Explorers’ Club
Time to get outside.
Soak Up the Natural Hot Springs
This isn’t a below-ground hot tub in the woods. When you finally reach Hot Springs Cove (more on that later), a winding wooden trail through the rainforest delivers you at a deep rock crevice that snakes down to the oceanfront. It’s filled with small pools of steaming natural hot-spring water (which typically sit at around 109°F), with the hottest temps at the most inland point, spraying madly from the rocks up top. Sit in the narrow waist-deep pools and enjoy the hydrotherapy session against a score of waves crashing down below. If you bring in food, the local husky-mix dogs will find you and sniff you up and down for scraps (don’t give in!).
Getting there At 27 nautical miles northwest of Tofino in Maquinna Provincial Park, it’s boat or plane. We recommend you do both: Jamie’s Whaling Station and Adventure Centre tours you around Clayoquot Sound for two hours to spot grey whales on your way there, and then you get to pile into a float plane to zip back—20 minutes and you’re back in Tofino, ready for the next adventure ($199 for adults; $179 for kids three to 12). jamies.com
Easy (Even for You) Beginner Surfing Lesson
Surfing scares the pants off many anon-Olympic swimmer, and that’s why Tofino is the best place to try it. Long, flat beaches mean the rising water gradient is slow, and therefore the swimming chops required are totally average. Yes, you can drown in an inch of water, but at waist-deep with your feet firmly planted in the soft sand, the ocean seems far less threatening. First-timers should book a lesson, and Surf Sisters is one of the originals on the coast. Super-positive (and patient) instructors teach you all the basics on the beach before assisting you in the water with everything from getting on your board to holding your board while you flush your nostrils of sea water. Catch one wave, even in a half-crouch, and you’ll be hooked. surfsister.com