Orca and Humpback Expedition

Our four-day trip utilizes one campsite for all four days and our six-day trip has three potential campsites. The four-day often allows you more time to relax and enjoy the beautiful wildlife and scenery. Families with teens, novice kayakers, or those who prefer a slower pace would be ideal for this tour. This site, located on Vancouver Island, is close to Robson Bight. The shoreline is composed of sea-polished stones that lure an orca to rub its six-ton body along the beach, or herd salmon into the curve of the shore. Orcas regularly pass by directly in front of camp. Paddlers can scramble down the rock outcropping and stand at water's edge to watch orcas cruise by just below their feet. The camp offers great orca viewing right off shore. We never just "wait around for orcas" on the base camp. We take daily day trips, paddling to different beaches for lunch, hike, observing wildlife. Each trip includes about 4 hours per day of kayaking: two hours paddling in morning, and another two hours paddling in the afternoon after lunch. Often there is a hike at the lunch stop, and the evenings are filled with campfires, games, or fishing. The six-day tour option involves up to three different campsites, weather and current depending. All are located along the travel routes used by the orcas. Because of the trip route, you are much more likely to see wilderness areas and a more diverse selection of marine life, including humpback whales that are often feeding on fish in Blackfish Sound. First Nations pictograph areas are also explored on this tour, and the base of the Broughton Archipelago, while remaining firmly in whale waters.

Our tour dates are chosen specifically to place all of our guests right in the middle of orca season. The northern resident pods are found in the Strait between mid-July and mid-September when salmon, their primary prey, come from the ocean to spawn in the rivers of mainland British Columbia. With more than 220 individually-identified whales in 17 separate pods within the region and guides carrying radios throughout the tour, our guests have an excellent chance of seeing orcas in the area. However, we often recommend August for the best British Columbia weather.

Here at ROW Adventures, we follow the "Be Whale Wise" regulations for the protection of the whales. Within these regulations it states that no one is allowed within 200 yards/meters of an orca. We're privileged to have the opportunity for viewing these beautiful creatures from close vantage points. The very survival of the species, let alone the wonder of seeing them in their natural habitat, depends on everyone's cooperation in the "Be Whale Wise" regulations. Orca can travel much faster than kayakers, however, so occasionally they approach us much closer than the above guidelines. From land, you may have your closest encounters, as the whales often come within meters of the shoreline! Understanding the behavior and range of the orcas helps to better-set your expectations for your orca kayak tour. More details on their regulations can be found at their website, www.BeWhaleWise.org.

To our knowledge, the orcas of Johnstone Strait have never bumped a kayak or attacked a swimmer. While many believe orcas to be seal-eaters, some don't even eat mammals. The "killer whales" of the Johnstone Straight, in particular, come to eat the salmon in this narrow channel. Whales are acutely aware of their surroundings and we feel safe being in their presence. A wild orca has never killed or severely injured a human in recorded history.

We have two recommended trip extensions available through local experienced operators that can take you where the orca sightings are reported. These extensions are both by boat, which allow for a better opportunity to keep up with the whales. Our friends at Mackay Whale Watching tours or Stubbs Island Whale Watching can help you with this.

We recommend making arrangements at the Haida Way Motor Inn in Port McNeill, BC, particularly if you do not have a car, as this is the site of the orientation meeting, as well as the pickup point for your transport to the launch site on the first day of the tour. The hotel is very basic, but clean and well-kept. Their in-house Northern Lights Restaurant has the best seafood in town. Indicate you are traveling with ROW Sea Kayak Adventures. We also recommend the Black Bear Resort, which is directly across the street from the Haida Way, and also features basic but comfortable accommodations. All hotels on northern Vancouver Island fill well in advance for summer, so wherever you choose to stay, we recommend making reservations early. Please note, hotel nights before and after the tour are not included in your tour cost.

The easiest way to get to Port McNeill by air, is to fly through Vancouver International Airport (airport code YVR) to Port Hardy, BC (airport code YZT). From Vancouver International's South Terminal you can catch a flight on Pacific Coastal Airlines direct to Port Hardy. Once in Port Hardy, it's a 35-40 minute taxi ride to Port McNeill. If arriving from outside of Canada, be sure to give yourself 1.5-2 hours between your arriving flight at Vancouver International and your departing flight from the South Terminal to Port Hardy, as you will have to clear customs and take a 15 minute shuttle from the International Terminal to the South Terminal (there are signs to guide you). Port McNeill is also accessible by car, via a beautiful drive following BC Route 19 from Nanaimo to Port McNeill. Vancouver Island can be reached from the Canadian or U.S. mainlands by utilizing one of multiple ferry crossings from the Vancouver metro or greater Seattle areas. The BC Ferries and Washington State DOT Ferry websites are very helpful resources if you are planning to drive to Northern Vancouver Island.

If you fly into Port Hardy, you will need to arrange a taxi for the 35-minute drive South to Port McNeill. You can expect to pay about $45-60 CAD for the one-way fare, however rates do vary. We recommend sharing the ride with other members of the tour if you meet one another on the plane (or are on the same flight when departing). It's best to bring cash to pay the driver.

Orcas are wild animals free to roam at will, and while we have a very high success rate for seeing orcas in the Robson Bight region, we cannot guarantee a sighting. To increase your opportunities for seeing the orcas, or simply to enjoy even more whale watching, you might want to add an extra day to your vacation to go on a Stubb's Island Whale Watching trip that is operated by motor skiff. Their motorized boat allows them to cover more ground in search of orcas and humpbacks throughout the Johnstone Strait area.