Kayak with Orcas - Vancouver Island's Johnstone Strait (Family Base Camp), Canada

VANCOUVER ISLAND ORCA KAYAK TOUR: JOHNSTONE STRAIT FAMILY BASE CAMP

Picture your family kayaking with orcas in the sheltered waters of British Columbia off northern Vancouver Island, hiking through lush rain forest dotted with bald eagles, feasting on baked salmon and relaxing next to a campfire under the stars. Words cannot describe the thrill-of-a-lifetime watching a powerful but gentle orca (a.k.a. killer whale) as its six-foot dorsal fin pierces the water's glassy surface with a powerful exhale. Share this breathtaking experience with your loved ones and give your kids a wilderness adventure they will treasure for years to come.

Departing from Telegraph Cove, you’ll paddle to our base camp, located in the center of whale activity. Orcas regularly pass directly in front of our campsite! The orcas in this area are peaceful, fish-eating residents. Each year, as these orcas following migrating salmon through Johnstone Strait, there is simply no better place on earth to view them. We'll paddle to the edge of Robson Bight Orca Preserve (only researchers allowed inside), a natural area set aside specifically for orcas. The surrounding waters are home to humpback whales, seals and porpoises, too.  One of the highlights is listening to whale vocalizations from our hydrophone.

You and your family will discover natural environments, explore sheltered bays, watch wild salmon leap or observe a curious seal all from the intimate closeness of a sea kayak. Our expert guides will educate and entertain you and your kids with freshly prepared meals, nature talks, kelp horns, and camp games. The orca basecamp offers everything from trails for hiking, beaches for lounging, tidepools for exploring and great orca viewing right off shore, without having to make and break camp every day. After each day's adventure, we relax around a campfire and listen to the sounds of wild rain forest in comfortable dome tents.

Our Johnstone Strait kayak and orca family basecamp trips meet in Port McNeill, BC. Port McNeill is located on northeastern Vancouver Island and is accessible by road from the south or by scheduled air service from Vancouver, British Columbia.  Port Hardy is the closest airport to Port McNeill). Please call our office if you need assistance on deciding how to get to Port McNeill. We are familiar with traveling to Vancouver Island and we'll be happy to help you select the best way there.

Click here for a detailed guide [.pdf download] about travel to Port McNeill for your Johnstone Strait tour to kayak with orcas.

Accommodations in Port McNeill: Haida-Way Motor Inn (800) 956-3373/(250) 956-3373. Let the Haida-Way know you are on a Sea Kayak Adventures tour. We will meet here for our pre-trip meeting the day before your tour begins.

Please review our FAQ section for general questions and details about our BC kayak tours. See below for specific questions relating to this particular tour.

When is the best time of year to see whales?
Mid-July through mid-September are optimal times for viewing, as the orcas follow the salmon runs up to the strait in the summer. The northern resident pods of orca (killer whales) currently number over 220 individually identified whales in 17 separate pods.

Will my kids be safe around orcas?
The resident orcas in Johnstone Strait are salmon-eating only! They wouldn't know how to eat a mammal, so kayakers are not on their menu. Furthermore, orcas use echolocation to map their marine environment and are therefore keenly aware of our position, and ignore us. To our knowledge a killer whale has never bumped a kayak or shown any aggression toward kayakers. From our many years in Johnstone Strait and hundreds of close encounters with killer whales, we feel very safe being in their presence.

What is the minimum age limit?
The minimum age for our BC kayak tours is 14. This requirement is intended to ensure that all our guests are capable of fully participating in the kayaking and other activities involved, and to ensure that they have a wonderful experience doing so! A child must be at least 5 feet tall and 100 lbs in order to participate in our sea kayak tours. We do make exceptions on occasion, so call us if you think your child is physically capable of kayaking and comfortable in an adult setting.

JOHNSTONE STRAIT: Four-Day Orca Family Base Camp Itinerary

Day 0: Arrival in Port McNeill by air or car and overnight at the Haida Way Motor Inn. Your guides will meet you in the evening for an orientation meeting in the hotel lobby. If you think you will be late to this meeting, alert the hotel and the SKA office in advance.

Day 1: A taxi transports the group to the launch site in the morning, and following a kayaking and safety orientation, we will paddle to our basecamp to make camp.

Days 2-3: We will be kayaking throughout Orca territory and exploring the adjacent channels and islands.  We will have one camp, but we will kayak every day. On an average day, we will be kayaking for two hours in the morning after breakfast, stop for lunch and short hike or natural history talk on a beach, and spend another two hours kayaking and exploring before arriving at camp by the afternoon. Evenings and dinner are in camp, with all meals prepared for you by the guides. Orcas can come by us at any time!

Day 4: After breakfast and breaking camp, we will paddle to our take-out at Telegraph Cove, stopping for lunch along the way. We'll take a taxi to Port McNeill in the afternoon after unpacking the kayaks. We recommend that you overnight in Port McNeill and join us for a farewell dinner with your group.

Please Note: Although there is a very good chance we'll see Orcas throughout the week, the frequency and proximity of sightings will ultimately be determined by the Orcas' travel patterns. Our guides know the best places to see these magnificent creatures. Orcas have never bumped a kayak or attacked a swimmer.

Note on Itinerary: We will do our best to adhere to the schedule listed above. However, the itinerary may change due to reasons beyond our control such as wind, waves or inclement weather.