... Discovery Expeditions kayak tours est. 1986 ... Discovery Expeditions kayak tours est. 1986 ... Discovery Expeditions kayak tours est. 1986
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Custom Day
Trips
Telegraph Cove, BC
The waters outside of Telegraph Cove are suitable for us to offer a selection of day trip options for people visiting the area and wanting to multiple activities with their partners or family members.
The areas immediately outside of Telegraph Cove are a combination of small islets, shallow bays and rocky landscapes. Considerable numbers of eagles are the frequent wildlife that can be seen daily with the added possibly of seeing brown mink and harbour seals in and around the many reefs and islets of Beaver and Bauza Coves. The Kokish River Estuary is of interested during the latter part of the summer when some of the largest steelhead return to its pristine waters for winter. It is also a great time to see a large number of eagles, both mature and immature. As the salmon return so do the eagle populations. You can also see a number of rookeries or nests that have endured more than one harsh winter.
These areas are great for floating and learning how to maneuver a sea kayak for the first time. If the weather cooperates, you can venture out into the currents and wind of the Strait. During the summer months of August and September we experience an increasing number of calm days that you can venture further than Beaver and Bauza Coves. June and July present themselves with a large amount of breezes and prevailing winds from the Southwest and Northwest. If you get on the water early in the morning or latter in the evening you can be assured of gentle or moderate conditions but if you venture out in the afternoon you often will have either wind or current to deal with at any given time. With our twenty plus years of operating in the area and out of Telegraph Cove we have developed options for our day trips that offer the paddling public the perfect combination of paddling for a day or more.
Starting August 1st & ending August 31st
These trips involve a full day of paddling and exploring Beaver and Bauza Cove and the many islets in the immediate area outside of Telegraph Cove. These trips start at 9:00 am (unless the tideis too low and then we start later). We pack our lunch and head out along the rocky shoreline that holds a picture of the wonderful marine life under water. A sea kayak can get into places most other crafts cannot. In the morning hours we get to watch the young eagles and young seals making their attempt to stock prey. We often see more that ten eagles each trip we go out. You could see a number of small diving duck like, gillmonts, murrs and ouklets. At various times of the summer we see Arctic Loops in the distance as we start our morning paddle. Most of our time is spent paddling amongst the scenic small rocky islets of Bauza Cove where we see the bulk off our wild and marine life. As the morning moves to afternoon we will catch lunch on a perfect spot to see across the three nautical mile crossing of Johnstone Strait and Weynton Passage. A considerable amount of boat traffic enters and leaves the mouth of Telegraph Cove, so we like clear this area as soon as we can and stay away from it for most of our day trip. If time and conditions permit we may do a small hike at Blinkhorn and even make it around to this large rocky beach. As weather permits these trips can move out into the Strait to see if we can find the Dalls' Porpoise that frequent these waters at various times of the day. The cost for this trip is $175.00 per person based on double occupance and can only be offered if their is two or more participants. Pre-booking is required.
... Trip maximum is 4 guests (lunch provided)
In order to venture further out into Johnstone Strait for a day of sea kayaking and cruising to get the best chance to see more variety of wildlife, (humpback whales, orca whales and minke whales) more waterbodies,more shoreline scenery and a more natural area to paddle through we suggest you come on our Johnstone Strait Day Tripper. Cost for this trip is $375.00 per person based on double occupance an offers you a private approach to the key area that everyone takes a full day to paddle out too. We will pick you up with your gear from the boat launch beside the Telegraph Cove Resort Office at 9:00 am sharp and venture out in our specially designed kayak landing craft to the core area for viewing Orca Whales and many other forms of marine mammals, bears and chance to see the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve all in one day. We would prefer to spend as much time on the water as possible bu this area is also great for a taste of the original old growth forest system that the economy of the Westcoast was built on.
We will transfer from the boat to a small island where we maintain a base camp that offer you a great spot to kayak the small bays and open waters of the Strait with the security of getting out of the weather or fast running currents that exist in other parts of the Strait. In this location we are beyond the boat traffic that is present daily in and out of Telegraph Cove. You will be paddling amongst small islands with a large variety of bird mammal and critter life. In one day it is possible to see whales a number of the times, bears grubbing at low tide along mud flats and watch eagles catch prey and take it to a spot where you can watch them feed.
In this area, it is possible to cross the Strait and explore the solitude of the beaches to the west of Robson Bight and enjoy watching the interaction of whales, sea lions and seals all in the same marine environment. Sometimes are better than others for taking this day trip due to salmon runs, weather and frequency of whales in the area in previous days. We can even extend this day into a dinner and a stay over for the night and the following day (added cost of $250.00 per person).
