Tofino

Tofino is cold-water surfing at its most beautiful. Perched on the wild west coast of Vancouver Island, this small town is wrapped in ancient temperate rainforest and faces the open Pacific. Cox Bay and Long Beach deliver consistent waves year-round, though you'll need a thick wetsuit (4/3mm minimum, 5/4mm in winter). The tradeoff for the cold? Empty lineups, old-growth forests, bears on the beach, and storm-watching season that rivals any spectacle in nature.