Johnstone Strait off Vancouver Island is the ideal location to go kayaking with orca whales and observe and photograph one of nature’s truly magnificent mammals. The sleek, beautiful ebony and ivory orcas congregate in Johnstone Strait during the summer to feed, socialize and rub themselves on pebble beaches.
On our kayaking with Orca Whales Trip we will be on the lookout for orca pods while exploring the strait. Although there can be no guarantees, our dates represent the most opportune time to sea kayak and have an encounter of the orca kind. Combine the exhilaration of kayaking beside these breaching, spouting, power swimming orcas, with rugged coastal scenery, magnificent west coast rainforest, and you have the ultimate personal and coastal kayaking experience.
Orcas “Plus” – Due to lots of guest feedback saying they wish they’d had just a little more time “out there” enjoying Johnstone Strait and all it has to offer, we have added some 7 day itinerary dates for the upcoming summer season. This extra day and night will give us just that much more time to explore a bit further a field or do our best to find those whales one more time!
Day 0: Arrival in Vancouver. This denotes the day or days spent in Vancouver before the listed start date of the trip.
Day 1: Option 1: –Comox Valley: (hotel details in forms issued after registration)
Our new base of operations in Courtenay BC means we are closer than ever to the amazing sea-kayaking locations on Vancouver Island. As all of our trips originate west or north of our base we highly recommend travelling directly to the Comox Valley for your adventure. This will significantly shorten your overall travel time at the beginning and end of the trip.
Next we will start the journey northwards on the Island towards our destination at Telegraph Cove. We should arrive here in the late afternoon/early evening.
Day 2 – 6 or 7: Several factors, such as weather, tides, current, group ability, group goals, and the distribution of pods will ultimately decide our campsites, paddling time, and route, and as such, a day by day, precise itinerary, is undesirable & impractical. We have developed an itinerary which focuses on the areas in Johnstone Strait and which present the best chance of viewing orcas. By so doing, we hope to avoid the busier marine traffic around Telegraph Cove and the islands in that area. Along the way, there will be opportunities to explore the many coves, beaches, and marine life that characterize the strait. Different campsites are planned throughout our paddle. We will return to our put-in point on Day 6 and return to Vancouver sometime in the evening.
We have had a few cancellations on our Tombstones and West Coast Trail trips, have a look to see if the dates work for you!
Please note all guests and our staff must be fully vaccinated in order to participate in Sea to Sky trips.
Keep up to date with all the exciting things happening at Sea to Sky. We look forward to staying in touch with you!