Victoria moves slower than most places, and I went there with no particular intention of speeding it up. The water is never far away, the light comes in low and soft off the strait, and it is remarkably easy to lose an afternoon simply watching who else is out there. This trip was mostly that. Walking, watching, and photographing whatever made me stop.
01 The crossing
The trip began, as most trips to the island do, on the ferry. There is something about that crossing that slows a person down before they have even arrived. The engines hum, the islands drift past, and everyone on board seems to end up at the rail at some point, looking out at nothing in particular.
One boy spent most of the ride exactly there, watching the water go by. I do not think he noticed me. I suspect he would not have cared if he had.
The water is never far away, and neither is something worth stopping for.
02 Around the island
Once we were across, we went looking for water. The Sooke Potholes, where the river has worn deep, clear pools into the rock. Goldstream, where the falls drop through old, dark forest and the air turns cold and green.
In between, the island kept offering small things. A deer wandered down a quiet residential street as though it had an appointment to keep. Old paint along the waterfront had cracked and faded in exactly the right way. I have always found these small things the most honest part of a place.
03 Shorelines
Wherever we went, we ended up back at the water's edge. At low tide the beach becomes something of a buffet. Great blue herons stalk the shallows one slow step at a time, geese paddle past as though they own the place, and every so often something large lifts off directly in front of you. I learned rather quickly to keep the camera up.
Then, in the evenings, the sky over the strait goes soft and pink and the whole coast seems to quiet down at once. Every night I told myself I would take one more frame. I rarely stopped at one.
04 · the breakdown
| Where | Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC |
|---|---|
| When | Late August into September 2026 |
| Route | The ferry → Sooke Potholes → Goldstream Falls → the shoreline |
| Best moment | A heron lifting off the shallows |
- Spend the ferry at the rail. The crossing is half the trip.
- Go to the water early. The Potholes and Goldstream are quietest before the day gets going.
- Stay out for the evening. The best light on the coast arrives right at the end.
Nothing much happened in Victoria, and I mean that as the highest compliment. Some trips are about the things you do. This one was about the things I noticed, and I came home with more of those than I expected.