Qualicum Beach is both a beach and a town.

The road from Parksville follows the coast and in Qualicum it is very close to the beach. An exit just before the beach heads inland to the town and shopping area.
We followed the beach road initially, and on that afternoon the tide was high, so we couldn’t see what the beach would be like when it was low tide. Here the cottages and lowrise motels are built on a small stretch of shore between the beach and the road, very different from Parksville and Rathtrevor Beaches.

There were some people paddling in the shallows with their dogs. One dog was chasing waves, diving in to try to capture whitecaps. The other had a stick. No one was paying him and his stick much attention, though. Desperate to have it tossed, he was wiggling around his humans, dipping, and doing pretty much anything he could to draw attention to himself. His people continued on, discussing something fascinating apparently.

When they finally noticed the dog and threw the stick, he bolted after it, full of enthusiastic delight. The stick landed in the water and was tossed by the waves. By the time the poor dog had waded through the water, the stick was lost.