Swimming with salmon in the Puntledge River

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

On Thursday August 17 we headed to Puntledge Park in Courtenay to check out the salmon in the river. We had seen salmon jumping the day before when we tubed the river so we thought we would see quite a few when we returned on the 17^th with snorkels and a water proof camera.  The day was sunny and warm with temperatures hitting 27-28 C so it was perfect day to see what lay below the surface.  We headed for the pool just off the gravel beach and we quickly saw many salmon. We usually see pink salmon at this time in the river and they seem to have a 2 year cycle with every odd year showing a big return. So 2023 should be a good year and we weren`t disappointed.

Salmon are now in the Puntledge River

 The current is strong in places and the rocks are slippery so you need to pay attention. We wear water shoes to protect our feet from the rocks and wade out several meters from shore before diving in and swimming over the salmon. The current will take you down near Morrison Creek and then  you need to swim hard to get to shore. You can also swim to the other side of the river where the current is slower and you can more easily stay in one place. With some warm weather forecast for the next several days this is a great chance to swim with salmon. Puntledge Park in located just off of 1^st Street in Courtenay. Check it out if you want to see an amazing show of nature in our backyard.Click this video link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YWL060GokU    to see the huge numbers of salmon that are currently in the river (as of late August 2023) .