| Nitinat Lake | |
|---|---|
 Looking southwest towards thePacific Ocean from the Nitinat Lake narrows | |
  Nitinat Lake Nitinat Lake (British Columbia) Show map of British Columbia | |
| Location | Vancouver Island,British Columbia,Canada |
| Coordinates | 48°45′00″N124°45′00″W / 48.75000°N 124.75000°W /48.75000; -124.75000 |
| Type | lake andinlet |
Nitinat Lake is a largelake andinlet on the southwestern coast ofVancouver Island,British Columbia,Canada. The lake is about 150 km (93 mi) northwest by road fromVictoria, BC's capital on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, and about 60 km (37 mi) southwest by road from the town ofLake Cowichan. The city ofPort Alberni is about 80 km (50 mi) by road to the north.
The southern end of the lake lies inPacific Rim National Park Reserve, which also contains Nitinat Hill on the lake's northern shore and Nitinat Cone on the southern shore.Hitchie Creek Provincial Park and Nitinat Lake Ecological Reserve lie on opposite sides of the lakeshore about a third of the way from the lake's northern shore and the point whereNitinat River flows into the lake. On the lake's eastern shore lie Mt. Rosander and the foot of Carmanah Mountain, the eastern part of which is inCarmanah Walbran Provincial Park.
Nitinat Lake drains into thePacific Ocean just north of the Pacific entrance to theStrait of Juan de Fuca via the Nitinat Narrows, a narrow tidal passage about 3 km (1.9 mi) long.Tidal bores (ocean waves travelling up the lake) occur on the narrows, the heights of which depend on tide heights, and these can be dangerous. The smallFirst Nations village ofWhyac lies on the southern lakeshore beside Nitinat Narrows and just north of the First Nations village ofClo-oose, also on the coast.
The main volume of Nitinat Lake is salt water, with a thin layer of less dense fresh water floating on top.[1]
Nitinat Lake has consistent winds that offer some of the bestkiteboarding andwindsurfing in North America, attracting kiteboarders and windsurfers from around the world.
![Nitinat Lake and surroundings viewed by the [[International Space Station]] in 2009](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aISS020-E-42042_-_View_of_British_Columbia.jpg)
There are many smaller lakes close to Nitinat Lake. Many of them, such as Hobiton Lake, Squalicum Lake, Tsuiat Lake, and Cheewhat Lake lie completely within Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, while others such as Doobah Lake and Sprise Lake lie between Pacific Rim National Park and Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park.