It is an option we have on our Lodge Based Trips as well. This option offers you the convenience of our private boat transport and a flexible itinerary from and return to Telegraph Cove Resorts.
In 1912, Telegraph Cove was a one-room station, the northern terminus of a telegraph line that began in Campbell River and stretched from tree to tree along Vancouver Island's east coast. The father of community pioneer Fred Wastell purchased most of the land around the cove. Together with Japanese investors, he established a chum salmon saltery and a small sawmill.
Today, Telegraph Cove's economy is based primarily on tourism. Gordie and Marilyn Graham have owned and re-established this jewel of a place in the fiber of the north island economy. Then you visst here and add your contribution to this economy, we all win for the future generations.
Telegraph Cove serves as the send-off point for sea kayakers and other whale-watchers who are interested in sightings of the large number of Orca Whales that spend the summer months in the nearby Johnstone Strait. JS separates the northern part of Vancouver Island from the rest of British Columbia.
The old fishing village of Telegraph Cove has been turned into the Telegraph Cove Resort, where numerous small businesses head up operations that take tourists into the Johnstone Strait .
During the summer 2007 we were listening to whales on the hydraphone the afternoon the barge spilled her load onto the rockface of the bight. We heard the call over the radio and dis-
patch are landcraft to see if we could help out.
So with the Coast Guard Plane buzzing overheard we checked with the wardens of the bight and entered cautiously into the bight and began picking up the floating diesel tanks, tires and gas can on the surface of the water. Within 45 minutes we had the bulk of the floating equipment on board. The slick was still looming on the surface of the water being pushed to the western shore of the bight by a steady 10 knot south- easterly wind. So we did what had to be done for the whales.
Now finally the rest of the equipment is being removed from this sensitive habitat,
The News!!!!
Oil cube lifted out of Robson Bight 'cleanly'
$2.5M salvage operation underway after barged tipped in August 2007
By Judith Lavoie, Times ColonistMay 16, 2009
Observers on a barge in Robson Bight ecological reserve held their breath yesterday afternoon as a metal cube containing 1,400 litres of hydraulic oil was carefully pulled to the surface.
"There was a lot of anticipation when the cube finally broke the surface, but the crew were very calm and professional, which helped," said Randy Alexander, environmental protection manager for the Environment Ministry.
The two-metre-square container, with 72 pails of lube oil, had been sitting on the ocean floor since August 2007 when a barge tipped equipment into the famed wildlife area, where threatened northern resident killer whales feed and rub themselves on pebble beaches.
The 11 pieces of equipment belonged to Ted LeRoy Trucking of Chemainus, which is charged with numerous pollution violations. The company declared bankruptcy last year.
The $2.5-million operation to remove the oil cube and a fully loaded fuel truck from 350 metres of water is being conducted by Mammoet Salvage B.V., a company based in the Netherlands, on behalf of the province and federal government.
A remotely operated underwater vehicle was first sent into the water, then a crane dropped down hooks and chains, which were attached to the container by the underwater vehicle before it was slowly pulled to the surface.
Initially, the company planned to cover the cube with a special jacket to catch any spills, but with debris on the ocean floor, it was feared cables could be snagged.
The operation went extremely smoothly, said Paul Spong, director of whale research station OrcaLab, one of the many environmental groups pushing government to remove the equipment.
"It came out of the water cleanly. There was a tiny bit of residual oil, but they had a boom around the site and I would say there was no impact on the environment."
After the accident, the federal government initially said there was no point sending down a remotely operated vehicle as fuel tanks would have imploded as they sank.
In response, environmental groups planned their own underwater survey, and government had a change of heart.
An inspection showed intact tanks, with an estimated 10,000 litres of fuel, sitting on the ocean floor.
After a delay of almost two years, the operation was planned for a season when whales were unlikely to be in the area, although in recent weeks, several groups of transient orcas have spent time in Robson Bight.
However, yesterday they all stayed away, said Spong, who is keeping his fingers crossed they will not venture into the area as the fuel truck is lifted.
Late yesterday afternoon, the barge was manoeuvered into position over the fuel truck. Weather will decide whether it is lifted today or tomorrow.
The truck will be covered with metal casings before being lifted to protect against spills.
The government hopes to recoup some of the operation's cost from Ted LeRoy Trucking .
jlavoie@tc.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist
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