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Sea kayaking tours on Vancouver Island to view orcas

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Paddle with the orcas on this kayaking adventure in Johnstone Strait

Overview

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.

Highlights

  • Orca whales
  • Vancouver Island
  • Island Highway
  • Johnstone Strait

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.

  • Personal Experience
  • Trusted Tour Operator
  • Local Guides
  • Small group
Availability July - August
Duration 6 / 7 days
Departs From NANAIMO, BC
Difficulty Moderate
Group maximum 10
Minimum age 10
Meet on Location Yes
Pick Up Yes

From

1 557
Per
Adult
  • Best Price Guarantee
  • International number: +1 778 348 1676

Availability (2023):
June 29-July 5
July 9-15
July 19-25
July 30-August 5
August 25-31

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What's Included

Find out what is included and what to bring.

Included

  • Meals/snacks/beverages
  • Sea kayaks
  • Paddles
  • PFDs [life jacket]
  • Spray skirts
  • Dry bags
  • National or provincial park user fees unless otherwise stated
  • Camping fees
  • Cooking gear
  • Camp stoves
  • Tents
  • Meal preparations
  • Tarps
  • Major first aid supplies
  • Emergency radio or satellite phone
  • Accommodation in tent campsites on the beach

Suggested Clothing

  • Clothing suited to a variety of temperatures and weather conditions
  • Rain gear
  • Hat
  • Warm socks
  • Hiking boots
  • Sneakers
  • Swim suit
  • Towel

What to bring

  • Warm sleeping bag (required)
  • Sleeping pad (required)
  • Camera
  • Binoculars
  • Daypack
  • Water bottle
  • Insect repellent
  • Sunscreen
  • Sunglasses

Contact us for more Information about this tour

INTERNATIONAL NUMBER: +1 778 348 1676

You can also send an email to info@adventures.com, or use the contact form here below.

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Itinerary

Find out more details about the tour and its highlights

Information

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.

colorful view of vancouver city at sunset

Arrival in Nanaimo. This denotes the day or days spent on Vancouver Island before the listed start date of the trip.

kayaking into the sunset in canada
Your guides will pick you up in Nanaimo for the drive north along the Island Highway to our put-in point in Johnstone Strait & our first night’s campsite.
orca near mountain range in canada

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 doing so, 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. On Day 7 we will return to Nanaimo.

Payment Details

Deposit and Taxes

  • Pricing does not include: 5.00% GST.
  • A 30% deposit is required to hold your reservation.
  • Balance of payment is due 60 days before trip commencement.

CANCELLATION POLICY & DETAILS
A non-refundable deposit of 30% of the trip fee is required to hold your reservation. The balance of the fee is due 60 days prior to the commencement date of the trip. As a significant portion of our trip costs is already committed well in advance of each trip, there is no refund after 60 days. If payment is not received when due, we reserve the right to treat the reservation as canceled. We will refund both deposit [less a small administrative fee] and the full balance of payment if we can replace your spot with another participant, less any non-refundable amounts of money from third-party deposits. Cancellation notice must be received in writing.