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Sand sculpting family visits Tofino

Ocean Village vacation spent building sand sculptures on Mackenzie Beach
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Dean and Russ pose with Tortuga the sea turtle hauling Gary the VW bug. (Nora O’Malley photo)

Russ Fuoco and son-in-law Dean spent a decent portion of their Ocean Village vacation building sand sculptures on Mackenzie Beach.

Over the course of a week, they sculpted a wing dragon, a Star Wars tribute, and a classic VW Beetle being towed by a sea turtle. Each creation took on average four to five hours of solid work.

“We love it here. Mackenzie Beach has good quality sand. It’s fine and free of rocks and pebbles. It’s some of the best on Vancouver Island, better than Parksville, where you need to keep an eye on the tides,” said Fuoco.

Fuoco, a retired city planner, says the trick to building sand sculptures is to bring a spade.

“You have to have equipment,” he notes.

Inspired by their guests, Ocean Village Beach Resort launched a summer sand castle castle. From now until the end of August, build a sand creation on Mackenzie Beach, take a photo, and tag @oceanvillage on Instagram for a chance to win two nights at the resort.

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