An evening stroll along the beach is not usually this dangerous.

Qualicum Beach man and BC Ferries captain Randal Warnock is resting up at home after being attacked by a juvenile grizzly bear while taking a stroll on a small island north of Vancouver Island near the mainland on Monday, July 17.

On his way to captain a ferry run between Bella Coola and Bella Bella, Warnock said he left Port Hardy on his boat Monday morning, and was just north of Cape Caution at about 6 p.m. when the weather started getting rough.

So he anchored his boat in Millbrook Cove, and thought he91裸聊视频檇 stretch his legs with a walk on the beach of a small island just off the coast.

He figures the wind and noise of the waves on the beach might have contributed to his accidentally startling a juvenile grizzly bear after picking up a discarded buoy to re-use.

91裸聊视频淚 turn around and like a foot away from where I picked up the buoy, a grizzly bear charged out of the bush, full bore, straight at me, and was on me within a couple of seconds,91裸聊视频� said Warnock.

91裸聊视频淔irst thing I thought was, 91裸聊视频楢h sh*t, is this how it91裸聊视频檚 all going to end?91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�

After not getting a good grip on his left leg, the grizzly clamped down on his right knee and started shaking him violently, he said.

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 yelling and screaming at him (then I) remembered I had a knife. I91裸聊视频檝e got to protect myself somehow and fight back, so I pull my knife out but I was off balance, he was shaking me. I dropped the knife.91裸聊视频�

But, with the bear91裸聊视频檚 face below and in front of him, Warnock decided bare hands would have to do.

91裸聊视频淚 just hauled off and punched him hard as I could right on the nose, and that stopped him,91裸聊视频� he said.

The bear reared up and stared at him from about two feet away. When it made to lunge at him, Warnock fell backwards onto a bank, grabbed a log and tried to hurl it at the bear, but it slipped and dropped between them, he said. But that was enough. The bear turned and ran away.

From there, Warnock said he hobbled back to his skiff, dripping blood, got back to his boat and bandaged himself up.

Knowing that the area has little to no radio reception, he travelled about an hour to get a radio signal and contact the coast guard.

John Millman, a Maritime Co-ordinator at the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria, said the centre got the call from Victoria Coast Guard Radio North, and sent two vessels out to get him. By about 9 p.m., the coast guard reached Warnock, one vessel taking him aboard and medevacing him to Port Hardy, the other taking control of his vessel on his behalf to pilot it back.

The most painful part of the whole ordeal was the stitches and cleaning of his wounds, said Warnock, adding doctors were done with him by about 3 a.m.

Warnock returned home to Qualicum Beach Thursday evening, and said he91裸聊视频檚 expected to make a full recovery and have full use of his leg.

Overall, he said, it91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频渘ot too bad compared to what it could have been 91裸聊视频� I feel very lucky.91裸聊视频�

Asked if he has a takeaway from all of this, he said he91裸聊视频檒l be on the lookout for bears in the future, carry bear spray, and stay away from remote mainland beaches on the north coast, especially ones near salmon rivers.