Johnstone Strait off Vancouver Island, BC 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 this kayaking with orca whales trip you 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.
From
Availability (2025):
INTERNATIONAL NUMBER: +1 778 348 1676
You can also send an email to info@adventures.com, or use the contact form here below.
Find out more details about the tour and its highlights
Guide information: All tours meet or exceed the industry standard for guides to client ratios. Tours with 5 or more guests will have two guides. Tours with fewer guests will typically have a single guide and may have a second guide. All guides are certified in wilderness first aid and guiding experience and certifications relative to the tour type.
Restrictions: Moderate level of fitness is recommended. No kayaking experience is required. Ocean kayaking is easy to learn. The kayaks have a rudder system controlled by foot pedals allowing easy maneuvering. Your guides will give you instruction basic paddling techniques to enable you to paddle with confidence and ease.
Transportation: Trips originate and end in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Transportation to and from the kayaking area in Johnstone Strait is included.
Weather: Summer temperatures average between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius.
This denotes the day or days spent on Vancouver Island before the listed start date of the trip.)
This denotes the day or days spent on Vancouver Island before the listed start date of the trip.
We will pick you up from your accommodation in Nanaimo (near downtown). Next, we will start the journey northwards on the Island towards our destination at Alder Bay. We should arrive there in the late afternoon/early evening. )
We will pick you up from your accommodation in Nanaimo (near downtown). Next, we will start the journey northwards on the Island towards our destination at Alder Bay. We should arrive there in the late afternoon/early evening.
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 and impractical. W...)
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 and impractical. We have developed an itinerary that 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 plan to be back at Alder Bay on Day 5 for the night.
We may go for a morning paddle north of Alder Bay on this last morning. After any morning activity, we will clean up the kayaks and gear, and return to Nanaimo sometime in the evening.)
We may go for a morning paddle north of Alder Bay on this last morning. After any morning activity, we will clean up the kayaks and gear, and return to Nanaimo sometime in the evening.
Deposit and Taxes
CANCELLATION POLICY & DETAILS
The 30% deposit on your tour holds your tour space and guarantees your spot on the tour. Your deposit is non-refundable in most circumstances. If you pay the balance before the 75-day due date, the balance, less the non-refundable deposit, is refundable except under the circumstances outlined in the Cancellation Policy (provided upon booking). Your final balance payment is due 75 days before departure and becomes non-refundable 60 days before departure. If you fail to pay the balance by the 75-day due date, you forfeit your deposit and lose your reservation. If you cancel within 60 days before the tour departure date, you forfeit your entire trip cost. This is necessary to guarantee that tours run when there are insufficient bookings after cancellations, and to cover the significant costs and commitments to run a tour.
