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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.
New for 2018 – 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.
Option 2 – Nanaimo
Nanaimo is a good choice if you are looking for less travel time on the first and last day of the trip. Nanaimo acts as the link that “closes the loop” for our trip, it is the perfect pick up and drop off location. Also a good choice if you are planning to stay on Vancouver Island.
**Pick UP** – The ferry from the mainland will land between 10-10:30am, meaning that your guide team will pick you up at the Departure Bay ferry terminal in Nanaimo at approx.. 10:30am.
Option 3 – Vancouver (+ $100 round trip) – **Pick Up** – We have arranged a private charter pickup from the Accent Inn at 6:30am. You will be driven to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal for the 8:25am ferry to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. This is our ONLY pick up spot and time in Vancouver. If you are not staying at the Accent Inn you will either need to taxi to the Accent for 6:30am or make your own way to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal for 7:45am at the very latest (generally by taxi). You will be greeted by a Sea to Sky member who will pay for your foot passenger ferry tickets and accompany you to our van/bus on the other side**.
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.
Keep up to date with all the exciting things happening at Sea to Sky. We look forward to staying in touch with you!
