Our flight to Hawaii ended up being pushed out a day so I decided to take advantage of the extra day with my mom and booked us a night on the Sunshine Coast. She had never been before and since it was mid-week, it was easy to find a last minute cheap Airbnb. We got on an early sailing Tuesday and went to one of my favourite cafes for breakfast. After walking the boardwalk and pier in Davis Bay, we headed over to Smugglers Cove for a little hike along the water. The water was a beautiful emerald green and it was the perfect distance and elevation for a light hike. After our hike we headed to downtown Sechelt for lunch overlooking the water. The sun was out and it was the perfect little afternoon. We explored some of the local shops and did an infused balsamic vinegar tasting which was really fun. We ended up buying some white balsamic vinegars and I’m looking forward to us experimenting and sharing recipes. We checked into our Airbnb and had a power nap before we walked back to town for dinner at El Segundo. Dinner was amazing and it was surprisingly busy for a Tuesday night in Sechelt!
The next morning we intended to go to Gibsons for breakfast. As we were driving my mom spotted something out in the water over in Davis Bay. She wasn’t sure if it was a whale so I asked her if it went under, suddenly she starts yelling “yes! It went under! Holy shit it went under!” I made a U-turn ASAP and we quickly grabbed a coffee and a carrot cake to-go and headed to the pier to watch the whales. We ended up watching two humpbacks for two hours! We were about to head out when she said “come on boys give us a show” and not even a minute later, one of the whales half breached out of the water and then started slapping its tail non-stop for several minutes. It was absolutely unreal to see such a rare event and for it to go on for so long!! We even saw them on their sides with their side fins in the air. I had randomly brought my binoculars since they were out with all the gear I had unpacked from my last trip and my mom really enjoyed using them to see the whales up close. Eventually the whales moved on and so did we. We drove over to Gibsons and explored that area before grabbing lunch at tapworks brewery on their rooftop. Shortly after, we grabbed our ferry home and met up with Steven for a beautiful dinner at Hook. Coincidentally, we ended up sitting next to a mural of a humpback whale.
