Highlights

• Sheltered waterways, suitable for novice kayakers, home of Robson Bight, the world's only orca preserve and THE best place for novice paddlers to paddle with orcas
• These orcas are a unique subspecies of orcas evolved to eat salmon (world famous salmon runs go through this, the narrowest part of the Inside Passage) - orca researchers are there each summer when the orcas are there feasting on salmon. 

Full Description

Johnstone Strait is the best place in the world to observe orcas (killer whales) as they feed on salmon in the sheltered inside passage of British Columbia, Canada's northern Vancouver Island. We run six-day sea kayak tours in these legendary orca waters near Robson Bight Orca Preserve. Join us for the trip of a lifetime in BC!

Picture yourself paddling the sheltered orca waters of the Inside Passage off northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, feasting on baked salmon and relaxing next to a campfire under the stars. Or imagine hiking through a lush rain forest, where bald eagles dot the trees overhead. Words cannot describe the excitement and awe you'll feel watching a powerful but gentle orca whale as its six-foot dorsal fin pierces the water's glassy surface with a powerful exhale. Or, the experience of witnessing a dolphin's exclusive aerial show or a bald eagle's snatching a wild salmon within a paddle's reach of your kayak.

Johnstone Strait  is the best place in the northern hemisphere to observe wild orcas (known as killer whales for their voracious consumption of fish). These sleek ebony and ivory mammals with their huge dorsal fins congregate here every summer to feast on the plentiful salmon runs, which are funnelled by geography from the open sea to this narrow strait.  The trip highlight is viewing orcas from the comfort of a stable kayak and listening to their vocalizations from our hydrophone. Our experienced guides will focus on maximizing your opportunities for observing orcas and sharing their knowledge of whale behavior.

Our six-day sea kayaking expeditions meet in Port McNeill and depart from Telegraph Cove, located in the heart of orca territory, as we make further camps on secluded island beaches offering incredible scenery and superb kayaking.  We'll paddle to Robson Bight Orca Preserve - the first natural area in the northern hemisphere set aside specifically for orcas, where renowned scientists gather each summer to study the orcas' behavior patterns.  Humpback and minke whales, porpoises and Stellar's sea lions often travel through the nature preserve as well.

Here you'll discover natural environments, explore hidden islets and inlets, watch wild salmon leap or observe a curious seal -- all from the intimate closeness of a sea kayak.  Our camps  offer everything from trails for hiking, beaches for lounging, tidepools for exploring and great wildlife viewing right off shore. After each day's adventure, we relax around a campfire and listen to the sounds of wild rain forest in comfortable dome tents.  One of our campsites is on a island owned by the indigenous  First Nations people, by exclusive arrangement - right in the heart of orca territory.

The itinerary features small groups and top-of-the-line equipment such as Canadian-made Seaward kayaks. Fresh produce and dutch oven cuisine head up every meal. We spare no effort in bringing you one of the best adventure tours currently available in this area.  Our trips are led by experienced sea kayak guides well versed in marine and natural history.

If this sounds like your idea of the ultimate summer escape, join Sea Kayak Adventures on one of our trips to Johnstone Strait, where you'll have the opportunity to experience orcas in their pristine natural habitat.