Tiny Telegraph Cove, 8 km south of Port McNeill and reached by a rough side road, is an immensely likeable place and the best of BC's so-called "boardwalk villages": the whole community is raised on wooden stilts over the water, a sight that's becoming ever more popular with tourists. It was built as the terminus of a tree-strung telegraph line from Victoria, and it comes as a surprise to discover that its character is threatened by plans for a massive waterfront development of houses, lodge and restaurant. Some development has already taken place – added moorings, a pub and restaurant – but so far without adversely affecting the village's character. As an added bonus, the village has become one of the island's premier whale-watching spots, the main attraction here being the pods of orcas (killer whales) that calve locally. Some nineteen of these families live or visit Robson Bight, 20 km down the Johnstone Strait, which was established as an ecological reserve in 1982 (the whales like the gravel beaches, where they come to rub). This is the world's most accessible and predictable spot to see the creatures – around a ninety percent chance in season.