The Strait of Juan de la Fuca

Looking for a rugged surfing experience? One that requires long hikes through wet forest, frigid water, bears and loads of local knowledge. What if I was to tell you that your efforts yield sweeping cobble stone left point breaks, left wedge beach breaks, spectacular forest backdrops and sparsely populated lineups. If your mouth is starting to water, perhaps Washington’s Strait of Juan de la Fuca coastline would suit your interests.
The raw North Pacific storms that slam the Washington coastline with fervency throughout the winter months make the regions Pacific coastal waters nearly unsurfable. But take a journey 20, 30, 50, heck, 100 miles up the strait and the tattered beasts have been filtered into groomed lines.
The region is largely undeveloped as it sits primarily on Makah, Ozette, Quileute and Elwha Indian Reservations and state parkland. Needless to say, surfers, or any people for that matter, are few and far between along the wild coastline.
“I remember one day while hiking to (insert secret spot here) and I almost shit myself when I saw a black bear right up the trail,” Justin Quirk said, recounting his experience at Juan de la Fuca. “There was snow on the ground and I asked myself what I was even doing there. But once you reach the beach and see the set ups, its all worth it.”
“A lot of the spots we had to hike to, anywhere from five minutes to two hours, through what seemed like a cold rain forest. With a backpack and a board under arm, you had to scale down steep trails hold on to ropes and tree roots. I heard a lot of the spots were only found in the last 10 years by locals who made the trails and strung the ropes themselves. There were these left points where the wave would come down the point sideways and sling shot you like some kind of a speed-wedge-bank. It reminded me of the East Cape in Cabo but a left, going way faster, standing up and barreling more.” – Justin Quirk

Doesn’t it face north? Yeah. And it even faces east in some places. Vancouver Island in the adjacent Canadian province of British Colombia is your back drop along the entire Fuca coastline. But during the winter months there is so much wave energy out to sea that the swells will wrap themselves up the straight almost all the way to Port Angeles, about 100 miles from the Pacific.

Getting there: Seattle is the easiest place to fly into if airplane is your preferred mode of transport. Renting a car there is recommended. Then you can drive to Port Angeles (about two and a half hours) and venture westward along the Strait’s coastline from there. If you are driving from California take the 101 north…as far as it goes.

Bring: Someone who has been there before.

What else? You are in the depths of the Pacific Northwest, meaning that there is enough Mother Nature around to put an “O” face on Henry David Thoreau. The Olympic National Park is just inland (south) of the Strait of Juan de la Fuca and offers plenty of forested fun. Nearby Seattle is a great city to check out, eat some clam chowder, drink dark beer and watch the rain splatter. And don’t forget about the Canuk coastline just across the strait (hmmmm…rights?). There are ferries from Port Angeles to Victoria on Vancouver Island.