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The Dustin Riley Memorial Soap Box Derby has been running for a few year but is a throw-back to the classic days of soap box derby fun in Ucluelet and a time when low-key child endangerment was more acceptable. Sponsored by local businesses it's a chaotic half-day of gravity sports, cotton candy and wholesome fun for all ages. It's also be a tradition for UkeeTube to make a sort of spoof video about it every year. Each video has a slitghly different theme and a ton of excitin

Storm waves break behind "The Mystery Shipwreck" at Big Beach If you've been following the UkeeTube project at all you know that storms are a big part my photography. Despite the calm implied by it's name the Pacific Ocean can throw some serious tantrums, particularly in the winter. We tend to see a handful of serious, tree-falling storms every year in addition to more dramatic swell. If you're interested in taking in some Vancouver Island storm watching, It's tough to predic

Sport fishing is a big draw in Ucluelet. While the chinook salmon attract most of the attention; coho, halibut, lingcod, tuna, crab, prawns and even squid lure folks to the coast as much as the people people fishing try to lure them to their hooks. Personally, I love a day on the water, or by the water, with friends and a common goal. I'm lucky to have a number of boat-owning, fishing-obsessed friends who invite me to tag along. Some of them are professional fishing guides an

Ucluelet's Army, Navy, Airforce Veterans Hall 293 is an essential cultural and entertainment hub in the region. After the last "proper" bar shut down in Ucluelet a few years back local bands, DJ's, karaoke fans and others had nowhere to go. A dedicated group on the board of directors and dedicated volunteer staff put countless hours into making the 80 year old hall into a viable venue not just for private functions but as a stop on tours for comedians, musicians and other en

Ucluelet's Wild Pacific Trail is one of the region's greatest assets. It winds along the rocky Vancouver Island coast for kilometers revealing coastal vistas and rainforest wonders that would otherwise be inaccessible or have been destroyed by development. Many of the photos and videos I capture would not have been possible without the trail. Some people think it's an extension of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve or confuse it with the West Coast Trail which runs along t

Ukee Days is Ucluelet's summer celebration. For more than 50 years Ukee Days has brought music, games and all the charm of a small-town fair to the end of the road. A Friday evening barbeque and gumboot toss competition in the village green kick the weekend off. Saturday morning, after a pancake breakfast at the Ucluelet Community Center, the parade starts at 10am luring people down Peninsula to the Seaplane Base Rec Hall and field. That's where thing get serious(ly fun)! A f

The Pacific Rim Arts Society is one of the most important organizations in the Ucluelet and Tofino region in my opinion. Their programs have supported many artists and art lovers for more than 55 years! Every year in late June through early July they host a series of events from musical performances through workshops, art shows, artisan markets and all sorts of culture-building activities. So if you're in town early in the summer check out some of the PRAS Summerfest events.

The herring spawn is one of a few "Attenborourgh" level annual events that take place around here. It doesn't run on a hard schedule and can start in spurts around late February, peaking in mid-March with possibility of late spawns into April. The gathering of millions of herring, releasing tons of their reproductive material not only creates a feeding frenzy for wildlife of all sort but discolours the water in creamy and pastel hues. Despite it's scale and importance it's no

Tofino Wine and Dine is the recent revival or maybe even tribute to the long running Tofino Food and Wine Festival. When my wife and I got married in 2010 we chose to get married in early June for a few reasons. One of them was to have the original Tofino Food and Wine Festival's "Grazing in The Gardens" event fall near our wedding and, subsequently, our anniversary. It turned out to be a great plan but, as the years went by, the original Tofino Food and Wine Festival faded a

I tried surfing when I first moved to Tofino in 2007. It didn't stick for me, but I love what it means for other people and it's an amazing subject to capture out here. It adds a human story to the scenery that few other things can. Surfing is a big part of the culture and economy around Ucluelet and Tofino and a relatively new surf contest has taken place in June for a few years highlighting longboarding. If you're in the region June 11-14 make your way to Kwisitis (formerly

Me, on the Wild Pacific Trail with my Sony RX10iii You may be surprised to learn that most of the pictures and videos you've seen on my social media before August 1026 were shot with a 12 year old, discontinued bridge camera. Bridge cameras are the ones that have a zoom lens built in. In the case of the Sony RX10iii it has a 1" sensor and an 8.8-210mm lens so with the crop factor it's similar in reach to a lens that can stretch from 24mm- 600mm giving me the diversity to shoo