Magical Orcas Massage Beach

Years ago I had a friend from the northern part of Vancouver Island tell me that there was this special beach you could go to watch orcas rub on the rocks. She was telling me that killer whales absolutely love the way the rocks are positioned in this little bay, and like to rub themselves on them.

I wasn’t really sure if this was just a side effect from living in a rural town where your entertainment options are minimal, but since then I’ve had a co-worker that grew up in the area mention it to me as a future boat trip. Now having two local people tell me of this special rubbing rock beach, I had to do some effort to look into this. Searching for ‘rubbing rock beach’ on the charts wasn’t going to cut it.

I did some digging and confirmed that , Michael Bigg Ecological Reserve at Robson Bight off the Lower Tsitika River Provincial Park on Vancouver Island was the beach I had previously been referred to, but in my searching I also found Bere Point on Malcom Island. I have not yet been able to make either trip myself, but they both sound fantastic and are on my to do list for future boating trips.

Both Bere Point Regional Park and the Lower Tsitika River Provincial Park offer camping, while is seems like Bere Point Regional Park may offer better hiking. The map below is for Bere Point, while I haven’t found any maps for hiking options at Robson Bight. The Marine Detective, a researcher from the norther part of Vancouver Island also references Robson Bight as one of the best rubbing rock beaches.

I’d love to hear if anyone has been to either of these ‘rubbing rock’ beaches!