West Coast Canada is the birthplace of sea kayaking, both ancient and modern!

Some of Canada ‘s best sea kayaking is in the Discovery Islands, near Quadra Island Vancouver Island British Columbia. Sheltered channels and clear waters offer splendid kayak adventures and we offer a variety of lodge-based and wilderness sea kayaking trips for your next vacation in Canada!

In between Vancouver Island and British Columbia ’s spectacular Coast Mountains, the Discovery Islands are a group of forested islands carved apart by narrow channels and tidal passages. A perfect place for sea kayaking we invite you to join us in this tranquil and beautiful archipelago on Canada’s west coast.

Attributes of the area are a rich First Nations cultural history, abundant natural resources, a mild climate and magnificent scenery. Inhabited for more than 8,000 years by indigenous peoples, in the past century these remote islands have been settled by pioneers and independent folk with a strong appreciation for the wilderness.

A short ferry ride from Campbell River on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada; Quadra Island and Cortes Island have small friendly communities - and just-enough services so you can get everything you need, and also indulge in good meals, local arts and culture. Quadra Island and Cortes Island are geographically diverse and largely undeveloped, with mountains, natural rainforests, freshwater lakes, and endless shoreline. There are many parks, and the islands have road & extensive trail systems allowing for inland exploration by car, bicycle and foot....

Read Island is centered in this small Canadian archipelago: it is a 40 square km island population 65, without a BC ferry transportation link.

Surge Narrows is the Read Island community centre, with a general store, community hall, one-room school, and Canada’s only floating post office – funky!!

Discovery Islands` residents are largely self-sufficient, earning income from salmon & prawn fishing, oyster aquaculture, logging, guiding and tourism; including wilderness adventures and sea kayaking trips.

The unsurpassed natural beauty of all the islands along with our special relaxed pace, known as “island time” makes the Discovery Islands area near Vancouver Island a great holiday destination.

Long or short, a sea kayaking adventure in the splendid wilderness of Canada ‘s outer islands is sure to provide welcome escape from everyday cares. It’s a natural recharge and it works!

Our Weather

The Discovery Islands are in the "rain shadow" of the Vancouver Island mountains, so they are spared the fog, drizzle and rain associated with many other parts of the British Columbia west coast. This means warm summer temperatures and mostly sunny skies can be expected, though it is important to be prepared for rainy weather. (Murphy's Law prevails...)

The Discovery Islands' biological uniqueness are created by the convergence of three very different bio-climatic eco-sections. Our warm and sunny mediterranean "Georgia Basin" environment is tempered with North Pacific "Inland Oceanic" effects. This combined with the continental influence
of the "Interior Fjordlands" sets the stage for rich diversity in both marine and terrestrial environments.

Our Wildlife

In the Discovery Islands, we are privileged to live in one of Canada ’s most diverse and abundant environments and on our sea kayaking trips you will enjoy opportunities to observe many kinds of west coast wildlife close-up. In the dense temperate rainforest, some wildlife designs to visual camouflage and challenges observing eyes, but much sea and shore life is brightly visible.

Observable wildlife varies throughout the season, depending on the availability of food, and lifecycle behaviours. Sea and shore bird are abundant and active in early summer and the area's large population of Bald Eagles is mating, nesting and highly visible.

Canada ’s west coast Discovery Islands` wilderness contains the world's last near-normal population of the endangered Marbled Murrelet. Other prevalent sea birds include the Common Loon, Surf Scoters, Merganzers, Coots, Oyster Catchers, Murres, Guillimots, Golden Eyes, Grebes and a host of Gulls.

While kayaking, you can expect to see Harbour Seals in the water and on shore. Mink, Otter, Raccoon, and Blacktail Deer are common residents. Later summer brings increased sightings of Pacific White-sided Dolphin and Harbour Porpoises. We are just south of Orca territory but Pods do occasionally stray onto our paths. Venturing into the Fjordlands we may see Black Bears. Other mammals which are present (but rarely seen) are Wolves, Cougar and Grizzly Bears.

Grizzly Bears:

Sea Kayak to a remote First Nations’ village site and have a unique Canadian wildlife adventure and Native culture experience… British Columbia Grizzly bears feed on salmon in the PapKnatch River estuary where kayakers can watch without disturbing, or view from platform blinds. Join one of our sea kayaking tours to the wildlife and Grizzly Bear sanctuary in Xwemahlkwu traditional territory on the British Columbia mainland. You will have opportunities to watch Grizzly Bears from your kayak! Coast Mountain offers this Canada wildlife sea kayaking adventure in cooperation with the Xwemahlkwu First Nation. British Columbia’s Xwemahlkwu First Nation welcomes us to view wildlife and learn about native culture at PapKnatch Village site.

Orca Whales:

We do not offer whale watching tours for two reasons. First, we are committed to our local Discovery Islands community and choose to be bio regionalists in our business practice. We operate close to the Discovery Islands which do not have a resident population of Orca whales.

We are also concerned for whale populations. Orca (Killer Whales) are now listed on Canada’s endangered species list. Studies point to human activity as a primary reason for the decline in resident whale pods, so we choose to respect these magnificent creatures by limiting our own exposure.

While we recognize the appeal of paddling next to wild creatures, we believe they may not be able to withstand the constant presence of human observers. Surprisingly, kayaks may disturb Orca whales even more than powerboats because their silent approach can startle and stress the whales.

Our Kayak Tours

Our goal is to provide safe, environmentally responsible, educational and fun-filled sea kayaking adventures along one of Canada ‘s most beautiful wilderness coasts! No previous experience is required for our kayak trips; we've designed our kayaking trips to accommodate different levels of experience and ability. Many people on our tours are first-time kayak paddlers, but seasoned kayakers will also have challenging and rewarding journeys exploring some of British Columbia’s most extraordinary west coast wilderness. We welcome everybody, all we ask is that you bring along your spirit of adventure -- and be ready for a lot of fun!