Kayaking FAQ

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
If your question is not answered here, contact our office.

Q: How do you determine the rating/difficulty of an adventure?
Our kayaking trips allow novice and advanced paddlers to experience British Columbia coastal waters. Different categories can be present on a trip. We have attempted to give an overall sense of what you will encounter.
Class 1: Gentle tours in non-challenging, protected waters with limited wind effect, little or no current, easy landings and ready a access to land-bases assistance.
Class 2: Tours in lightly populated areas with short crossings, moderate potential wind effects, gentle to moderate non-turbulent currents, easy to moderate landings and light surf beaches.

Q: I noticed that different companies may have a different number of days to complete an adventure. How do you decide the number of days for an adventure?
Basically from the lessons we learned over more than 25 years. We found that people who opt for our trips are less interested in seeing how much they can be pushed and more interested in reasonable challenge and pace.

Q: Do I have to have kayaking experience?
No. Ocean kayaking is easy to learn. The kayaks have a rudder system controlled by foot pedals allowing easy maneuvering. Our guides will give you instruction basic paddling techniques to enable you to paddle with confidence and ease.

Q: What if I’m an experienced sea kayaker?
Our experienced guides can assist you with fine tuning you’re navigation, route selection, reading tide and current tables skills and more.

Q: Can children come along?
Our sea kayaking expeditions are best suited to teenagers. Equipment and physical constraints limit who we can take. Call our office to discuss whether the expedition is suitable for your child.

Q: What kind of kayaks do you use?
We use Seawards double and single sea kayaks for our expeditions. We ask that paddlers who want to use a single have previous kayaking experience and be a strong enough paddler to keep up with doubles.

Q: Do I have to be in good physical shape to kayak?
Our trips are meant for those in reasonably good shape. Paddling does not require great strength as much as it requires technique. We will send home some conditioning ideas for you. Normal upper body strength and flexibility are key.

Q: How much paddling will I do?
Many factors such as currents, tides, winds, animal sightings, group ability and what the group wants will determine this. Generally, you can expect to paddle for about four hours a day. Flexibility is the key to a great kayaking experience.

Q: When is the best time to do a kayak trip?
We schedule all of our trips to coincide with the best weather and the best time to see marine wildlife. Coastal conditions however are always unpredictable, so you should be prepared with the right equipment and clothing. Marine wildlife is also very unpredictable. We do not give any guarantees that you will see whales, seals, eagles, etc. but we will do our best to find them.

Q: What are your guides’ qualifications?
Our lead guides are members of the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC. They area non-profit society which upholds high standards for professional sea kayak guides and operators in BC. Through ongoing professional development and certification, the Alliance strives to ensure safe practices on an industry-wide basis. They have a keen interest in the outdoors, love their work, and enjoy sharing their knowledge. They are certified in wilderness first aid, and emergency procedures and possess backgrounds in areas such as natural and cultural history, photography and low impact wilderness travel.

Q: What is the size of your kayaking groups?
Maximum of ten participants and 2 guides. This is the standard client to guide ratio recommended by both the B.C. Alliance of Sea Kayak Guides and the Canadian Association of Sea Kayak Guides. A small group minimizes impact on the areas we visit, allows more individualized attention, develops group bonding, and better ensures safety.

Q: Can I join your sea kayaking expedition if I’m alone?
Yes, as many persons come to us on their own. Most groups consist of couples, singles and friends traveling together.

Q: What do I have to supply?
We supply kayaks, paddles, pfds [lifejackets], dry bags for storing clothing, tents, cooking and eating utensils, solar showers, major first aid kit, paddling jacket. You provide sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and personal clothing/toiletries/etc.