Sooke, BC and the Sooke Basin - Geography, Climate & History (Vancouver Island)

The Sooke Basin is located 40 minutes from downtown Victoria, BC and only 20 minutes from the suburban city of Colwood. It's surrounded on three sides by the rocky shores of Vancouver Island with the town of Sooke, BC located near the mouth of the harbour. The rural communities of Saseenos and East Sooke complete the perimeter.

The shores of the Sooke Basin are mostly rocky with a few muddy beaches to the East (Cooper's Cove & Ayum Creek). The thick rainforest of Douglas firs, cedar and arbutus trees line the surround slopes down to the water's edge. Regional parks and pathways surround the basin making for relaxing walks and spectacular sunsets lookouts. The forest & ocean playground make for plenty of things to do in Sooke and East Sooke.

Like the rest of coastal BC & the Pacific Northwest of the US, this area is located in an active seismic zone. The area has not been an epicenter of any earthquakes in recorded times but seismic activity centered in the Strait of Juan de Fuca can be felt here occasionally. See the following link for recent earthquake activity around Vancouver Island, Vancouver, BC & Seattle, WA.

The last ice-age, known as the Fraser Ice-age, produced the picturesque Sooke Potholes Regional Park. Boulders trapped in the shallow riverbed bored large holes in the rock which, today, service as a local oasis on hot summer days.

Gray, humpback and killer whales frequent the Juan de Fuca Strait around Vancouver Island. However, due to the narrow islet near Whiffin Spit, whales do not venture into the Sooke Basin. This is a safe haven to the salmon who migrate to the Sooke River every year. To see these majestic giants, try taking a whale watching tour from Sooke or Victoria, BC.

(As an aside, if you're on the other side of the country, try a Newfoundland whale watching tour).

The Goodrich Islands, a set of three rocky outcroppings, are located on the southern side of the basin, just outside the mouth of Roche Cove. Bishop Island (also known as Deadman's Island or No-name Island) is located on the western side, near Comfort Cove Cottage, pictured to the right.

These islands are considered sacred by the T'Sou-ke locals and, as rumour has it, a fire on Deadman's Islands in 1952 exposed human bones. It is recommended that people do not venture forth on these islands out of respect for the original inhabitants of the area and for the many BC eagles that roost in the trees.

Rocky outcroppings along the southern shores are exposed during low tides. Click here for the local tide table for Sooke, BC. Ocean-seekers should consult Nautical Map 3411 for nautical information of the Sooke Basin, Sooke Harbour and the Juan de Fuca Strait around East Sooke, BC.

There are four small coves located around the Sooke Basin. If you're discovering the vicinity by kayak, ensure to explore the natural beauty of these special places. Walkers, cyclists & horse-back riders can enjoy the Galloping Goose Regional Trail which skirts most of these coves and offer spectacular vantage points of the basin & sunsets.

Cooper's cove is a picturesque sheltered bay on the northern edge of the basin and is home to Rush Adventures. It's large enough for sailboats and its silty bottom can provide sufficient anchorage. Ayum Creek Regional park is a muddy estuary that empties into Cooper's cove and protects the local Coho & chum salmon spawning areas. It also serves as a popular bird sanctuary.

Hutchison Cove - located in the northeast corner, offers wide views of the entire basin. There are plenty of vantage points along this coastline but it is exposed to the west winds that blow across the open water.

Roche Cove Regional Park, located on the eastern shores, is a spectacular, quiet cove that is subjected to tidal flows at its mouth. The opening is bridged by a trestle bridge (Gillespie Road) and will prohibit most boats with masts from entry. The glass-like water and the encircling rain forest will invite kayakers & canoeists. The Galloping Goose Trail skirts this inlet and offers amazing views of the glass-like waters.

Anderson Cove is a spectacular, quiet place to moore. Located on the southern tip, it is a sheltered bay that is protected from most winds but has a shallow entrance. Depending on the draft of your boat, attempts should be made only during high-tide. The hills of East Sooke Park provide the protection. It is frequently shrouded in fog which makes from some secluded exploration. Access is from the Anderson Cove parking lot in East Sooke Park.

Southern Vancouver Island is considered a temperate rainforest and has the mildest climate in Canada. The summers are hot and the winters are mild but wet. It is recommended to walk with a sweater or jacket in the evenings as the ocean breeze move ashore. For current weather conditions, click here.

For current marine weather conditions and weather warnings for Southern Vancouver Island, including Sooke, click here

Summer
Typically warm and dry with afternoon winds from the southwest. Surprisingly, it is so dry at this time of the year, there are usually fire bands in much of the rural areas.

Autumn
Personally, this is the best time of the year to be on the BC coast. The winds are light, the days are warm (sometimes hot) and the evenings are cool. Rain is infrequent and the winds are light. Late August to early October is a gorgeous season with sunny skies, warm sun and the changing colours of the leaves on the trees.

Winter
The temperature is still mild but this is the rainy season. It rarely drops below 0C but snow will fall occasionally only to quickly disappear. The average rainfall in Sooke is 26 in, compared to Vancouver (46 in) & Seattle (38 in). The Sooke Basin is usually calm due to the protection provided by the hills of East Sooke Park, but 1-2 foot swells may be experienced when winter storms blow from the northeast.

Spring
Spring arrives early in this part of the country with the flowers blooming as early as February. Rain showers are still frequent throughout the day and usually last until March.">

Sooke Harbour Marina
This full-service marina resort is located west of the town of Sooke on the Sooke Harbour. Large boat launch with standard amenities can be found here. Boat launching fees and moorage fees apply.

Sunny Shore Resort
An older marina and resort with full amenities is located just outside of Cooper's Cove.

Kayakers, Canoeists can launch at the following public access points:

Whiffen Spit - This regional park marks the entrance to the Sooke Harbour. You'll enjoy spectacular views of the Juan de Fuca Strait and the Olympic Mountains of Washington State. Parking is plentiful. Winds can be quite strong as they come off the open waters of the strait.

Anderson Cove
Park at the public lot at the nearby East Sooke Park and enter the cove from the flat access point across the street. It can be very muddy at low tide.

Cooper Cove Public Parking is available. The access point may be muddy at low tide.

Comfort Cove Cottage
We stayed at this private, oceanfront cottage on Vancouver Island and had access to our own private dock. We launched our Sea-Ray at the Sooke Harbour and then boated over to the large dock. The dock was on the calm side of the basin, away from the tidal currents and the open winds.

The name of "Sooke" is from the native name for the Stickleback fish that still inhabits the Sooke Basin. The area has been inhabited for thousands of years by the T'sou-ke people. With an abundance of resources from the sea, forest and sky, the T'sou-ke nation was able to thrive in this land of abundance. However, in approximately 1848, the nation was almost destroyed by neighbouring tribes.

The first known European explorer to visit the area was the Spaniard Manuel Quimper in 1790 aboard the Princesa Real. To commemorate this occasion, a longboat replica was built in 1990 and tourists are welcome aboard as crew members.

The Spanish named the harbour Puerta de Revilla Gidedo but, as European immigration continued, was changed to the Sooke Harbour. The area became a supply hub for the local Hudson's Bay trading post at Comosun (now Victoria, BC) and for the gold-rush town of Leech River.

As time progressed, the economy also became dependent on logging, commercial fishing and now, tourism.