On Canada Day 2023, I spent a few hours marvelling a four kilometre stretch of sand along a small town on Vancouver Island called Qualicum Beach. My feet politely skirted skittering crabs of various sizes, nameless (to me) insects, and seaweed strands. The sun and mid-twenties Celsius weather had gently warmed the shin-high, crystal clear waters along my stroll. As I inched a little further so that the incoming cooler tidal wash could reach my knees, my feet sank a little into an unstable surface, unknowingly over white and purple sand dollars. Moving inwards to the harder packed sand, I accidentally stepped on the soft protrusion of an oddly named “Pacific Geoduck” (pronounced ‘gooeyduck’). As if I had disturbed it from a few metres deep slumber, this even more oddly shaped phallic creature proceeded to spit out an arc of watery contempt in my general direction. Military planes from the nearby CFB Comox flew overhead.
Fast forward to nearly one year later for a pleasant surprise. J. Duane Sept’s The New Beachcomber’s Guide to the Pacific Northwest: Second Revised Edition provides a well-organized and comprehensive list which identifies many of the strange organisms I encountered that day. Those weird little black beatles crawling about as I lifted up rocks to unblock the sand to sea beeline of a juvenile Norther Kelp Crab? Oregon Pill Bug. The loose seaweed tangling between my toes? Likely Common Eelgrass. Excellent photography work accompanying each animal and plant description allowed me to recognize what I see closer to home in Vancouver and also during my visits to Roberts Creek along the Sunshine Coast of BC.
If you are fortunate enough to live along or travel to the Pacific Coast of Canada, having this book as a guide to your discoveries will make for an interesting few hours. There is also entertainment to be had with some of the names for tidepool fish like “Mosshead Warbonnet” and tunicates (named for an exterior tunic coating) like “Warty Sea Squirt” and “California Sea Pork”. Juvenile humour aside, this reference is also a handy resource for shell collectors. I have already held the washed ashore remnants of various clams, cockles, macomas, and mussels, previously mis-identifying many of them as the same. The variations in markings and shapes are not a figment of my imagination, and cannot be excused merely by environmental disturbances. I have been schooled now; they are indeed very different.
One of my favourite sections in this book is the identification of seaweeds. Bull kelp is in abundance where I live, and curiously strong. I have stepped on a few bulbs out of curiosity to investigate the texture. I have also enjoyed Common Pickleweed (a.k.a., sea asparagus) as a healthy side dish.
Not too far offshore, I can account for bright purple Bat Stars clinging to sun-baked rocks for dear life during my evening kayak excursions. With my carbon fiber wing paddle, I have tried, unsuccessfully, to scoop up slippery Pacific Moon Jellies for a close, but safer look. I say safer, as I have wakeboarded over top what I can only refer to as an overwhelming explosion of such jellyfish one summer. I did a faceplant into a wake covered with jellies without being stung. Jury is still out on my ability to do math these days, or remember that I drove to work instead of taking the bus.
If you are a curious adventurer, I highly recommend this as an essential guide. It is guaranteed to enhance your expertise regarding all the amazing sea flora and fauna on or near the pacific coast shoreline.
J. Duane Sept is a biologist, writer, professional photographer and environmental consultant. Driven by a passion for wildlife, Sept has studied marine life throughout western Canada, the greater Pacific Northwest and California. His photographs and writing have been published in numerous periodicals, including BBC Wildlife, Canadian Wildlife, Nature Canada and Outdoor Canada. He lives with his wife on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia.
Publisher: Harbour Publishing (May 18, 2024)
Paperback 6″ x 9″ | 416 pages
ISBN: 9781990776731
Mala Rai is a poet, drummer, psychology student, and technical writing hired gun on the West Coast. Her most recent poems have appeared in Eclectica Magazine, High Shelf Press, and Anti-Heroin Chic. You can follow her on Instagram @malaraipoetry