Blackfish 6-Day Sea Kayaking Experience (29.87)

Itinerary

• Day
  1

  Guests need to arrive to the coastal community of Port McNeill (located on the northeastern end of Vancouver Island) for the evening prior to the trip departure date to meet your guides, and the other members of your group. On the first morning of your trip, we will meet you at Telegraph Cove for 8:00 AM. We will spend time familiarizing you with the kayaks as well as introducing basic paddling skills and on-the-water safety procedures. Once on the water we’ll make sure you are comfortable and secure before setting off. We will set an easterly course into Johnstone Strait in search of adventure and Orcinus Orca, the Killer Whale! By the time we stop for lunch you will feel quite satisfied in your ability to propel your sea kayak! We’ll continue east along Johnstone Strait and arrive at our first camp, where we will stay for the next two nights. After establishing our camp, we may return to the water for a late afternoon paddle, or explore the rainforest surrounding our camp. Later, while your dinner is being prepared, keep a watchful eye towards the shoreline. The ocean floor adjacent to the beach is steep, which allows the Orca to patrol the kelp beds close to the shore in search of their favourite meal, Chinook salmon. This spectacle often provides some of the best opportunities for photographing the whales. Don’t be surprised by the sight of the cook running from the kitchen area, camera in hand!

  Meals: Lunch, Dinner

  Accomodation: Camping
• Day
  2

  During our breakfast, we will make plans for the day ahead. You may be interested to share in the information that we use to prepare us for the morning paddle. There will be opportunities to monitor the weather radio and practice consulting charts and the tide/current tables. The beaches to the west of the Michael Biggs Ecological Reserve, commonly known as Robson Bight, will most likely be the day’s destination. Robson Bight is famous for the ‘round pebble’ beaches on which the whales were first observed rubbing. Sometimes we share our lunch with the Ecological Reserve wardens, and hear firsthand their experiences involving Killer whale research. Although Johnstone Strait is one of the best places in the world to see Orca in their natural environment, it is not limited to these marine mammals. Often Dalls porpoise, the fastest small cetacean, jet-propel by. At various times the Pacific White Sided Dolphins, Minke whales or even an occasional Humpback make an appearance. At the day's end we return to our camp for a fireside dinner, which includes (we hope) some freshly caught salmon. Hopefully a big one. Hopefully a sockeye. (fishing = hoping) After the fire has burned down to coals and you're warmly snuggled in your tent, listen for the blowing of the Orcas swimming by.

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

  Accomodation: Camping
• Day
  3

  Today we break camp and paddle across Johnstone Strait into Blackfish Sound and the southern Broughton Archipelago. Our departure time is dependent upon the tide and currents, which need to be in our favour to paddle through Blackney Passage. We will establish our new camp on Compton Island, site of the largest amanita muscaria, or Fly Agaric, (mushrooms) we have ever seen, dangerous only if you eat it! Later in the afternoon, we explore the Blackfish Sound area. During July and August, the area is of particular interest to birders as there is a high population of nesting Bald Eagles. As we tour through Blackfish Sound you will likely see a great number of Phalaropes and Auklets gathered to feed in the nutrient rich waters, or spot the Marbled Murrelets bobbing high in the water.

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

  Accomodation: Camping
• Day
  4

  After our breakfast, we will be off to further explore the Broughton Archipelago. This maze of Islands is the territorial lands of the Kwakwa’ka’wakwl first nations people and evidence of their ancient culture is still evident today. This day will be filled with paddling silently through waters alive with marine life, searching for hidden lagoons, and exploring the rugged coastline aged by winter storms. There will be time for viewing the prolific wildlife, trolling for salmon and perhaps a hike through the coastal rainforests. After a leisurely exploration we will lunch on one of the many secluded islets. A late afternoon paddle returns us to our camp on Compton Island. In the evening, the phytoplankton seems especially brilliant at our beach. Maybe it is just the dark night sky far away from city lights, but whatever the reason it is worth staying up late to throw rocks in the water and admire the brilliant display!

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

  Accomodation: Camping
• Day
  5

  We return to Johnstone Strait today and our route takes us back into the realm of the Orca. At times, it seems the whales are as curious about us, as we are about them and often they approach, and then slow down to accommodate us as we paddle along. Often when we encounter the Orca pods, we sit quietly on the water and simply enjoy the spectacle. These are the times we submerge our hydrophone and listen to the squeaks and whistles of the Orca as they call back and forth in complex dialects or use echolocation in their pursuit of salmon. It is impossible to describe the thrill of hearing and seeing these magnificent creatures in the wild. The northern resident whales have all been photographed and named so it can be a fun challenge to identify some of the individual whales! At the days end, we set up camp for our final evening in the Strait.

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

  Accomodation: Camping
• Day
  6

  We break camp in the morning and make our way back to Telegraph Cove, as a group of experienced paddlers. Although it is impossible to predict or guarantee any of the above, and the weather can create variables, we have described typical events based on 12 years of paddling in Johnstone Strait. On every trip there is something very special experienced or witnessed. We were once treated to the most spectacular show as we headed home, right outside Telegraph Cove, an infant Orca practiced it's breaches, spy hops, and tail slaps under the watchful eyes of the rest of the family pod. The trip ended late that day, but typically we schedule our return to Telegraph Cove between 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM to allow you sufficient time to return down Island to catch ferries to the Mainland, or flights out of Port Hardy. Upon our return to the Cove, we will share a final lunch and bid fond farewells. After this trip, you surely will have had ... a whale of a time!

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

  Accomodation: Camping