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| Brian Roth paddles through the calm waters of Blackfish Sound |
“Now this is living!” I yell at my father
as another three-foot wave lifts our kayak and pushes it forward with ease.
The gusty wind roars in my ears. The salt
water sprays my sun-drenched face. But I can’t stop laughing — a reaction I
have whenever I’m barreling down a rollercoaster, gripped with fear, adrenaline
and excitement all at the same time.
“I didn’t think we’d be surfing today,”
replies my nervous father, concentrating on how to maneuver our tandem kayak
through the turbulent waters in the Johnstone Strait — a narrow and major
navigation channel separating Vancouver Island from the mainland.
White water ocean kayaking isn’t what I had
in mind when we signed up for a two-day overnight kayaking trip with North
Island Kayak off the rugged north coast of Vancouver Island, but it was
certainly setting the stage for one heck of an adventure.
I wound up on these choppy waters after a
local resident told me the strait comes alive in late summer with humpback
whales readying for their winter migration to Hawaii. The humpbacks migrate farther
than any other mammal on Earth, according to the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, travelling around 5,000 kilometres between their
breeding and feeding grounds on a regular basis.
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| Brian Roth and Pamela Roth |
Such an abundance of marine life is what prompted me to search for an overnight kayaking trip with my 67-year-old father, who lives and grew up on Alberta’s prairies and had only been in an ocean kayak once for two hours. Since moving from Edmonton to Victoria in August 2015, I had made it my mission to explore as much of the island as possible and was doing a good job of ticking off places on my lengthy list. Now it was time to include my father on an island adventure.
To my surprise, he immediately jumped at
the chance to hop into a kayak again and experience the thrill of witnessing
whales at eye level in a wild and ridiculously beautiful landscape shaped by rugged
mountains and hundreds of islands coated with velvety trees.
Now here we were, paddling across the Johnstone
Strait, trying not to lose our breakfast until we’ve reached our wilderness
camp for the night on Hanson Island — a tiny island (located 5 km from
Vancouver Island) that sits at the heart of the northern resident killer whale
summer range. Waves of excitement wash over me every time I look back and see
my father in the kayak, even though he’s likely questioning what the heck he’s
gotten himself into.
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| Whale watchers catch a pod of orcas passing by Hanson Island. |
It isn’t until we’ve tackled the ferocious afternoon waves and are feasting on a salmon dinner at camp that our group spots a small pod of killer whales not far from shore. Eyes glued to the water, I watch them surface multiple times until they’re no longer in sight. The blows of more humpbacks explode in the distance, keeping the audience captivated and wondering what will pop up next.
“The area I paddle in really is the place
for wildlife viewing. We say it turns into whale soup during the best part of
the season,” says our guide Dan Smetaniuk, who’s originally from Edmonton and
started guiding in the area in the spring of 2017.
“My first time paddling on the Johnstone
Strait…I was blown away by the beauty of the area. Everyone wants to see
whales, but there are many types of marine mammals, birds and other critters.
The intertidal life is amazing and all you need to do is look down.”
The next morning I’m relieved to see the
water is perfectly calm under clear sunny skies, paving the way for a relaxing
paddle around the remainder of Hanson Island and into Blackfish Sound.
“Are you ready for round two?” I ask my
father, as we push back into the ocean.
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| Steller sea lions lazing on the rocks. Photo courtesy of North Island Kayak. |
This time our kayak glides effortlessly through the first stretch of sheltered water, where we scan the coastline looking for intertidal and marine life. It’s a peaceful setting. The only sound is our paddle gently dipping into the water and the odd bird squawking somewhere in the distance.
The silence is quickly shattered by a loud
snort from one of three large and curious sea lions that suddenly surface and
start swimming beside our group. The average male sea lion weighs around 1,200
pounds, making them hard to miss when they’re only a few feet away.
Around the corner is the rest of the pack basking
in the sun on a small open patch of the rocky shoreline. A chorus of growls
erupts the moment they notice our presence, prompting our guides to warn us not
to get too close.
“How does that grab you Pamela?” asks my
father, with a permanent smile glued to his face as he soaks in the magical display
of wildlife both in and out of the water.
As we near the end of our journey, passing
more harbor seals and bald eagles along the way, I can’t help but feel proud of
my father for tackling a new, unfamiliar adventure. We’ve been to Rwanda to
track wild mountain gorillas in the jungle, cruised through the Canadian
Rockies on a luxury passenger train and spent many hours exploring the
mountains around Jasper and Banff National Park. But this was different.
Being on a kayak in the open ocean makes
you feel vulnerable at times and is physically challenging as well. My father
demonstrated that you’re never too old to try something new, even though it
might not always be smooth sailing.
“The whole experience was unforgettable.
The sights, sounds and scenery bombarded the senses from start to finish,” says
my father once we return to Telegraph Cove and bid farewell to our mighty kayak
packed with overnight gear. “It really does make you feel alive and connected
to nature.”
WATCH: Paddling among giants in the Johnstone Strait: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixLJaqrWvcQ&t=2s
If you go:
Telegraph Cove is located on the northeast
coast of Vancouver Island, approximately 200 km from Campbell River. Kayaking
excursions range from day tours to eight days. For more information visit
kayakbc.ca.
- published in Our Canada magazine in July 2018: https://www.readersdigest.ca/travel/canada/johnstone-strait-kayaking/