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Opposite and bear shot: Ian Battrick, Drop Box at this size looks super fun, but what you cannot see is the reef peaking up above the surface in front of the wave. It really needs a bit more size before it gets a little safer, well if you call hitting the bottom hard on every nailing safe; This bear seemed to own the territory on one side of the little river we camped by, he was pretty unafraid of us but would always take flight when we fired a warning shot. A majestic creature though and one that was a privilege to be in such close contact with.

17th September6am: Foggy, typical Pacific morning on the little crab dock in Tofino. Jay our boat driver is sick with food poisoning due to some bad shellfish. His RIB is going to get us into Drop Box in about an hour and a half, though we have way too much gear, it’s an issue. From beer to a kayak to fish from, we even have a ladder for Timmy to film from on the reef, I think Jay wants to get going before dark just so none of his mates see him with so much stuff on his boat.The journey in is through patchy fog, it’s cold, we’re in wetsuits and survival suits. We get fleeting glimpses of the coastal

mountains; moisture hangs heavy in the air like it will never clear. We spot a sun fish cruising the surface just a couple of miles from Drop Box, as we stop and watch sea lions bark out of the mist, warning calls about our arrival.The fog lifts as we motor slowly into the small channel in front of camp. Jay gets us as close as possible then we use the kayak to ferry everything else ashore. The fog lifts as Jay leaves, one wave and that’s the last human contact for a couple

of weeks. The forest rises from the back of the beach like a huge wall, it’s foreboding, it seems alive, and crows sound warning calls, for a bear or just for us? We crack a beer and sit on the beach amongst our gear; it’s 11.30 on day one.In the camp area just above the beach the atmosphere is thick with moisture. The forest acts to constantly regulate the humidity, creating an environment that just oozes life. Tents and tarps are soon up, supplies all under cover.Eric and Timmy head out to sea in the kayak to fish, it’s not long before they are out beyond the reef, amongst the action.

Grey whales breach within feet of them, the ocean is alive. They return with a Ling Cod and four Snapper, fresh for tea. We all fire the gun and practice loading, eat around an epic fire and sleep, well.

18th September – ram rod’S birthdayUp at 5am. No other reason than Ian read the time wrong, he thought it was seven. Coffee is made and the fire is resurrected. We’ve had a little rain in the night and the morning gloom is heavy with moisture. My

cROwS SOuND waRNiNG callS, FOR a BEaR OR juST FOR uS?

timmy turner, eric ramSey (ram rod) and ian battrick leave civiliSation for two monthS to Score one epic wave, dealing with iSolation, horendouS weather and the conStant threat of bear attackS. theSe are a few noteS from the firSt two weekS.

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head torch shines back into the forest, no eyes stare back, thank God. It started to rain early as the first light broke. Just sprinkles though for a couple of hours, followed by an epic rainbow which preceded an epic afternoon of warm sunshine. Ram Rod fished for supper again amongst grey whales and barking sea lions. We had beers on the beach followed by cod and bass with onions, carrots and garlic as the sun dipped into the North Pacific. Not a soul for miles, this is living.

19th SeptemberHeavy rain all night which continued into the morning, the fire held on though and was easy to bring back to full strength. Drop Box has more swell on it this morning, it is small, but Timmy and Ian paddled out, Timmy more interested in filming the aggressive sea lions than the surf. The rain picked up, we had to sling another tarp up into the trees, even when it stops raining the trees drip for hours. The air this afternoon had a chill of autumn in it; the warmth of the previous day has all but gone. Drop Box turned on this afternoon, not

big, but enough for the boys to get a couple of good barrels and Ram to launch himself onto dry reef. Back at camp as the sun dipped we got our first bear, I was just saying how we hadn’t seen any, when a large black bear came strolling down the beach. He studied us for a while, we chambered a couple of rounds, but he sloped off into the woods. It’s an uneasy feeling knowing he is close yet we cannot see him.Tin of Ravioli for tea, outstanding.

20th SeptemberSwell looked bigger at dawn. The night was windy with more rain, but the tarps held up.Cresting a small ridge on the reef I came face to face with a full grown bear scavenging for food. I had all my camera gear and a ladder on my shoulder, I back tracked swiftly much to the amusement of the boys watching from the camp. It was no drama though; he appeared to be more worried about us and patrolled the tree line looking for crabs whilst we surfed. Everything is starting to fall into a rhythm now, wood collecting, water from the

river, keeping the fire going, it’s all good and best when the weather is fine. Had been shooting a lot of lifestyle around the camp for Ian’s sponsors, when the call came from Timmy ‘Bring the gun’. The biggest bear yet was coming our way along the beach. It stopped thirty metres away, looked at us and then hit the forest trail, which our camp is on. Ian was manning the gun and moved into the forest, but the creature slipped into the gloom of the trees. We could hear some crashing in the undergrowth, but then nothing. Rain showers all afternoon and small waves on Drop. Shot some stuff from the water which turned out better than expected. As the sun set we were treated to another bear, it feels like a treat now to see these awesome creatures in action. This one was turning boulders over the size of arm chairs in a search for crabs. He managed to find plenty and a fish from somewhere. He came pretty close and would have walked by had I not moved to get a better position to shoot from. We tracked him as he moved into the forest just to make sure he didn’t creep up on us, but he was

gone. Fish for tea again with onions, garlic, potato and beans, exceptional.

