Although the unblemished West Coast rainforest surrounding this village is a marvel to behold, it is the waters around Ucluelet that capture international attention. Ucluelet is by a sheltered harbour on the jagged west shores of Vancouver Island, where the Pacific Ocean beckons kayakers, canoeists, divers, anglers and boaters. Spring is welcomed with parades of marine wildlife, highlighted by gray whales on their journey from Baja, Mexico to their summer retreat in the Arctic Ocean. This event is celebrated each year with the Pacific Rim Whale Festival which takes place in the Pacific Rim National Park. In the winter, the ocean casts off its constant and steady demeanor, often becoming a raging spirit of eight-metre (26-feet) waves, thrashing surf and effervescent ocean spray - excellent components for storm watching. Ucluelet (pronounced U-kloo-Let, from the Nuu-Chah-Nulth people's word for 'safe harbour') offers many fine accommodations, shops and restaurants & bars, making it a destination to visit again and again.