View source for Skookumchuck Narrows

{{short description|Strait forming the entrance of Sechelt Inlet on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast in Canada}}
{{Other places|Skookumchuck}}
[[File:Locmap-Sechelt2.png|thumb|upright=1.25|Sechelt Inlet, with Skookumchuck Narrows highlighted and Sechelt Rapids circled.]]

'''Skookumchuck Narrows'''<ref>{{Cite cgndb|JBMIK|Skookumchuck Narrows|2020-06-16}}</ref> is a [[strait]] forming the entrance of [[Sechelt Inlet]] on [[British Columbia]]'s [[Sunshine Coast (British Columbia)|Sunshine Coast]] in Canada. Before broadening into Sechelt Inlet, all of its [[tidal race|tidal flow]] together with that of [[Salmon Inlet]] and [[Narrows Inlet]] must pass through [[Sechelt Rapids]]. At peak flows, standing waves, whitecaps, and whirlpools form at the rapids even in calm weather. The narrows are also the site of [[Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park]].

Each day, tides force large amounts of seawater through the narrows&mdash;{{convert|200|e9USgal|m3|abbr=on|order=flip}} of water on a {{convert|3|m|abbr=on}} tide.<!--did not use convert template for not knowing which type of gallon (imperial, US, other?), or how to insert "billion" in there --> The difference in water levels on either side of the rapids can exceed {{convert|2|m|abbr=on}} in height. Current speeds can exceed {{convert|16|kn|lk=in}},<ref name=bcparks>[http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/skook_narrows/index.html Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park], BCParks</ref> up to {{convert|17.68|kn|abbr=on}}.<ref>Calculated with [http://tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide/tideshow.cgi?site=Sechelt+Rapids%2C+British+Columbia+Current+(use+with+caution) WWW Tide and Current Predictor], Sechelt Rapids, British Columbia station</ref>

The tidal patterns keep the water moving at virtually all times in the narrows area, which attracts a plethora of interesting sea life.

The unrelated B.C. town of [[Skookumchuck, British Columbia|Skookumchuck]] is several hundred kilometres east in the [[Regional District of East Kootenay|East Kootenay region]] of the province.  Another location bearing this name, [[Skookumchuck Hot Springs]], is on the [[Lillooet River]] east of [[Whistler, British Columbia|Whistler]]. All locations take their name from [[Chinook Jargon]] for "strong water" and the term is common in maritime jargon for any set of strong rapids, particularly those at the mouth of inlets.

[[File:Skookumchuck 2013.jpg|thumb|upright=3.5|centre|Skookumchuck Narrows at high tide]]

==In popular culture==
Skookumchuck Narrows features in the book ''A Whale Named Henry'', the posthumously published second book by [[M. Wylie Blanchet]], author of ''[[The Curve of Time]]''.<ref name="Converse">{{cite book
 |last1                = Converse
 |first1               = Cathy
 |author-link1         =
 |editor-last1         = Horsdal
 |editor-first1        = Marlyn
 |date                 = 2018
 |orig-date            = 2008
 |title                = Following the Curve of Time: The Untold Story of Capi Blanchet
 |url                  = 
 |url-status           =
 |format               = 
 |type                 = Book
 |language             = English
 |edition              = 2nd
 |publication-place    =
 |location             = 
 |publisher            = TouchWood Editions
 |isbn                 = 978-1-77151-296-1
 |quote                =
 |script-quote         =
 |trans-quote          =
 |quote-page           =
 |quote-pages          =
 }}</ref>{{rp|187 n.1}}<sup>; </sup><ref>{{Google books|id=PvwRAAAACAAJ|title=A Whale Named Henry|page=|keywords=|text=|plainurl=}}</ref>  The book is the story of a small whale who gets trapped behind the rapids.<ref name=Converse/>{{rp|4}}

==See also==
*[[List of fjords in Canada]]
*[[List of Chinook Jargon place names]]
*[[Saltstraumen]]
*[[Mount Richardson Provincial Park]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://sunshinecoastcanada.com/things-to-do/hidden-gems/skookumchuck-narrows/ Skookumchuck Best Viewing Times]
*[http://www.tides.gc.ca/eng/data/table/2017/curr_ref/4200 Sechelt Rapids (Current)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322111609/http://www.tides.gc.ca/eng/data/table/2017/curr_ref/4200 |date=2017-03-22 }}, Canadian Tide and Current Tables
*[http://www.dairiki.org/tides/monthly.php/scl Skookumchuck tide chart]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041213185640/http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/skook.htm Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park]
*[http://www.burkard.baschek.info/research_extreme_tidal.html Energy Dissipation in Extreme Tidal Environments] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113231659/http://www.burkard.baschek.info/research_extreme_tidal.html |date=2009-01-13 }}, by Burkard Baschek and David Farmer
*[https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&z=14&ll=49.739347,-123.890076&spn=0.038163,0.080509&t=h&om=1 Google Maps - Sechelt Rapids]
*[http://ootboot.com/guidebook/skookumchuck/ Skookumchuck Outdoor Information]
*[https://www.outdoorvancouver.ca/skookumchuck-narrows-provincial-park/ Skookumchuck Narrows Hike]

{{coord|49|44|51|N|123|54|28|W|region:CA-BC_type:waterbody_source:http://www4.rncan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique/JBMIK |name=Skookumchuck Narrows|display=title}}

[[Category:Whirlpools]]
[[Category:Straits of British Columbia]]
[[Category:Sunshine Coast (British Columbia)]]
[[Category:Sunshine Coast Regional District]]
[[Category:Chinook Jargon place names]]