Race Rocks Light, Maritime lighthouse in Capital Regional District, Canada

Race Rocks Light is a cylindrical stone tower marked by alternating black and white horizontal bands, standing on a small rocky island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca off the southern tip of Vancouver Island. The tower rises about 24 meters (79 feet) and is listed as a recognized federal heritage building of Canada.

The lighthouse was built in 1860 and was among the first two on Canada's Pacific coast, funded by the colonial British government to address the number of shipwrecks in the area. The stones used for its construction were shipped from Scotland, as local materials were not considered adequate.

The light is one of 12 stations in the British Columbia Shore Station Oceanographic Program, recording coastal water temperature and salinity every day since 1921. Pearson College UWC has leased the station and the surrounding ecological reserve since 1997 and keeps an endowment fund for its upkeep.

The island is only reachable by boat, and sea conditions in the strait can change quickly, so careful planning is needed before any visit. The site is a protected ecological reserve, and landing without prior permission is generally not allowed.

Race Rocks Light is one of 12 lighthouses in the British Columbia Shore Station Oceanographic Program, with coastal water temperature and salinity recorded there every day since 1921. The German text above describes this monitoring instead of the tidal system, so the fact belongs here: the station's records form one of the longest daily series on Canada's Pacific coast.