On the northeastern edge of Vancouver Island the one hundred kilometre Johnstone Strait is a glacial carved ocean passage abundant with wildlife. This area is accessible in a half-day of travel from Vancouver and makes a phenomenal short trip away from the city. The rugged coastline is dotted with staging areas to launch kayaks and tourist boats. The land is within the Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation and multiple operators offer packages to explore the region by kayak or boat. You can do a single day trip or a multi-day guided expedition.
I booked with North Island Kayak who were excellent and allowed me to experience old-worldly charm departing from the picturesque heritage boardwalk town of Telegraph Cove. Being relatively inexperienced at ocean kayaking I found the pace and physical demands very achievable despite some initial hesitancy. We had a lengthy technique and safety briefing session on land before being allocated equipment and dry bags. We then set off in speedy tandem kayaks full of confidence.
The clear waters were mostly calm and our experienced guide formulated the best route each day taking into account the tides and weather. We cruised east along the shoreline for about 15-20 kilometres a session. There were many bald eagles perched on trees and seals basking on rocks during the low tide. As it was summer and the salmon migration, we could see the silvery fish launching themselves out of the water along our journey.
Stopping for lunches on abandoned beaches only accessed from the ocean was a real highlight. We pulled into a campsite where the touring companies have setup high-quality campsites with semi-permanent tents on wooden platforms elevated off the wet ground. I slept amazingly and it was great to get dry and rested before continuing on our journey. Crossing the strait was an exhilarating experience being out in the open ocean and I was thankful for the direction of our excellent team.
This area has the highest density of orcas in the world with a Northern resident population of around three hundred who use the rubbing beaches and bays to hunt their food. We also saw glorious pods of Dall's porpoises bounding around the ocean, minke whales and some very cheeky seals chilling on kelp beds. The best time to see Orcas is in August.
You will not forget this experience, be sure to bring your SLR camera if you have one, unfortunately I don't so the photos of wildlife on this page are from North Island Kayak's website.
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