Strait of Georgia Webcam – Look Across to Vancouver Island

The Strait of Georgia Webcam looks south from a forested hillside on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, across the open water of the strait toward the mountains of Vancouver Island. A ridge of dark conifers runs along the bottom of the frame, a broad band of sea fills the middle, and the island’s ranges rise in layers on the far side, with one pointed summit standing above the rest on clear days. The camera is run by afarTV as a 24/7 stream in 4K, and the scene is mostly about light and water: flat calm, wind lines streaking the surface, and haze that can erase the far shore entirely. Fishing boats, pleasure craft and logging barges pass through during the day, and after dark the lights of Nanaimo can show across the water when the sky is clear.

About the Strait of Georgia

The Strait of Georgia is the arm of the Salish Sea that separates Vancouver Island from the southwestern mainland of British Columbia. It runs for about 240 kilometers (150 miles) and varies from 20 to 58 kilometers (12 to 36 miles) wide, covering roughly 6,800 square kilometers (2,600 square miles). The water averages 156 meters (512 feet) deep and reaches 420 meters (1,380 feet) at its deepest. The Fraser River supplies about 80 percent of the fresh water entering the strait, and Texada Island, at 300 square kilometers (116 square miles), is the largest island within it.

According to the camera’s operator, the peaks visible on Vancouver Island include Mount Whymper at 1,539 meters (5,049 feet) and Mount DeCosmos at 1,351 meters (4,432 feet). The operator also notes that Alaska cruise ships leaving Vancouver can be seen in the evening during the summer months, and that humpback whales, grey whales and orcas live in and migrate through the strait.

The strait has a long human history. First Nations communities have lived around it for thousands of years. Spanish explorers Jose Maria Narvaez and Juan Carrasco reached it in 1791, and in 1792 George Vancouver renamed it the Gulf of Georgia after King George III. The wider name Salish Sea was made official in the United States in 2009 and in Canada in 2010.

Weather and Climate on the Sunshine Coast

The Sunshine Coast is a little drier than Vancouver. The Merry Island lightstation, the weather station used for Sechelt, averages 1,028.8 mm (40.5 inches) of precipitation a year against 1,189 mm (46.8 inches) at Vancouver International Airport. Winters are mild and grey, with January averaging a high of 7.1 C (45 F) and a low of 3.6 C (38 F), and snow is light at about 22.8 cm (9 inches) a year. On this camera, winter often brings low cloud over the Vancouver Island ranges, dark water and short days, and the higher island peaks can carry snow.

Summer is warm and settled, with July averaging a high of 21.4 C (71 F) and a low of 14.9 C (59 F). Those are the months with long evenings and the best chance of spotting a cruise ship heading north. Haze, like the soft blue and grey of a late September morning, can flatten the view into bands of color, while on sharper days the far shore and its summits come into focus.

Things to Do Near the Strait of Georgia

Sechelt, home to about 10,847 people, sits on the narrow isthmus between Sechelt Inlet and the Strait of Georgia and is the main town on this part of the coast. Porpoise Bay Provincial Park, about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) north of downtown Sechelt, has sandy beaches and second-growth forest on the inlet side. Farther up the coast, Smuggler Cove and Skookumchuck Narrows are two of the region’s best known marine and provincial parks, and Highway 101 runs the length of the coast from Langdale to Lund.

Getting here is part of the trip. No road links the Sunshine Coast to the rest of the province, so the usual route is the 40 minute BC Ferries crossing from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale, then drive about 25 minutes to Sechelt. On the far side of the strait, the ferries from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay and from Tsawwassen to Duke Point connect Vancouver with Nanaimo.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More views of the Salish Sea coast, from both sides of the water.

• Nanaimo Harbour Webcam
• Parksville Webcam
• White Rock Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Strait of Georgia?

The Strait of Georgia lies in British Columbia, Canada, between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast, and its southern end reaches the northwestern coast of Washington State. Vancouver sits on its eastern shore and Nanaimo on its western shore.

What can you see on the Strait of Georgia Webcam?

The camera looks south from the Sunshine Coast over a forested ridge, across the strait to the mountains of Vancouver Island. Boats, barges and passing ships cross the water, and the far peaks come and go with the haze and cloud.

Can you see whales on the Strait of Georgia Webcam?

Sometimes. The operator reports that humpback whales, grey whales and orcas live in and migrate through the strait, but sightings depend on luck, distance and calm water.

What is the weather like on the Sunshine Coast?

Mild and relatively dry for the BC coast. Sechelt’s weather station averages 1,028.8 mm (40.5 inches) of precipitation a year, with January highs around 7.1 C (45 F) and July highs around 21.4 C (71 F).

How deep is the Strait of Georgia?

It averages 156 meters (512 feet) deep, with a maximum depth of 420 meters (1,380 feet).

Is the Strait of Georgia part of the Salish Sea?

Yes. The Salish Sea is the name for the connected waters that include the Strait of Georgia, officially adopted in the United States in 2009 and in Canada in 2010.

What can you see on the Strait of Georgia Webcam at night?

On clear nights, the lights of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island can be seen across the water, according to the operator. On cloudy nights the frame is mostly dark.

How do you get to the Sunshine Coast from Vancouver?

By ferry. BC Ferries sails from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to Langdale in about 40 minutes, since no road connects the Sunshine Coast to the rest of the province.

Source: afarTV