I've been trying to get up to Skookumchuk Narrows all summer. Michelle and I planned to go in May, but run out of daylight. I was going to go with Andrea C and Sean, but had guests in house.
Finally Michelle and I made it up there on the September long weekend. We checked the tide charts, and although we would have liked to have seen the flood tide (waves), it was at the crack of dawn. With a 45 minute drive from here to there, and a hike in from the parking lot, the crack of dawn was not happening. So we went in time for a large ebb tide.
Skookumchuck is a Chinook word that basically means strong water. Strong water it is. Skookumchuk Narrows is a narrow opening between Georgia Strait and Sechelt Inlet. The difference in water levels between the two sides can be over 2 metres in height. The speed of the rapids can exceed 30 km/hour.
On a flood tide it's a playground for whitewater kayakers. Not for me. I ain't paddling in there.
From the parking lot there is a 4km hiking trail into the Narrows. There are two viewing points. North Point for the ebb tides (whirlpools) and Roland Point for the flood tides (waves). You don't have to be there right at the exact best viewing time, there is a 30 minute window on either side. The best viewing times are here.
It was well worth the walk. I'd like to go back and see a large or XL flood tide.