Trip Advisor Best of the best

The Real Surf Season Has Arrived in Tofino

September, October and November are widely-regarded as the best months to surf on BC's West Coast.
The Surf Club at Long Beach Lodge Resort has everything you need (and more) to get you out in the water.   Andy Herridge finds a thick one at a beach that's been asleep all summer.   That autumn light just hits a little different.


In a place that’s famous for year-round surf, you could say that it’s always “Surf Season” in Tofino. And you’d be right! Waves are in high supply around here. But there’s just something magical about these next few months.

“September is my favourite, personally,” says Chance McCullough, head of Long Beach Lodge’s Surf Club. “The waves are good, the weather’s still warm and the sunsets are still epic.”

Local surfers wax poetic all summer long about the fall sessions to come. Not too big. Not too small. Just the right amount of energy in the ocean to light up not just Cox Bay, but a few of the other local beaches that have been lying dormant all summer.

Good livin’, baby.

Surfline, one of the top wave forecasting sites, echoes all of these sentiments:

“(September-November) you can’t really go wrong with fall on the West Coast of North America,” the site explains. “The weather and wind conditions are generally calm and comfortable, while early storms in the North Pacific bring healthy groundswell.”

Green waves abound with no one around. Fall on BC's West Coast really pumps up the jam. /// Photo: Andrea Helleman   The consistent, powerful whitewash at Cox Bay will get beginner surfers popping to their feet in no time.   Fall sessions await.

And while the following few months capture the collective imagination of seasoned surfers, fall’s a great time of year for beginners and intermediates as well. The whitewash has a little extra OOMPH that helps pop you straight to your feet. And if you’re looking for those coveted green waves out back, there’s a good chance you’ll find a little sand bank that you can call your own.

Of course, we’re still on the wild west coast of Vancouver Island. So it’s wildly unpredictable. Sometimes Storm Watching season comes a little early, with six-metre swells smashing into our coastline.

And sometimes you’re suntanning in the autumn light between the best surf sessions you’ve ever had out here.

Tofino’s full of surprises.

It’s part of our charm.    

Check Our Fall Availability




More Tofino 360 Stories



"Another great stay at LBL"
2024-11-10
My wife and I enjoyed a wonderful four-night stay in a Rainforest Cottage. The beaches were intoxicatingly serene and our stay was very relaxing. We enjoyed a wonderful meal in the great room, where the ambience and service was superb as always.
"Long Beach Getaway"
2024-10-27
My wife and I stayed at the resort last November and it was so much fun that we wanted to go back in October this year. The room was great and the service was just the best one could imagine. We will go back next year again for sure, it is that good, highly recommend this resort.
"One of the best “experience” hotels we’ve stayed in"
2024-10-29
We stayed here for 3 nights as part of a 14 day road-trip from Ireland and all I can say is that it was absolutely amazing. The staff were all so welcoming, friendly and attentive. We stayed in room 313 which was on the top floor overlooking the beach with a balcony. Truth be told, the hotel was so good we didn’t venture far over the 3 days, instead opting to just “relax” at the hotel walking the beach or sitting outside at the gas fires taking in the ambience and the surfers catching the waves. The food and service in the restaurant was amazing, I would even go so far to say it was the best food we’ve had in a long time at a hotel! If having food at the hotel, make sure you book a table at the restaurant before 6pm and maybe even arrive a little early. They will not reserve the window seats, but to get the best view of the sunset over the pacific - trust me, it’s where you want to be sitting. Cocktails were also very good. If getting a snack during the day you can get it at the Surf Club which is a few steps from the main building. After dinner we just retired to the bedroom with the gas fires going, patio doors open and enjoying a bottle of wine while listening to the waves crash on the beach. We didn’t do breakfast at the hotel any of the mornings as we wanted something “light” opting instead for the delights from the cafe & bakery Tofitian just a few minutes up the road. As an “experience”, it was hands down one of the best hotels I’ve visited in Canada/US. The team should be very proud.