SKA Blog

Kayaking with whales is a “Bucket List” item for many outdoors enthusiasts. Floating on tranquil tide at eye level with a spy-hopping whale is an unforgettable experience. There is something special about meeting this intelligent, wild creature in its home habitat. Kayaks allow for a more intimate setting than commercial whale watching cruises, as you can observe the whales’ behavior without the sound of a motor or flocks of other guests jostling to a boat railing for a look. Additionally, the eco-minded will enjoy the low impact of carbon-neutral kayaks on the ocean habitat of these gentle giants. Best of all, Sea Kayak Adventures offers a number of tours to kayak with whales in a variety of the world’s most beautiful wilderness areas. Where would you like to go?

Strait from the Strait: Final BC Trip Report

On our last trip, August 28-Sept 2, started out with some thick fog in the Johnstone Strait but it thinned out enough to find the A30′s (10) orcas foraging for salmon. We saw a bear swimming from one island to another.  And, we saw an adult humpback whale breach some 10 - 12 times in Blackfish sound.  What a show!  Learn more about why whales breach by clicking here.

The orcas were in the area again later in the week as well as Steller sea lions, harbour seals and lots of sea birds.  We ended our season with calm seas and sunny skies.

Straight from the Strait: Guides Report from the Field

Orca Base Camp August 22-25

It was a terrific four days on the water with lots of Orca and several Humpback whale sightings during the trip. Each day we watched the resident fish-eating orcas as they slowly traveled down Johnstone Strait.  The highlight was watching a juvenile orca come into our bay at Little Kaikash and pass within a few meters of where we were standing. The little guy provided some excellent photo opportunities and everyone at camp got lots of great pictures.  The trip also offered some incredible Humpback whale viewing.  Guests witnessed two of these huge whales cruising close to shore next to the rocks near our base camp.  

The glass calm water made for perfect paddling and watching for whales, porpoises, Stellar sea lions, seabirds and quite a few bald eagles.  Add a freshly caught Chinook salmon (courtesy of a local fisherman) barbequed over a campfire and we had a 10 Star week.

It was an amazing trip up in God's Pocket this week with a great group of people.  Highlights included a sea otter sighting and our host Bill playing with a giant pacific octopus (click here to see the octopus video)!  We saw some amazing wildlife including a humpback whale, porpoises, and seals.  During the trip we circumnavigated several islands, and visited an ancient First Nation's midden.  Mid-week we hiked to Harlequin Bay to view the old-growth cedar trees, and later paddled to the Scarlett Point Lighthouse for a tour led by the lighthouse keeper. Perfect paddling weather, just a bit of rain and no wind all week.  We capped off our trip with an amazing night paddle in the bio-luminescence.  Everybody enjoyed the incredible meals prepared by Shona, especially her baking!  It's back to the gym and cottage cheese.

We just came home from the first God's Pocket Resort kayak tour of the year and had a fantastic trip! A little rainy, but no wind made for excellent paddling on glassy seas. Great group of people, abundant wildlife and of course tons of great food prepared by Annie. Highlights include viewing Humpback whales almost daily, watching resident killer whales from Bill's boat at sunset, seeing dozens of eagles dotting the tree tops and massive Steller sea lions feeding on salmon! Space available on the July 25 tour.

BC Canada - The northern resident salmon-eating orcas are back in Johnstone Strait, as per 2 whale watching day cruise boats in Johnstone Strait: Stubbs Island and MacKay

Also exciting news reported by Stubbs and MacKay are that there are many more humpback whales than ever before in the area, and they are seeing minke whales, transient orcas, Dall's porpoise and Pacific white-sided dolphins.   

It's not too late to book a wildlife kayaking tour of 4 days or 6 days in length, suitable for novices, in Johnstone Strait this summer - we have room still on selected July and August 2011 tours.

BAJA - And a reminder of our special offers for Baja tours! Some folks calling us to book 2012 Easter and spring break trips recently reported that flights to Loreto are already filling fast for prime dates. There is only one carrier into Loreto, only one flight a day, and only 70 seats per flight - so don't miss out if you are planning to visit Loreto soon.

1.    Do whales sleep? Not the way we do.  Because breathing is a conscious act for whales, they cannot sleep for very long periods, and they need to move up and down to the surface, keep moving to prevent stranding and watch for potential dangers, so they do not fall deeply asleep.  They must rest, but they require very little sleep.  Evidence suggests that whales require less sleep because the marine environment induces a brain state that resembles sleep.  Even humans who spend a lot of time in the water, require less sleep. Whale relatives, dolphins and porpoises are able to “sleep” half their brain at a time.