#7171 Watching Kayakers Shoot the Rapids at Skookumchuck in Egmont, B.C.

Riding the Skookumchuck Rapids isn’t for novices or the faint of heart. Paddlers who dare wedge themselves into whitewater kayaks dance on the surf of one of the world’s fastest saltwater rapids. And landlubbers who wander the pathway thorough the fir-scented forest in the enclave of Egmont can watch the action safely from shore. In the Chinook language, skookum means “fast” and chuck means “water,” so there’s no mistaking what the Skookumchuck’s tidal action is all about. On the flood tide, close to two billion gallons flow through this cauldron’s narrows, causing the water to surge and swirl.