21St SeptemberColder morning this morning after a clear night. Small but perfect on the drop, swimming amongst the kelp with sea lions was epic with grey whales breaching out back. Pretty all time experience.The weather this afternoon was incredible. Fish eyed small Drop, nothing amazing but stayed in for ages as it was so glassy and the ocean so alive.Fish for tea again. Going to be a cold clear night. So many whales breaching at sunset, spectacular sight.

22nd SeptemberDense fog this morning, what we’d call a pea souper. It pulled back in patches to reveal a small swell, not really surf able, good day for fishing though. We only

Clockwise from this shot: Ram Rod coming from behind the boil on a small day, as you can see in the air drop above it doesn’t always work!; The reef at Drop is so low you cannot film the wave straight on with ease, Timmy drove this rig up from LA, got it in on the boat and then hiked it out across the reef, dedication the cause; What can I say, the wilderness is grim when it’s raining but then throws up moments of incredible beauty; This is Snacks, a juvenile bear that would harass the camp, a few well placed rocks would scare him off but he wasn’t to be messed with really; Ian.

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THE call FROM TiMMy ‘BRiNG THE GuN’

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caught a couple of smallish cod again, enough for tea though. The fog started to close in late afternoon, it started raining about midnight.

23rd SeptemberHeavy overnight rain just backed off a bit this morning, but in the forest the drip, drip, dripping will keep going for hours. The air is really thick with moisture this morning and there is a real feel of change in the air. When you’re away form all civilization it feels like you get more in tune with the atmosphere around you, not sure if this is real or if I’m just turning into a hippy out here, but whatever. Off high tide the surf picked up big time. As the tide dropped Ian and Ram got in the water and the waves went from just head high to triple over head in just thirty minutes. The slab was struggling to handle it, but the boys got a couple, Ian nailing a bomb. A fun session, it started raining just as they came in.

24th SeptemberLarge swell this morning. Drop under lines of whitewater, but the strengthening wind remains offshore. Rain has been heavy for hours now and shows absolutely no sign of letting up. I only have about a week left, part of me never wants to leave this forest

ever again, but part of me misses home. Not the modern world as such, but just people I think.Mid day now, still raining very hard, we’ve spent the last hour strapping tarps down as the wind is picking up all the time. The trees above us move and crack, it’s like the whole forest is one huge swaying entity. The fire has been going in and out all day, it’s dismal, it’s the first Pacific equinoxical storm just a day after the vernal equinox and it’s looking like a belter. 2pm. Solid twelve hours of rain now, it just gets heavier by the hour; the river by camp is now rising fast. The whole camp is getting soaked, only our tents under tarps are dry, the trail is muddy and the fire is fighting a losing battle. The tarp is now requiring regular attention, the wind and rain is taking a toll on the whole construction. Ram Rod is keeping the fire in, but it’s hard work. Just gone 3pm now, the only place to stay dry is the tent, it’s miserable; hopefully the swell on the way down will produce a couple of ride able days.6pm. Raining way harder now if that is possible, the river by the camp is now in full flood, the south easterly is now a raging gale. Why are we doing this? I always put everything on the line for this

sort of trip. The tarp is holding up, we can’t get the fire going though as it is raining so hard now, it’s too windy to string any more tarps up. It’s a constant checking of tents and tarps now, the forest behind us is shifting in the gale violently, we’ve heard one tree come down. The river out front is now totally uncrossable, there is no way in or out of here due to the swell, we are fully alone. This is desolation at an extreme. But this is living I guess. If I were home now I’d have been pecking at a keyboard all day in a job I don’t hate, but not doing what I really want to do in life. This place is alive and makes you realise what life is really all about. Going to try and cook a tin of chilli beef, should be fun.

25th September31 hours straight of heavy rain now. All night the camp was pounded by wind and rain, hard to sleep and I also had a mouse running over my head. We just heard the forecast on the short range radio we have; it picks up the coastguard warnings. We have a low sat on top of us with hurricane force winds; we have at least 24 hours more of this before things change.11am. The cold front is on top of us now, it’s raining even harder, river is flooding,

camp muddy and the swell is gigantic.1.15pm. Still raining. Out of the undergrowth we have been watching a bear foraging on the reef. It’s still raining hard, but good to have something to look at. 2.10pm. Parts of the camp are now flooded. The swell looks like it is backing off a bit, it’s just fifteen feet instead of twenty. It’s all about the fire now; a concerted effort has got it raging with the help of gasoline! Our dry wood store is now flooding too so it’s the only way to get the fire going. At least we can cook. I’ve moved all camera and computer gear into my sleeping bag (my camera would die when I got home due to moisture). The view from the tent is grim; the tarp drains into a Gath helmet which then fills before spilling over. Behind is the rush of the forest under a gale, in front is the surge of the shore break. The damp chills to the bone.The tide is dropping, the wind is offshore and the swell is ten feet plus, but there is the odd wave in between sets which looks doable in a psychos mind! Timmy gave it a crack yesterday, but today is too much and he can’t even persuade Ian to join him on this one. Food today has been OK, no fish for obvious reasons, but had oats with

Clockwise from this shot: This afternoon was incredible, we’d had a lot of rain then it just cleared up, glassed off and there were rainbows everywhere and only the four of us for miles. Timmy waiting amongst the kelp forest; This day was the exact opposite, it rained so hard, there were gale force offshore winds and a very solid swell. Most were closing out but Timmy snuck into a few bombs; Timmy collecting a cutting block then putting it to good use with the day’s catch.

