it.
The beach is wide enough that you can stand back at a safe distance and still feel the power. The spray carries hundreds of metres inland on a big day. You will get wet. That’s the point.
Park at the Cox Bay parking lot and walk out. Don’t try to get clever with positioning — stay well back from the waterline and watch the tide. People underestimate how fast the water moves during a storm surge.
Chesterman Beach — The Comfortable Option
If you’re staying at the Wickaninnish Inn or one of the B&Bs along Chesterman, you can watch from your room. Seriously. The Wick was basically built for this — they were designated a Canadian Signature Experience for storm watching.
But even if you’re not dropping $500 a night, Chesterman is a great walk in heavy weather. It’s slightly more sheltered than Cox Bay, which means you can actually stay on your feet. Good for families or anyone who wants the experience without getting absolutely hammered by wind.
Wickaninnish Beach
This is at the south end of Long Beach inside Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. The beach itself is powerful in a storm but the parking lot is a decent walk. In serious wind and rain, that walk can be an experience in itself.
Long Beach — Dramatic but Exposed
Long Beach is the postcard. Ten kilometres of open sand. In a storm, it’s otherworldly — the scale of it makes the waves look even more massive.
The challenge is exposure. There’s nothing to hide behind on Long Beach. If the wind is really up, it’s hard to stand, hard to see, and sand gets driven into every surface of your body. Worth doing once. Not where I’d spend a whole afternoon.
The Spot Most Guides Miss
There’s a spot I go that I’m saving for the guide. I’ll say this: it’s not a beach. You’re above the waves, not in front of them. And the sound is different up there — you hear the whole system, not just what’s hitting the shore in front of you.
What to Actually Wear
This is where most visitors get it wrong. Tofino in storm season is not cold the way Alberta is cold. It’s 4-8°C with horizontal rain and 90 km/h wind. Hypothermia comes from being wet and windblasted, not from air temperature.
What works:
- A proper rain shell. Not a “water resistant” jacket from a department store. Gore-Tex or equivalent. This is the single most important thing you bring.
- Rain pants. Yes, really. Your jeans will be soaked through in ten minutes and you’ll be miserable for the rest of the day.
- Rubber boots or waterproof hiking boots. Sneakers are useless.
- Layers underneath — wool or synthetic, not cotton. Cotton kills is a real saying out here for a reason.
- A toque and gloves. The wind strips heat off your head fast.
What doesn’t work:
- Umbrellas. The wind will destroy them instantly. I see tourists trying this every year. Don’t be that person.
- “Waterproof” sneakers. They’re not.
- Jeans. See above.
What Nobody Tells You
The Sound
Photos and videos don’t capture it. The sound of a proper winter storm on this coast is physical. You feel it in your chest. The roar of the waves, the wind screaming through the trees, and then — if you’re lucky — a brief lull where everything goes quiet and you hear individual waves breaking a kilometre out. Then it all comes back.
It’s Dangerous
I don’t say this to be dramatic. People die on this coast in storms. Sneaker waves — the ones that come much further up the beach than anything before them — are real. Logs that look beached can be picked up by a wave and thrown. The rocks at the headlands are slick.
The rules are simple:
- Never turn your back on the ocean
- Stay off the rocks
- Stay well above the high tide line
- If you see logs in the surf zone, stay away from them. A rolling log will kill you.
- Watch with kids? Hold their hands. No exceptions.
This isn’t a spectator sport with guardrails. Respect it.
The Drive In
The road from Nanaimo to Tofino (Highway 4 through the mountains) can be rough in winter. Snow on the Sutton Pass, standing water, and the occasional fallen tree. Check DriveBC before you leave. If you don’t have winter tires or aren’t comfortable driving mountain highways in weather, take a floatplane from Vancouver — Tofino Air and Pacific Coastal both run flights.
Some Restaurants Close
Tofino shrinks in winter. Some places shut down entirely from November to March. Don’t assume the restaurant you went to in August is open.
What’s reliably open year-round:
- The Pointe at the Wickaninnish Inn — high end, incredible view, worth it for a storm dinner at least once
- Shelter — solid menu, good cocktails, open daily
- Tacofino — the original container location, casual, cheap, always a line even in the rain
- Schooner Restaurant — winter is Dungeness crab season. Order the crab. Trust me.
- Wildside Grill — fish and chips, burgers, the no-frills fuel stop
Where to Stay
Storm watching accommodation ranges from $100/night to $800/night. Here’s the honest breakdown:
Splurge: Wickaninnish Inn
The Wick is the gold standard. Ocean-facing rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, a fireplace, and waves crashing below. It’s expensive. It’s worth doing once. Their storm watching packages include dinner at The Pointe and that alone makes the premium more reasonable.
Mid-Range: Pacific Sands Beach Resort
Beachfront suites on Cox Bay. You’re right on the best storm watching beach with a kitchen and a fireplace. Storm watching packages available in winter. This is where I send most friends.
Budget-Friendly: Crystal Cove Beach Resort
Log cabins on MacKenzie Beach. Not as dramatic as Cox Bay but cozy and significantly cheaper in winter. They run storm watching specials too.
The Local Angle: Tin Wis Best Western
On MacKenzie Beach, owned and operated by the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation. Beachfront rooms at the lowest price on the waterfront. It’s not luxury but it’s right on the beach and your money stays in the community. I respect that.
What Else to Do When the Storm Takes a Break
Storms cycle. You’ll get lulls — sometimes a few hours, sometimes a full calm day between systems. That’s when you:
- Hike the Rainforest Trail in Pacific Rim National Park. Two short loops through old-growth temperate rainforest. After a storm, the forest is dripping and alive. Fifteen minutes, completely different world.
- Hot Springs Cove — a 90-minute boat ride up the coast to natural hot springs in the middle of the rainforest. Some operators run winter trips. It’s one of the best experiences in BC, full stop.
- Surf — Yes, in winter. Tofino’s surf scene runs year-round. Winter swells are bigger, the water is cold (5mm wetsuit territory), and the lineups are empty. If you’ve never surfed, the schools still run in winter with smaller groups.
- Eat crab — Winter is Dungeness crab season. This is when you get the freshest, best crab of the year.
The Part That Matters
You’re visiting Tla-o-qui-aht territory. This coast has been home to the Tla-o-qui-aht and Ahousaht First Nations for thousands of years — long before it became a tourist destination.
There’s no special protocol required as a visitor, but awareness matters. The tribal parks, the cultural sites, the forests that make this place what it is — they’re here because Indigenous people have stewarded this land since time immemorial. A few of the businesses in town are First Nations-owned and operated. Seek them out.
Get the Full Guide
This post covers storm watching. But there’s a lot more to Tofino than November through February.
[Tofino Like a Local: The Insider’s Guide to BC’s West Coast →] covers every season, every beach, the hikes that don’t show up on AllTrails, where to eat for every budget, how to surf Tofino as a complete beginner, wildlife by month, and the honest cost breakdown of a trip.
Written by someone who actually lives here.
[Get the Guide →]