The smell of salt hangs in the air, and I can taste it on my skin when I lick my lips. The frigid wind whips my hair around my head, stinging my face and bringing tears to my eyes, but I do not care. This is where I feel alive. The sound of the seabirds rings out above the water as the tides roll out exposing fresh food for them to hunt. High above, an eagle cries for her mate, her high-pitched piping laughter a funny contrast to her powerful and majestic appearance.
Walking quietly alongside my husband on the shores of the Salish Sea is my favorite thing to do. Especially when the weather turns, and the coast is ours alone. This is when the true magic of our waters comes alive. I remember once when we stopped carefully observing a small tidepool. We stood stock-still for a minute, and just when we thought it was empty, the pool erupted into a frenzy of life.
Crabs, that seconds before seemed like mere pebbles in the sand, suddenly started darting and dancing in every direction. Quick and tiny crabs, no bigger than a penny, scrambling to defend each one’s own little sliver of safety until the water returns. They crash into each other, like pinballs in a machine, pushing each other back and burrowing in the sand. Looking up, we catch sight of a group of sandpipers, their little bodies blur as they dart across the shore. They blend so perfectly with the rocks that, for a moment, it is like the very ground is moving.
Our inland sea, fed by the Pacific Ocean and its many river tributaries, is often overlooked. When most people dream of beach vacations, they imagine warm sands and sunlit shores. But to me those things do not compare to the raw, untamed beauty of the Salish Sea. Here, every day brings a new discovery. Seals and sea lions bask on a rocky outcrop, while out in the distance a pod of Bigg’s Orcas begin to hunt with calculated grace. A river otter scurries across a fallen tree, a freshly caught fish clutched between its teeth. The focused dance of a heron as it moves in on its catch. And if you are lucky, you might even witness the breathtaking sight of a breaching whale; its enormous body rising from the depths, as if to take flight; crashing down with a thunderous splash.
On stormy days the sea roars, waves crashing against the shore with a force that makes the ground tremble. It is wild. Unpredictable. And it is home. These are the moments that make it special to me – a place of power, grace, and endless wonder.
