... Discovery Expeditions kayak tours ... Discovery Expeditions kayak tours ... Discovery Expeditions kayak tours
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"We loved the trip!!! Guides were exceptional cooks, great guides and super hosts!" Micaelai & David Brummett, Palo Alto, CA
Orca 2,
is a
four day sea kayaking adventure designed
for paddlers to explore the shorelines, passages and
amazing wildlife of Johnstone Strait. The adventure allows you time
to enjoy paddling the waters that surround the Michael Biggs/Robson
Bight Ecological Reserve. Our trip is designed to with a maximum of
sea kayaking but is still complimented with a daily short
hikes in the rainforest. Our camp is located on a small secluded
island that offers a central location in the core area for whale
viewing in
From camp we can access sheltered and open water passages. Wildlife often visits us. Our guides love to share and teach. We maintain a number of monitoring devices to know when whales are in our area but like to use the element of surprise to enhance each trip. As the passage of pods of orca, porpoise, and dolphins can happen at anytime, sightings are most often seen during the daytime and sounds are often heard through the evenings. At camp and on the water we have the ability to listen to passing whales We have become familar with the vocals of numerous families of whales. It is often the case that our guests see whales before the guides do. This frequently occurs a number of times in a 24-hour per iod.
From you tent
site you will experience the frequent calls of eagles, raven and a
myriad of songbirds. Our camp is comfortable, private and sheltered
from the elements. Camp is in a setting of an intact
rainforest ecosystem. It is a combination of towering fir trees,
groves of ferns and mosaics of moss. At the shoreline the marine
life is abundant and alive. At low tides you will be introduced
first hand to the amazing numbers of critter and organisms of this
saltwater environment. Special features like the luminious
This is our most popular tour and offers the best value for the money. This tour remains in the core area for viewing Orca Whales in Johnstone Strait and Robson Bight.
With comments like:
"The campsites were lovely, the sea kayaks were easy to maneuver, the killer whales were spectacular - as well as the porpoises, the eagles, the scenery." Kristine Fowler & Davis Krauter, Oakland, CA
This is our most popular tour and space does fill up fast. Make sure you book early to reserve your spot.
Johnstone Strait is unquestionably the best place on earth to sea kayak with the Killer Whales in the wild. Most of British Columbia's 300 Killer Whales return to these waters to feed, sleep, play, and rub their bodies on the pebble beaches of the world-famous Robson Bight Ecologically Reserve.
Here is a picture of the view we have with Johnstone Strait in the foreground and Robson Bight and the Tstika Valley in the background on a typical day for this area.
Mornings can start with the call of an eagle or the passage of a pod of Orca Whales. At low tide we can enjoy the marine life of the area by walking the shoreline of our island or floating over the sun starfish, anemones and sea urchins. At anytime we can be visited by, Minke Whales, Stellar Sea lions and Harbour Seals. Resident Pods of Orca Whales often pass by at slow rates of speed. We often experience numerous surfacing and sometime an entertained by the play of the baby whales.
Camp is special. Tents are private and located on level platforms situated close to the shoreline. Eagles, kingfishers, and songbirds, including thrushes and wrens are seen and heard in the area surrounding the base camp.
Often you can get close and personal with the wildlife.
Day 1: - Always an exciting day with a morning filled with anticipation. The morning starts with a short but scenic cruise to base camp. Your tent site awaits you in a secluded area close to the shoreline. After a short time to introduce you to the island camp we will set out on a sheltered passage of water to explore what nature has in store for us on our first day. The day is spent exploring coves, beaches, and small islands. All the while our ears and eyes are tuned into the sights and sounds of our first passage of Orca Whales. We will enjoy the sunny side of Johnstone Strait today. As daytime fades into evening we enjoy a salmon bake, beach fire and conversation of what a fulfilling first day we all had.
