French Creek Harbour Webcam – Vancouver Island Fishing Port

The French Creek Harbour Webcam looks along the rock breakwater at French Creek Harbour, the working port between Parksville and Qualicum Beach on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Big boulders and a gravel path fill the foreground, sheltered water lies inside the basin, and the far breakwater carries a line of floats out toward the harbor mouth. Beyond the entrance the Strait of Georgia opens up, with low islands and a ridge of mountains on the horizon. A red day marker and a navigation light stand in the water near the channel, and the tide climbs and drops against the rocks through the day. Fishing boats, pleasure craft and the Lasqueti Island passenger ferry all work out of this harbor, so the scene changes with the boat traffic as much as with the weather.

About French Creek Harbour

French Creek Harbour sits in the community of French Creek, just off Highway 19A, the Oceanside Route, roughly halfway between Parksville and Qualicum Beach. The Harbour Authority of French Creek calls it the largest and most complex marine facility in the area, on a site of more than 21 hectares (52 acres) with over 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) of docks. It is home to a Canadian Coast Guard station and to the Lasqueti Island passenger ferry, and it shelters commercial fishing vessels alongside pleasure craft, fishing charters and eco-tourism boats. French Creek Seafoods operates on site next to the fuel dock, handling processing and export for commercial fishers.

The federal government still owns the facility, but since 1991 it has been run by the Harbour Authority of French Creek, a federally incorporated not-for-profit that has to earn every dollar it spends, from electricity to wages and repairs. A volunteer board of eight represents the main user groups, among them the commercial home port fishing sector, the Parksville Qualicum Fish and Game Club, the French Creek Boat Owners Association and the Lasqueti Transportation Committee. Bigger capital projects are often paid for by the Small Craft Harbours branch of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

French Creek is a rafting harbor, which explains how packed the floats can look in summer. Instead of private slips, boats tie up nose to tail along the dock, and later arrivals find a vessel of similar size, put out fenders and tie alongside it. The French Creek Harbour Webcam is one of two cameras on the harbor’s webcam page. The second looks out over the breakwater to the open strait, with the inner basin on one side and a parking area in the foreground.

Weather and Climate in French Creek

French Creek has the mild, damp climate of the east coast of Vancouver Island. At the Little Qualicum Hatchery weather station nearby, January averages a high of about 6°C (43°F) and a low near 0°C (32°F), so clear winter nights can bring frost to the docks. Spring warms slowly, with April highs around 13°C (55°F) and lows near 3°C (37°F). July brings highs of about 23°C (73°F) and nights near 10°C (50°F), and October still reaches about 14°C (57°F) by day with lows near 4°C (39°F). The station records about 1,083 millimeters (43 inches) of precipitation a year.

Winter brings low cloud and short days on camera: at this latitude the sun is up for only about eight hours around the December solstice. In late autumn and winter the mountains across the strait can carry snow while the shoreline stays bare, as they did when this camera was checked in November. Summer runs the other way, with about 16 hours of daylight in late June and long evenings over the water. The Harbour Authority says summer is the harbor’s busiest season.

Things to Do Near French Creek Harbour

Fishing boats sell fresh seafood straight from the deck when they come in, the Harbour Authority runs an email list that says when a catch is for sale, and French Creek Seafoods has a store on the grounds. The public boat ramp takes a daily fee or an annual pass and has its own parking area. Fishing charters run out of French Creek, among them Western Star Charters with an 8-meter (26-foot) boat, and the French Creek Pub has parking right on the harbor grounds.

The Lasqueti Island ferry carries foot passengers only, is operated by Western Pacific Marine for BC Ferries, and lands at False Bay, where there is a hotel and a restaurant. Lasqueti had 498 residents in the 2021 census and is the only one of the larger Gulf Islands not connected to the BC Hydro grid. Farther out, Jedediah Island Marine Provincial Park covers 243 hectares (600 acres) and is reached by boat. Back on shore, Columbia Beach draws windsurfers and kiteboarders, Morningstar Golf Club is in French Creek, and Little Qualicum Cheeseworks makes its cheese at Morningstar Farm. The Brant Wildlife Festival includes a free Estuary Tour in French Creek.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

For more of the coast around the Strait of Georgia and other working fishing harbors, try these cameras.

• Nanaimo Harbour Webcam
• Parksville Webcam
• Sitka Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is French Creek Harbour located?

French Creek Harbour is at 1055 Lee Road in French Creek, British Columbia, Canada, on the east coast of Vancouver Island. It lies in the Regional District of Nanaimo, roughly halfway between Parksville and Qualicum Beach, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia. Its mailing address is Parksville.

What can you see on the French Creek Harbour Webcam?

The camera looks along the boulders of the breakwater toward the harbor mouth, with the sheltered basin in the middle of the frame and the far breakwater and its floats on the right. The Strait of Georgia, low islands and distant mountains make up the horizon.

What is the weather like in French Creek?

Mild and damp for most of the year. Nearby records show January highs of about 6°C (43°F) with lows near 0°C (32°F), and July highs of about 23°C (73°F) with lows near 10°C (50°F).

How do you get to Lasqueti Island from French Creek?

A passenger ferry leaves from French Creek Harbour for False Bay on Lasqueti Island. It takes foot passengers only and is run by Western Pacific Marine under contract to BC Ferries. Sailings depend on the weather, so check the current schedule before you go.

Can you buy fresh seafood at French Creek Harbour?

Yes. Commercial boats sell their catch straight from the dock, and the Harbour Authority sends out notices when fresh seafood is for sale. French Creek Seafoods also has a store at the harbor.

What does rafting mean at French Creek Harbour?

Most of the moorage is not assigned. Boats tie up nose to tail along the dock, and once that space fills, new arrivals put out fenders and tie alongside a boat of similar size. The harbor generally does not take reservations, and long-term recreational moorage needs an approved application.

Is there a boat ramp at French Creek Harbour?

Yes. The public boat ramp is one of the harbor’s busiest services and needs either a daily fee or an annual pass.

Source: Harbour Authority of French Creek