Bright buildings of varying sizes and shapes create a belt of prismatic tints against the shoreline. Blue doors splash against orange panels, and a turquoise adirondack chair sits with striking discordance against the subdued palette of hunter green, blue-grey, and tan that comprises the shoreline.
God’s Pocket Resort stands like a bright beacon against the rugged coast of Hurst Island, British Columbia. It’s not the rustic retreat of muted slates and weathered wood that many might expect. God’s Pocket Resort is a world of Caribbean colors, and rather than clashing with the cold, northern landscape, they accent the living world of color waiting for those who look for it.
It’s the winking white-sides of dolphins and orcas breaching the water’s dark surface. The violet anemones, chalky white barnacles, and emerald green kelp blanketing rocks at low tide. The clear jade waters rippling as kayaks slice through them. It’s a familiar world so otherworldly that it seems like you’re stepping into it—diving, hiking, kayaking—for the very first time.
God’s Pocket Resort owners Bill Weeks and Annie Ceschi have had a lifelong, intimate relationship with the islands of British Columbia that developed into a passion for their ocean life. At 18 Bill was working for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans on a Search and Rescue boat, and not long after that his enthusiasm turned to diving. Now, Bill has some amazing diving experiences under his belt: Belize and Malaysia as well as B.C.’s Southern Gulf Islands, Sunshine Coast, and Howe Sound.
Bill and Annie’s love for adventure and wilderness led them first to one another, and next to purchase God’s Pocket Resort—then a sport fishing and diving resort—in 1998. While fostering the scuba diving, kayaking, hiking, and wildlife watching aspects, they discontinued the sport fishing component in order to develop a resort that fosters a respect for the ocean and the vulnerable underwater life within it. In many ways, Bill and Annie’s resort, and their mode of operation, serves as a tribute to the ocean life they strive to protect and enjoy.
“Here we live with nature rather than around nature”—Bill Weeks
Bill and Annie chose the perfect location for their visitors to experience the incredible wildlife of British Columbia. God’s Pocket Resort lies in a cove off Christie Passage, next door to the wilds of Queen Charlotte Straight and within God’s Pocket Provincial Marine Park. It’s wildlife upon wildlife with Humpback whales feeding on the nutrient-rich waters of the bay in front of the cabins in the summer months and Orcas, Minke whales, Dalls porpoises, sea otters, Harbour porpoises, and Steller Sea Lions cruising the waters of Queen Charlotte Straight. In the park, whales, seabirds, and bald eagles become familiar sites no less stunning with their commonness.
At God’s Pocket Resort, Bill and Annie organize their operations to emphasize quality over quantity—authenticity over mere mimicry. They design each dive around the conditions of the home they know so well, taking you to the spots Bill and Annie have scouted out with their family over the years.
One of our adventure consultants at Sea Kayak Adventures describes her feelings about God's Pocket: “To me, this cove felt like Bill & Annie’s garden that they watered with hard work and love."
In every way, God’s Pocket Resort is a labor of love for Bill and Annie—for each other, for their two children, for the ocean life they are so passionate for, and for their guests who want to experience some of nature’s most beautiful creatures in unpolluted settings. Bill and Annie created a wilderness retreat that attracts people who share their passion for life and for the wildlife that the ocean supports. Bill sums it up best: “It’s a fantastic life and I love sharing it.”
