This beach is just 15 mins from my house. We go here regularly during the spring and summer. Apr-July is best as it can get a bit seaweedy by august.
Fine, soft white sand. Awesome place to park yourself & the family (with some cold ones) on a warm sunny summer day - throw the football around. The water is often a bit chilly (people do swim), but similar to Parksville it is a shallow bay so when the tide comes back in, the water can be quite warm. Great place to soak a crab trap, spend the day at the beach, then head home and boil the fresh crab
This is with the tide halfway out in spring:
This beach is nearby as well (15 mins away from the first)- in East Sooke park by the Aylard Farm parking lot. Same soft white sand - you can see it on the left. The beach was really busy that day so I only took photos from distance, while hiking the park's coast trail.