Anyone know Tofino BC ?

Question

Have been living in Banff, Alta for a year, but now back in England. I am hoping to get the h**l out of here ASAP and get back to Canada. I really like the look of Tofino (from websites) but I have never been. Does anyone reading this live there or have you been there ? Is it worth trying to make a go of it on a more permanent basis in Tofino? I need the chillaxed atmosphere, surfing, biking and don't mind the rain - but will obvously need a job and a house !!! Or should I just go to Victoria...?

Thanks !

Answer 1

I was offered a job in Tofino a few years ago and went there looking for housing. That turned out to be a real bummer. Yes, it's a lovely place and the surf is stupendous, but the huge demand for tourist homes makes landlord greedy about summer. Many will rent you space only for the winter then boot you out for high season. For chilling out and being reasonably close to the west coast, I'd suggest the Comox Valley (Courtenay and Comox). It has been discovered by a lot of  the Calgary rich but is still affordable.

Answer 2

We need that guy from Ucluelet to reply to this, where is he? Tofino is a funny place. It's very small, but the presssure from tourist activity has given it ridiculously high prices for accommodation. I like the place a lot but don't know if I'd want to live there if I needed work. As with many small places, employment might be feast or famine. In the high season you wish there were two of you because you could both be working, low season nobody works. Tofino has winter tourism, though, so depending what you can do you might do fine. Are you sure about not minding the rain? I mean, it's really wet in winter. It can rain literally for days at a time, winter storms hit hard, though it's usually warmish. I'm with the other poster who recommended the Comox Valley, which is also where I live. It's close enough to do a day-trip to Tofino which avoids the where-to-stay question, the climate is better, and it's busy enough that you shouldn't have a lot of trouble finding work.

Answer 3

We have been to Tofino many times and it is a great place if you can handle the rain in the winter months.  It is busy there in winter as many people like to go storm watching as Tofino is wide open to the Pacific Ocean and the waves can really make things interesting.  Summers are a little cooler than the other side of Vancouver Island but you can still get a perfect tan.

As employment is primarily based on tourism, fishing and logging, finding employment shouldn't be a problem.  If you have any cooking skills, or small craft skills (taking out tours) you will do well.  Americans flock to Tofino and really seem to get off on the British accent so don't try to hide it, use it to your advantage.

Housing might be a bit of a challenge but some of the resorts provide employee housing or have access to relatively inexpensive housing so you will probably do just fine.

I live in Courtenay which is on the east side of Vancouver Island and about three hours drive from Tofino.  We go out there as often as possible and always enjoy ourselves.  Cheers

Answer 4

Its going to be tough to find a house at any price in Tofino (except when they run out of drinking water, which could happen again this year). Great place to go, but probably better to live in the Comox Valley.