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 Activities
 If golf is
your game, there are four courses. (On the Pender Harbour fairways,
it would be unusual not to see elk!) A rite of passage on a coastal
sojourn is to visit Skookumchuck Narrows Park, located on the northeast
edge of the peninsula. You follow an easy four-kilometer, forested
trail to reach Skookumchuck
rapids – a rush of tidal water forced through a narrow, shallow
channel that is the fastest ocean rapids in the world. When the
churning water is at its highest, thrill-seeking river kayakers
play in the wild whitewater. Check the tides and time your visit
so you arrive about 30 minutes before high tide. You sit on boulders
to watch the tide rise and then enjoy the antics of the water daredevils.
Most of them are pretty good at staying upright. Do take care as
the Skookumchuck is dangerous at any tide change. There are two
fenced viewing areas suitable for families or those with pets,
so make use of them to be safe.
 This
is boat country: sign up for a fishing,
sailing or sightseeing charter or join a kayaking excursion.
In Robert’s Creek, Alpha
Adventures & Education offer lessons, rentals and
guided trips. An outing with Halfmoon
Sea Kayak means a paddle to hidden inlets, islands inhabited
by seals, and to one of BC’s best beaches on nearby Thormanby
Island. Kayak
the Coast Ecotours will introduce you to the Sechelt
Inlet including native pictographs and bird sanctuaries.
For
a memorable cruise, visit Princess
Louisa inlet. Aboard the Malibu Princess – a three-deck,
126-foot, 200 passenger vessel – you ogle incomparable scenery
as you travel up the Sechelt Inlet. Past a mosaic of green
shrouded mountains, and lichen-spangled boulders, you cruise
through a narrow inlet, that Captain Cook mistook for a river,
and into Princess Louisa Inlet. (At the mouth of the inlet
is the gorgeously-set Malibu Club, a rustically comfortable
retreat that, in September, is the site of an arts weekend.)
It’s a shame the intrepid explorer missed this magical enclave
where mountains tower and waterfalls – sometimes as many
as 60 – adorn granite faces like lacy curtains. This day
trip is capped off with a salmon barbecue. 
These
waters are equally enticing when seen from down under. In
fact, the Coast is ranked among Canada’s best places to scuba
dive because of the diversity of geological features
and marine life. “Divers come from all over the world to
see the great array of marine life including the giant pacific
octopus and the deep walls of fragile cloud sponges,” says
Tony Holmes who, along with wife, Ruth, owns Suncoast
Diving in Sechelt.
Further
along the Coast near Madeira Park, Georgia Strait Dive & Eco
Tours will arrange dive, fishing or kayak excursions aboard
a 37-foot cruiser.
 This
water-bordered region also ranks highly with the lycra-clad
set. Day cyclists spill off the ferry and pedal to Sechelt
or, a few kilometers farther to lunch on the sunny deck of
the Wakefield Inn, and return to the city on an evening ferry.
The undulating highway -- there are limited sections with
cycling lanes -- makes for a strenuous, satisfying day. Weekend
pedlars camp at Roberts Creek Provincial Park and enjoy the
beach. The prime challenge is a multi day, 400-kilometre
circuit that departs from Vancouver, covers the Sunshine
Coast to Powell River, then a ferry ride to Vancouver Island
where you head south to Parksville and then a ferry back
to Vancouver. 
Also,
the Sunshine Coast’s hillsides are riddled with mountain
biking trails. “There are over 400 km on a network of more
than 100 trails for mountain bikers of all ages and skill
levels,” enthuses Loraine Proctor of On
the Edge Biking. She and husband, Brad, rent bikes,
give clinics and operate tours.
Hikers
and birders revel in the variety of trails here. It’s tough
to choose from among so many but for a good work-out and
unprecedented views, my choice is Mount Daniel in the Pender
Harbour area. Allow about an hour-and-a-half to reach the
top which is strenuous but well worth the sweat. The panoramic
view is of islands and ocean that seem to go on forever and
you’ll be eye-level with soaring eagles, ravens and turkey
vultures.
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