Bamfield Enjoyable Base for Sport Fishing

Greetings,

This past summer (2011) we spent a week in Bamfield using it as a base for sport fishing in the surrounding waters and also to tour the Broken Group. We enjoyed this village and the area in Barkley Sound.

There is a 7 knot speed limit at the entrance to the inlet - reduced to no wake as you get further into the inlet.

• The Bamfield post office is next to the Bamfield General Store.
• There are daily water taxi services (Pardise and Imperial Eagle) to get you back and forth from the west side of the inlet to the east side.
• The east side does not have a fuel dock nor were we able to get water there.
• You can get diesel and gas at the Harbourside Lodge (250.728.3330)
• You can get gas at the McKay Lodge (250.728.3323).
• You can purchase a fishing license at McKay Lodge.
• Salt ice is available at Mills Landing Cottages and Charters(250.728.2300), McKay and Harbourside Lodges.
• Limited moorage and power is available at the McKay and Harbourside Lodges.
• We moored our boat, the Jesse James, at the Broken Island Group Adventures (250.728.3500) docks (west side) for seven days with water and power (20 and 30 amp). Reservations are recommended. The docks are former government docks and are in good shape. Some of the commercial seiners (sockeye salmon were running) also stayed overnight at the dock, but they tend to come in, tie up, dine, go to bed early and are gone by light.
• The MV Lady Rose provides water transportation from Port Alberni. HarbourAir/West Coast Air provide air transportation.
• You can take your garbage on the west side to a dumpster on the dock next to the general store, though it is picked up every couple days by the Lady Rose and returned the following day. The store has recyling bins for your recyclables, glass, plastic and cans. Garbage can also be taken to the east side dumpster and there is a fee for garbage, $2-3 dollars per bag.
• There is a small restaurant/grill on the east side with limited hours and there is also a bar/grill on the east side as well. We ate at the bar/grill one night, but I believe the boater should be prepared to cook and enjoy meals on the boat or possibly make meal arrangements with a lodge.
• On the west side there is a lunch/espresso counter, dining al fresco, again limited hours, with good lattes and a limited lunch menu. They also serve a few varieties of beer.
• It appears the majority of the lodges and any mooring facilities are on the west side of the inlet. We found the people at the lodges to be friendly and helpful.

During our stay we observed the following activities:

July 6th -8th

Pulling Together Canoe Journey by native canoers. They arrive in Bamfield with drumming and flags waving.

July 9-17th

Music By the Sea—presented at the university Rix Center for Ocean Discoveries with muscians from all over the world playing classical, contemporary, chamber and jazz music. Advance reservations needed. We did not have tickets but did take the dinghy over to the Center to watch the “call and response” between a trumpeter on the water and the drums on shore. There are daily land shuttles from Port Alberni to Bamfield during the concert week.

It was our understanding there had been some car break-ins and stolen cars in the dock parking area on the east side of the inlet, which has been resolved as the thieves were caught later this summer.

We will return to Bamfield as we enjoyed the area, the fishing and the people.

Regards,
Judith Juntunen