UVic prof's 'Geographies of Surfing' course teaches students on the beach
Vancouver Island is a surfer's paradise, but the University of Victoria campus? Not so much.
Less than a kilometre away lies Gyro Beach, which is lovely, but not exactly conducive to hanging 10.
The world-class surf is on the other side of the Island, in Tofino.
So what's a surf-loving geography professor to do?
If you're Chris Darimont, you create a course that marries your hobby and your academic specialty.
Darimont is the instructor for a course in UVic's geography field program called "Geographies of Surfing."
It's not a surf class, per se. Participants don't have to get on a board to complete their studies.
They do, however, have to be accepted into the UVic Department of Geography's Clayoquot Sound Field Semester program, a collection of courses offered on-location along Vancouver Island's west coast.
"(The classrooms are) the beaches and the rainforests of the Tofino area," Darimont said. "They'll learn a little something about surfing, but they'll also learn about oceanography and weather and the history and culture of our relationship with the ocean."
Surf culture, too, is part of the program.
"We'll dive really deep into surf culture and, in fact, there's a lot of surf culture right here on Vancouver Island," Darimont said.
The professor stresses, though, that the course is hard work. Hollywood surfer stereotypes need not apply.
It's also selective. The program received a flood of applicants for the current semester, but only 20 were accepted.
With files from CTV Vancouver Island's Jordan Cunningham
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Ontario reveals highest public sector salaries in sunshine list
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.