Even if you haven’t visited Victoria, BC, you probably have a picture or two of it in your head. 

Perhaps a vision of the Empress Hotel, the BC Legislature or Butchart Gardens—all places worth seeing when you do come to town.

But there’s another landmark you really shouldn’t miss. It’s the Ogden Point breakwater.

This is one of those places where locals take their out-of-town relatives after they’ve seen and done the usual tourist attractions.

The History

The breakwater at Ogden Point wasn’t built with tourists in mind. It was designed to boost Victoria’s status as a shipping centre at the turn of the 20th century.

That’s when the Panama Canal was being built and the business community in Victoria figured it could benefit if ships heading up or down the west coast needed a place to load or unload cargo.

Between 1914 and 1916, a million tons of rock and 10,000 granite blocks were laid to form the breakwater.

It extends 800 metres into the ocean at the outer edge of Victoria’s harbour. 

These days, cruise ships and passenger ferries are more plentiful than cargo ships, so the area where the breakwater begins has been landscaped and spruced up to create a good first impression for visitors arriving by boat.

First Nations murals painted on the inner side of the breakwater are another recent addition.

Walk It If You Dare

The breakwater feels surprisingly different every time you walk it.

My first time, I was a little uneasy. There are no guardrails, and it’s so narrow that only three people can walk abreast comfortably.

With sharp drop-offs on either side, it’s not hard to imagine you’re ‘walking the plank’ and might soon be in the drink! 

The last time I walked it, I actually felt a little bit seasick. A pilot boat had just roared out of the harbour, creating big wakes on both sides of the breakwater.

Whoa. Suddenly, it seemed like I was moving with the waves.

Breathe deep if that happens, and look across the Strait of Juan de Fuca and admire the snow-capped Olympic Mountains.

If it’s too windy or stormy, the breakwater is closed.

It takes only about 15 minutes to walk each way, but you can easily spend much longer. Relax on one of the benches at the far end and take in the views for as long as you want.

Sea Life

There’s a whole other world underwater at the breakwater, one where striped sea perch and staghorn sculpin dart among the eel grass, and juvenile lingcod grow into mature fish.

Scuba divers rate this as one of the best dive sites in all of Canada. But you don’t need to be a diver to see aquatic life.

Jellyfish often float near the surface and herons fish from floating ‘platforms’ of seaweed.

Where to Find It

The breakwater is off Dallas Road, about halfway between Beacon Hill Park and Fisherman’s Wharf.