Kayaking Trips with Orca Whales, British Columbia

Kayaking with Orca Whales Adventure Trip

This kayaking with Orca Whales adventure trip is a 7 day adventure of paddling and camping among the many beautiful wilderness islands and inlets of British Columbia’s Johnstone Strait. The area is teeming with pods of resident Orca whales following the summer salmon run to their spawning rivers. An event that is spectacular to say the least. Johnstone Strait is home to the largest resident pod of killer whales (orcas) in the world, with a population of approximately 300 whales. There is no better place to view these amazing marine mammals.

Johnstone Strait off Vancouver Island is the ideal location to go kayaking with orca whales and observe and photograph one of nature’s truly magnificent mammals. The sleek, beautiful ebony and ivory orcas congregate in Johnstone Strait during the summer to feed, socialize and rub themselves on pebble beaches.

Combine the exhilaration of kayaking beside these breaching, spouting, power swimming orcas, with rugged coastal scenery, magnificent west coast rainforest, and you have the ultimate personal and coastal kayaking experience.

We will see many Orcas, often up close as we travel. These resident Orca whales are gentle, curious, intelligent, and playful creatures. we’ll also paddle by the famous “Rubbing Beach” at Robson’s Bight to see the Orca whales scratching and playing together in the shallows near the beach. Don’t forget your camera, because we’ll not only see Orca whales but also numerous eagles, deer, otters, osprey, seals, and salmon runs. This is a Canadian ecotourism wilderness kayak adventure that you’ll never forget.

Orcas use a sophisticated combination of clicks and whistles to communicate, find food, define objects, and keep track of family members. When orcas are in range, we are able to drop our portable hydrophone [microphone] into the water and listen for these sounds. Our guides will be in radio commutation with spotters up and down the coast each morning to determine where the Orca pods are and in which direction they’re moving that day. This will greatly increase the number of daily encounters the group will enjoy.

Included are Sea kayaks, paddles, PFDs [life jacket], spray skirts, dry bags, transportation from Vancouver and return, camping fees, cooking gear, camp stoves, tents, meal preparations, meals/snacks/beverages on the expedition, tarps, major first aid supplies, emergency radio or satellite phone, and professional guides.

What our Clients Say:

“We have just returned from your Kayaking with Orca whales trip ……., and would like to say we had a fantastic time, ignoring the weather, which was a trifle damp. Your guide who led the trip is an amazing woman, every question anybody asked she knew everything about it. She was so laid back, never stressed, or never showed it if she was. She made everybody feel good about themselves, especially me (Mitzi), as I am not a sporty person. The food was very good, as was everything, I cannot praise everything enough. Thank Janet for making the trip so good, and also Erin, for keeping us fed. It was brilliant thanks again.”

Colin & Mitzi G, UK

“Just wanted you to know that the trip was amazing! We kayaked 83 kms in total, and we saw so much wildlife – orcas, seals, porpoises, dolphins, bears, deer, otters, mink, sea lions. Jaime was an incredible guide, very patient with all our questions, and an excellent cook. I absolutely loved this trip and will recommend it to my friends.”

Sigrid Z. Oakville, ON

“My wife and I paddled with your company in July. We ( I ) had always wanted to paddle with the Pacific Orcas but I was holding off on a trip in B.C. because for me it was to be the ultimate experience in our sea kayaking adventures and I wanted to save it. Then we read the article in the Globe and Mail, and the rest is now history. That article certainly paid dividends. Darlene and I have now taken 9 separate sea kayaking adventures going back to our first trip.

Our trip Kayaking with Orca Whales with your company in the Johnstone Strait was right up there. We find the larger groups, like this summer, are typically the best — better odds of a range of personalities which often leads to lots of laughter and fun. That was certainly the case this summer. The guides, the food, the weather, the scenery, and the wildlife round out the package. We had it all with you.

We saw Orcas every day and were very fortunate to be close enough one day for some very memorable pictures. That was why we came on the trip and now we have memories captured digitally along with the memories of the cast of characters that we spent that 6 days with. Len your guides were great, they were careful, conscious of our safety and comfort, and quick to sort out the pairings in the tandem kayaks after Day One. The guide was very effective and treated us as adults while she shared her knowledge and her obvious passion for the whales. She made our trip a pleasure. We wish you all the best. Thanks for a very memorable experience.”

Derek & Darlene F., Oakville, ON

7 Day Kayaking with Orca Whales, Johnstone Strait, BC West Coast Dates: 2024

Dates:  July 8-14,   July 30-Aug 5,   Aug 11-17,   Aug 23-29

Trip Fee: $2289.00 CAD 

Book 2 or more for $2249.00 CAD pp (when booked by 1 person for the same trip date)

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(Prices are subject 5% GST sales tax)

The trip dates do sell out so please book early to get the trip dates you want.

Booking and Payment: The booking requires a 30% deposit by Visa or MasterCard with the balance due 60 days prior to trip departure