6 Tips to Make Your Tofino Reading Break Trip the Best One Ever

Tofino. The fabled land of surfing, tacos and adventure. It’s the quintessential reading break destination, the classic UVic roadtrip, and one of the core “Island” experiences that nearly every UVic student has had at one point during their time spent here.

It’s the thought that keeps you going as you slog waist deep through midterm season, and the motivation to write your paper ahead of time so you can head North for the weekend. It’s kind of a magical place, folks. If you’ve been there before, you know what I’m talking about. If not, you’ll know once you get there. The way the fog envelops the pristine beaches in the mornings, and rolls off as the sun hits it. The infectious, buzzing energy and excitement when the surf is up. The wild feeling of reckless joy and stoke when you catch your first wave. The silent, towering trees with sand strewn about their roots and the odd hammock strung up between them. This is a place where land and sea collide, a place that has not been tamed, just touched, by adventuresome humans.

If you haven’t been there yet, start planning your trip now. Reading break is fast approaching, and I’ve got some advice for you to make your trip to Tofino the best it can possibly be.

1. If you’ve never heard of Tacofino before, you’re in for a treat. The famed food truck is parked behind “Live to Surf” a surf shop a few kilometers outside of Tofino. The food they whip up in that little truck could quite possibly constitute my last meal if I had to choose one. The burritos are massive, the tacos are unreal, and the spicy dark chocolate diablo cookies are exactly the thing to warm you up after a chilly surf sesh. Oh, and that’s key. The magic of Tacofino is eating it AFTER you surf. You’ll be tempted to order one the moment you pull into town. Don’t. The magic happens when you’re exhausted, shivering and your lungs are half full of sea water. Believe me, it’s worth the wait.

2. Stock up on groceries and gas in Victoria. Prices continually climb as you go North, and you’ll be happy for the pre-purchased snacks after a surf or a hike.

3. Hang your wetsuit up to dry overnight. It sounds pretty simple, but you’d be amazed how that is the last thing on your mind after you peel it off in the parking lot and chuck it into the bottom of your trunk in a wet soggy pile. You’ll be so wrapped up in warming up and getting to Tacofino as fast as humanly possible that you’ll probably forget it in the car once you finally get to wherever you’re staying for the night. Grab it and hang it up in the bathroom or even on the railing outside- you’ll be glad when you have to wriggle into it again in the morning! And your car won’t smell like whale burps.

4. Bring a thermos of hot tea to the beach to sip on after you surf. There’s nothing better than a few gulps of hot, un-salted liquid as you emerge from the waves.

5. Get a Groupon! There are tons of great surf rental deals just waiting to be found on Groupon. Often you can get more than 50% off rentals!

6. Bring your sweet photographer friend along to document your trip (HUGE shout out to the amazing and incredibly talented Braeden Clark for the photos in this post!

That’s it folks! I hope these tricks do you well on your Tofino adventure, whether it’s your first time visiting or your tenth. Hang loose!