SKA Blog

Thought that I would just give you all a little summary of one of the most incredible experiences I have had in all these many years. Took a trip with Sea Kayak Adventures, Inc.  

This was their 3 x 3 Combo to the Baja of Mexico which included 3 days of kayaking -- the SEA of CORTEZ, followed by 3 days of whale watching --- MAGDALENA BAY on the Pacific side. And they run a really good trip.

We were met by our amazing guides, Edgar and Axel in Loreto, distributed dry bags for our gear for the kayaking.  And I became "Cactus" Kay.  All bags contained labels of local vegetation/sea life/shells, etc. so we could easily tell what was ours.

Kayaks are state of the art doubles, top of the line gear.  We met our boats, all doubles, and ours became "Lemon Lightening".  This became a self fulfilling prophecy as Laurie and I always seemed to be out in front of the pack.  We had to blame it on the boat as I was the oldest in the group.  Twelve of us, a great, compatible bunch of people.  Youngest was 28, the oldest was ME!

Our guests on our Dec 4-9, 2011 yoga kayak tour in Loreto Bay National Marine Park had the time of their lives! Yoga on the beach as the sun rose and set each day, kayaking and snorkeling in turquoise waters, hiking, watching frolicking dolphins!

We do still have a few spots on our YOGA GRAY WHALE CAMP Feb 10-14, 2012 - yoga, sand dunes, gray whale moms & babies - join us!

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.

Straight from the Strait: Guides Report from the Field

From Leah, on the August 7-12 Johnstone Strait Trip:

"Last week was amazing in Johnstone Strait, orcas close every day in the Strait, plus humpback whales & minke whales in Blackfish Sound. Also, Pacific white-sided dolphins and Dall's porpoise. Views were very close and guests were really 'stoked' to witness such wonderful creatures in the wild! Weather great not a drop of rain all week. Listed over 40 bird species."

From Terry, on the August 8-13 Wilderness Islands Trip:

"Lots of orcas, humpback whales and harbor porpoises on our Wilderness Islands tour. On the first day water taxi shuttle to the Broughton islands we saw a pod of orcas, all males with their large 2 meter fins too impress everyone on board.  The next day we were able to see a humpback from our kayaks. Watching a humpback whale fluking is one of those magical moments that stay with you forever.  The trip had calm seas with cloudy mornings and sunny afternoons. We had a spectacular sunset from Owl Island.  We weaved our way south through the myriad of small islands and channels.  Each granitic island is covered with emerald green forest of windswept trees, moss and salal. On our fifth day we headed towards Johnstone Strait where we encountered a group of resident killer whales who were slowly traveling down the strait past our camp.  During the trip we saw Dall’s porpoise, harbour seals, Steller sea lions, 100′s of rhinoceros auklets, common murres,  and dozens of bald eagles filled the week to the brim with sightings! What a fabulous trip we had in this beautiful and remote place!"

Photo: Rhinocerous Auklet by Dow Lambert/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Sarah's Report from the Field

As we mentioned in our last blog entry, the July 31st - August 5th trip to Johnstone Strait was a fantastic success.  Trip leader and long time SKA guide Sarah Hauser reported the following:

"Last week's trip to Johnstone Strait was packed full of wildlife and calm seas. Our first night out we had a visit from the Straitwatch girls and they chatted with us around the campfire with fresh baked dessert about what they do in the Johnstone strait educating people on the marine wildlife viewing guidelines. Another highlight would be the northern resident orcas that came right along the shore of our campsite and two of them came into the shallow waters of the beach just meters from us for a little rub on the pebbles.  Amazing!"

Orcas prevail this summer! Rarely have we witnessed a season so full of wonderful wildlife sightings.  The humpbacks seem to be ranging farther into the Johnstone Strait this summer, making them more visible to our sea kayak travelers as they navigate the many untouched island channels in these calm waters.

This weekend marked the end of two more successful trips in the Johnstone Strait.  A charter group of high school students followed orcas between Robson Bight and KaiKash on only their second day of paddling. A close sea lion encounter also enthralled the group, whose younger members initiated a drenching water fight with their parents and chaperones after a day exploring the Broughton Archipelago Marine Provincial Park.

The other kayak group hosted no water fights, but was thrilled nonetheless with a variety of wildlife experiences.  Seals, sea lions, and black bear were spotted as well as Humpback, Dall’s porpoises, harbour porpoises, birds, and of course, orcas.  The Orcas were present a number of times and enjoyed a good belly rub near the shore.  One pod chose to make a dramatic appearance by swimming right past the group at the end of an orca presentation by the Strait watch warden - talk about perfect timing! All were delighted by this display and the marvelous opportunity to view these animals up close in the wild. 

Both trips enjoyed beautiful paddling weather with little rain in this secluded, idyllic location, offering a cool respite from the blazing temperatures elsewhere in the continent.

Sound like fun? Don’t miss your opportunity to secure one of the last 4 spots on our August 14th or August 28th departures. This summer is truly a year of abundant orcas and magnificent marine mammals.  NOW is the time to book and take home memories to last a lifetime.  Visit our website at www.seakayakadventures.com for more information on all of our BC tours.

What an fantastic week for wildlife sightings on our July 17-22 Johnstone Strait Orca Waters Expedition. We saw a humpback whale from our kayaks (we could hear its deep breaths), porpoises, bald eagles, seals, sea lions, and even a minke whale. We found several wolf tracks while hiking in the forest and we listened to their howls one night.  But the thrill-of-a-lifetime moment came when a pod of resident killer whales arrived in front of our campsite to rub on the beach gravels just a few meters from where we were standing! We quickly placed an underwater microphone (hydrophone) in the water and heard some amazing vocalizations from these fish-eating orcas.  And, to top it all off, we had flat calm seas which made the paddling quite enjoyable, we really are in paradise! 

To view a video of an orca passing close by a kayak, click here.  To see more photos from our Johnstone Strait tours, click here.  Call us at 1-800-616-1943 to book an orca tour in August.

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.