Tofitian legend Pete Devries, whose accomplishments prove beyond any doubt that the west coast holds a place in surfing history. Photo: Jeremy Koreski
Anyone who has ever lived or visited Canada’s West Coast will know that it’s a very special place. I grew up in what I believed to be “rural” England but, after six months in Tofino, I now have a sense of why many people say “end of the road” to describe life on this coastline. What could lead to isolation has, in my experience, led to an unshakeable sense of community, contentedness and pride for everything that makes this part of the world so unique.
Knowing all this, I was surprised to discover that the West Coast Surf Museum project is still in its infancy. The Museum of British Surfing is over ten years old, and has enjoyed a permanent residence in my local town for the last two. In its early years, it toured our many surf spots in a bright red VW. The British museum’s rotating collection combines surfing, history and education. It’s a wonderful example of the way a museum can attract tourists and create a deeper unity within a surf-orientated area.
At the heart of the West Coast Surf Museum’s vision is a desire to capture the coastline’s oral history while creating something tangible that will endure for future generations. What makes the museum’s initial work so fascinating is the immediacy of content. The remote and harsh nature of the west coast means its surfing history is far more focused than that of Britain, which has easily accessible beach breaks around nearly every headland.
There are stories here–unique, inspiring, unbelievable stories. Stories from Dave Hadden who recalls surfing on the island in the seventies; Jenny Hudnall who started Tofino’s first female surf school; Kent Fiddy and Steve Richey who set up the Water Safety and Surf Apparatus School in 1972. The school taught over 800 people how to surf and was formative in the creation of the surf park guard program which was operational for almost 40 years. And Jim Sadler, who paddled out in giant Pacific swells on his 13-foot-plus plywood board, equipped with specially designed plywood hand paddles. There are photographs; the tecnicolored wetsuits which Live To Surf stocked in the ’90s and the quintessentially Canadian surfers on Long Beach in 1973. There is grainy, yet extraordinary, super 8 footage of endless Jordan River peelers from 35 years ago. Of course, there are also artifacts and surfboards.
If there’s one thing the WCSM’s work has proved, it’s that there are stories in abundance on this coast. These artifacts should not be confined to the borders of a photograph and these stories deserve to be shared somewhere more tangible than a facebook page.
The WCSM’s vision is to create an interactive, physical space which can showcase Canadian surf history and support local surf artists. A space which can host educational speakers and encourage dialogue around aquatic conservation, and a space which would inevitably, and rightly so, burst with pride and stoke at the rich, diverse and incredibly unique surfing heritage that Canada’s west coast is lucky enough to have.
The project needs your support, your energy and your enthusiasm to make it a reality. The museum has been raising awareness through the Tofino Market, a sparkling website, an endlessly fascinating facebook page as well as appearances on CBC television and radio. It’s fundraising through the crowd-funding website Indiegogo and is planning a fundraising party in the near future.
What will make the West Coast Surf Museum unique are stories from the first generation of cold water surfers who gave everything to transform this coastline into an internationally recognized proving ground for future wave riders. Wave riders such as Tofitian legend Pete Devries, whose accomplishments prove beyond any doubt that the west coast holds a place in surfing history. The West Coast Surf Museum is the next logical step to preserving such an extraordinary heritage.
I will admit that I came to Canada for the snow. But it’s Canada’s beautiful west coast, not its mountains, to which I plan to return.