Day 2: - Healthy breakfast to start the day. Your morning often starts with the calls from a local eagle or a distant whale. Your guides will gather you together and set a plan for the day. Shortly thereafter you will venture onto the smooth waters that greet us every morning. With whale reports in hand and a weather check taken we are well prepared for another remarkable day. Later, we will forge into a nature trail through a lush rainforest with large red cedar trees. Here the sword fern can grow to match your height, the forest floor comes alive with mushroom, flowers and a maze of cones. Deer and squirrel are the inhabitance of this section of the forest. Our trail leads us to a opening in the forest that gives us a panoramic view south into the Sitka Valley and the waters of the Michael Bigg/Robson Bight Ecological Reserve. Here we will take the time to talk with summer researchers about frequency of the summer whale traffic and see if we have any new babies in the A-Clan family. Then it is time for lunch and the short walk back through the forest. Our afternoon will be spent on the water paddling while listening for the sights of the pods of whales that frequent the rubbing beaches (RB) within the limits of Robson Bight. As whales approach your guides will direct you into a raft or a kayak pod so that you can stabilize for pictures and avoid getting in front of the Orcas passage. Often we enjoy watching whales for the better part of a hour as they pass by on their way to the RB. And more times than we can remember we see them again as they choose to pass by close to the shores of our base camp. Sometimes this occurs during dinner time, and other times it occur well into the evening. If it is the later you will fall asleep to the sounds of Orca hunting for salmon during the night.
Day 3: - Lots of coffee smell in the kitchen this morning. Time for a wash up or morning shower before a hardy breakfast. A day for crossing the Strait and exploring the beaches close to Robson Bight and rainforests above the beautiful beaches of Vancouver Island. There is unique design to the beaches on this side of the Strait. And each is backed by a sound of cascading water from the steep forested mountains that often still have a pack or two of snow on them. We will take a few short walks into the realm of this forest to see the flora and fuana. Often the area we choose is the site of pods of Orcas as they access the water of Robson Bight. We have seen a pattern over the years where, the females and calves swim close to the shorelines while the bulls stay about a kilometer or two out into the Strait. At times of play, orcas put on an amazing display of acrobatic moves some of which is to locate the surrounding areas. This could be a day of much excitement and surprise. And later as the day fades ingo evening this night is always special and is spent around the beach fire after a stroll around the island.
Day 4: - Our last day often finds everyone up early and as eager to face the day as they were the first day. A decent breakfast will set us up for a morning paddle along the interesting shoreline of across from Robson Bight and along the area of the eastern boundary of the Boat Bay Conservancy. Here we have had some of our most memorable observations of wild Orcas foraging and propoiseing up the middle of the Strait. Their is nothing more exciting than watching a juvenile bull launch himself from the water into the air and create the largest belly flop you have every seen in a lifetime. Often these beaches and rocky outcrops have been productive as a place to watch bears foraging the tideline for food. The small cubs are the cute guys as they always try to turn over rocks that are twice they size. As the day unfolds we will make our way back to our camp and have a last bite to eat, some conversation and make off for the cove at 3:30 pm. The cruise back can be an eventful one with sighting of more wildlife which sometimes give us our last memory of this wonderful ecosystem.
Note: *The guides reserve the right to alter the itinerary in the face of challenging weather conditions.
As space fills very fast with this tour it best to book as early as possible to ensure that your preferred dates are available.
(Family Rates available)
June 16-19, June 23-26 June 30-03
July 07-10, July 14-17, July 21-24, July 28-31
August 04-07, August 11-14, August 18-21, August 25-28
Sept 01-04, Sept 08-11, Sept 15-18, Sept 22-25
Contact Us
221 Ferntree Place Nanaimo B.C. V9T 5M1
Toll Free 1-888-756-0099 Ask for Larry
International Callers please call 1-250-756-0094
or
250-244-3484
Fax Number is 1-250-756-1908
Or you are always welcome to email info@orcaseakayaking.com