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THERE iS NO way iN OR OuT OF HERE DuE TO THE SwEll, wE aRE

Fully alONE, THiS iS DESOlaTiON aT aN ExTREME

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Left to right: This day went from three to about ten feet in less than an hour. The sets were maxing the whole joint out, but when a wave hit the reef just right there were solid kegs up for grabs, Ian making the most of one of these moments; Camp life from cleaning reels to honey slugs.

a lOw MiST HaNGS OvER THE BEacH aND REEF, THE wiND iS liGHT, THE SuRF iS STill SizEy,

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peanut butter and jelly followed by noodles. The local mouse population has been trying to eat everything, including the plastic lid on our cooker. 5pm. Still raining, although the wind seems to have dropped. 6pm. I can’t believe it, but there is the craziest sunset, it’s still cloudy, but the whole sky is full of eerie peach and purple colours, there is even the odd strand of blue sky, a mental change around and ridiculous end to some fifty hours of rain.

26th SeptemberThe forest is still dripping with rain even though there hasn’t been a drop for twelve hours now. A low mist hangs over the beach and reef, the wind is light, the surf is still sizey, too big for Drop.We hiked up the little river to fish for steelheads. Nothing doing though, but it was an epic mission. Ferns line the steep sided valley, fallen trees block the way, every movement in the forest is treated as a threat and Ian is ready on the gun. Nothing troubles us, that is until we get back to camp. A bear has broken into the oat supply and ransacked the lot; we must have startled it as there is a trail leading into the woods. He showed up again whilst we washed in the river, he’s a curious little fellow, probably not more than two years old and definitely not full grown. As we watched him and Timmy crept up to film, salmon started jumping in the river. Before you could say anything Ram was in there, catching them bare handed, bear-style, and before we knew it there were two eight pounders on the bank. Less than an hour later we had sushi and roasted the fillets on the fire, this is wild living at its best!

27th SeptemberRain started again in the night and the wind came up strong and offshore. Drop is big at low tide, ten feet plus, but maybe doable on the way up. So we headed out onto the reef only to look back and see a bear enter camp, it was the little fellow again. We had to sprint back and chase him out.The surf turned out to be a hectic six feet with a bad direction, Timmy got one sick Backdoor like pit though, but the rain made it hard to shoot. Ian got to the camp first and walked round a tree to come face to face with the little bear. We threw rocks and unloaded a couple of rounds, but he just kept coming back. It was our fault, we’d left a little bit of food out and he was hungry. After an hour of constant hassle he left us alone and went out onto the reef.Been raining all day again, the boys have a full month of this left.

28th SeptemberCold morning this morning, north westerly wind is bringing a wintery chill with it. The swell is solid and a mess, easily ten feet, probably bigger.The little bear is back, we’ve named him ‘Snacks’. He’s not worried about us and is just sat on the edge of camp. It’s unnerving, he isn’t fully grown, but could take us out with one paw swipe. A second bigger bear is also on the scene, just the other side of the river, this one looks a little less pleased to see us and just patrols the tree line. It’s a nervy time which is made worse by a third much, much larger bear turning up just to the north of us. This guy is huge, we scared him off with a couple of shots, but there is a lot of crashing in the woods behind us

so it remains unnerving. The rest of the day passes off uneventfully, but by evening the bears are back, it’s a tense couple of hours. The two big bears are less frightened of us now, they are just going about their business, but we keep an eye out just in case. Snacks is around too, he’s been on the edge of camp again, he is totally fearless. The big worry is that we have sucked him in and we may have to shoot him. It’s not his fault, but if it comes to a mauling, the guy is going to have to die. By dusk though it goes quiet.

29th SeptemberSnacks has disappeared, the bigger bears have probably re-claimed their territory. It’s cold, a light onshore ruffles up a rapidly decreasing swell.

30th SeptemberRaph, Josh Mulcoy, Pete Devries and Jeremy Koreski all turned up, as did my ride out. Tomorrow is going to absolutely pump and I have to leave, totally gutted. Been an epic experience, but really did not score it as its best, seems to be the story of my life.

footnoteThe boys scored the best Drop Box of the year the day after I left. The storm we sat through caused massive damage across Vancouver Island with record rainfall and hurricane force winds. Ian and Ram Rod stayed another month.Thanks to - britishcolumbia.travel; finisterreuk.com; lifeventure.co.uk

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