Beach day!
Okay, the main reason anyone comes to Parksville is the beaches. In my case it is Rathtrevor Beach. At least 1 klick long and approximately 3.5 klicks in size, Rathtrevor has a long, slow slope, which means that it’s really hard to get in to deep water no matter where the tide is. This makes it pretty much the perfect beach for small children.
The tides are on a six hour schedule. This means that if it is high tide at nine am, low tide (a kilometre away) is about 3 in the afternoon. When it’s low tide the hard sand beach has a series of tide pools, some quite deep, some very shallow. The sand is always wet, or dry on the surface, but wet underneath, making it great for digging and creating sand castles.
Rathtrevor Beach is a large bay. The arm on the north side is Rathtrevor Provincial Park and campground. The campground is one of the most popular in BC and books up fast. Many people come back year after year for their summer vacation. The top of the bay is the home of a dozen resorts and the southern arm is filled with cottage complexes.
Though visually the beach looks flat, there is a gradual slope that means you can find water deep enough to swim in—if the tide is in—but you have to walk out quite a distance to find it. This shallow slope makes this a perfect beach for small children, though, because it’s really hard to get in to deep water no matter where the tide is.
The tide comes right up to the top of the beach, so the sand is always hard. On a sunny day, when the tide is out, the sand is heated by the sun and warms the water. Another reason Rathtrevor is a great family beach.
The tides are on a six hour schedule. This means that if it is high tide at nine am, low tide (a kilometre away) is about 3 in the afternoon. When it’s low tide the hard sand beach has a series of tide pools, some fairly deep, some very shallow. The sand is wet, or dry on the surface, but wet underneath, making it great for building sand castles. There is always someone digging away, expressing themselves by creating a sculpture that will be washed away before the day is over.
We consulted the tide schedule today before going out on the beach and decided we’d go over to Rathtrevor Park for the afternoon. The tide was still coming in when we got there, but it was high enough that we only had to plow through the water for five or ten minutes before it was deep enough to immerse outselves. By deep enough I mean about 3 feet. The water was clear, warm and wonderful. And the sun was hot! Good thing I remembered sunscreen.
Unfortunately I forgot that the tide was still coming in. We’d put our towels on the sand close to the top of the beach, which what we thought was far enough away from the incoming water to be safe. It wasn’t. We’d forgotten how fast Rathtrevor’s tide moves. Someone kindly shifted the towels back to the wall, but they were wet when we came out of the water about a half an hour after we went in, so the tide must have reached them before they were saved. Thank you to whoever it was who kept them from floating away! Wet towels are a bit ucky, but it was a hot day and we survived!
