Race Rocks Light Station near Victoria BC

<About 10 km west of Victoria along the Juan de Fuca Strait lies a small group of Islands which are just out of the mouth of Pedder Bay. The oldest lighthouse on the West Coast of Canada is at Race Rocks. The name was given to this small group of islands and rocks that sit in an area that has incredible current cause by tidal movement and is augmented by the fact that the water is only 30-60 feet deep near the Rocks. All the water that comes up Juan de Fuca Strait is pushed towards the surface as it hits these shallows and often you can see 10 foot standing waves where the current is the strongest. The Rocks are home to a large colony of sea lions during most of the fall, winter and spring. There are seals there as well as otters and lots of sea birds. If you are lucky enough to venture below the surface you will see sites that rival Butchart Gardens. Underwater life here is abudent and spectacular. There are wolf eels, sea lions and tons of anemones, soft corals, and much more. It is amazing. To get there, you will need to rent a boat from Pedder Bay. Don't go there is you are inexperienced with the ocean and tides, or hire someone to take you there.