Photos: Coldwater Imagery That’ll Make You Want to Dust Off Your Thickest Wetsuit
Marcus Paladino
·2 min read
So far this winter, British Columbia has experienced an excess of wet and warm weather, much to the dismay of Canadians–especially those high-altitude snow enthusiasts. The West Coast–Vancouver Island–in particular, has witnessed a plethora of overlapping swells and constantly shifting winds, creating a scenario that is both intriguing and, at times, frustrating.
Traditionally our best spots often struggle to handle the intensity of the storm season, resulting in an all-day version of "morning sickness" on the horizon. But this type of weather pattern also opens up new opportunities at less frequented spots and produces quality sandbars at local beach breaks around Tofino.
Enjoy these recent fleeting moments from the much-hyped 2023/24 El Niño season.
Images and captions by Marcus Paladino
Pete Devries doesn’t necessarily go left by choice, but when he does it’s a sight to be seen.
No one likes an end section more than Pete Devries, opting here to keep his board in the water and demonstrate the meaning of power surfing.
Sepp Bruhwiler must have found the fountain of youth because he’s still flaring at sunset like he did in the '90s.
Easy to look at, but hard to find. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack on stormy days like this.
Boat trips up the coast can always leave you wanting more. Good rule of thumb: Don’t leave good waves to look for good waves.
Marcus Paladino
Incoming swell lines along Vancouver Island's coast.
Marcus Paladino
Foreground, background and an air reverse by Pete Devries.
Marcus Paladino
Mathea Olin surfing out of her skin at this powerful left.
Marcus Paladino
No one loves a novelty wave more than Michael Darling.
Marcus Paladino
Cam Richards always scores and soars on his trips to the Pacific Northwest–I believe he’s 3/3 now.
Marcus Paladino
Pete Devries takes advantage of the lack of crowd during a dawn patrol surf at his favorite spot.
Marcus Paladino
Home sweet home. Peter grew up surfing this beach and has it more dialed than anyone.
Marcus Paladino
A ton of swell means more log spots for Andy ‘Disco’ Jones, seen here gracefully hanging ten before dark.
Marcus Paladino
Rumor has it Reed Platenius hadn’t slept in 36 hours before catching this wave. The kid's always on the move, I wish I had his unlimited energy while struggling against the current to stay in the spot this day.
Marcus Paladino
I’ll never forget this day. My mom passed away the night before taking this photo of Michael Darling. I swam for almost 6 hours to shoot the surf, trying to heal myself in the ocean.
Marcus Paladino
I say it every time, but when Curtis Parker gets barreled we all get barreled.
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