We just got home from the three night orca camp trip. We saw orcas on 3 of the 4 days of the camp…read more We had extraordinary paddles led by expert staff. Ben pushed me to expand my boundaries in the kayak and gain levels of experience I didn't think I would achieve. Anna showed me the flora and fauna of the area that I would not have otherwise noticed. Laura showed me how to slow down and appreciate all that the area has to offer. Bender kept us so full every day of the trip. The food was delicious and so plentiful that I could not have possibly eaten any more. I was completely satisfied with the vegetarian fare that was served at the sit down meals every day. The cabins were cozy and I was never too cold. The sauna and hot tub were always good and hot, so after a paddle I was able to warm up. The staff went out of their way every day to ensure everyone's comfort and safety. All in all it was a great trip. Thank you wild coast for putting on such a great time for me and my crew!

I've been at Wildcoast's Orca Camp twice and it was amazing both times. This really is a wilderness…read moreadventure - we saw Orcas, sea lions, & bears. The guides were great and did some cool things with sealife (I won't say what here as it would spoil the surprise). Some of the best parts of the trip were the special touches by the staff - super friendly and knowledgable about the area. Great kayak trips and a great company all around.

George gave me a private kayaking lesson on the spit. He is master, and leads expeditions as well…read moreas teaching all levels of paddling classes for certification. Great equipment. Great care. Will definitely return.

Xcellent customer service!!!! They brought the paddle board to our Vrbo rental AND picked them up…read morewhen we were done. VERY fair prices as well. Will definitely use them again.

Great place to rent SUP and kayaks for a little tour around Nanoose Bay! Owners (super nice couple)…read morewere very accommodating of our group and were very flexible in the face of some not ideal weather conditions (water was a little rough). Took care of all our needs to ensure we had a good time. Would definitely rent from them again if we're back in the area!

WOW! Don't miss this adventure! T.J. (it's complicated) and Eric are the BOMB! If they're not…read moredazzling you with their brilliance, they're baffling you with their... well, you know. T.J. knows where to find 'em and Eric knows all about 'em and will guide you right up to 'em in your own two-person sea kayak. We watched bald eagles, bears, seals, starfish, crabs, and a dog. Well, it was T.J.'s dog, Sawyer, who went with us on the boat, but it was a dog and we watched him. What a laid-back, loving boy he is. We watched a sow and her cub forage on the beach for about a half an hour. In the kayaks, we could get closer than any of the boats could. What a treat! Then we watched maybe 20 or 30 harbor seals sunning on an island. So, if you're headed to Tofino, you MUST contact Black Bear Kayaking. Worth every penny and they don't charge extra for Sawyer!

Clayoquot Sound: A Kayaking Trip To Remember…read more Make sure you take a kayaking trip while visiting Tofino. We signed up for a tour with Black Bear Kayaking. Our tour guide Colin was awesome. Kayaking and hiking with him felt like hanging out with an old mate. He was also very knowledgeable about the trees and plants on our hiking trip. We highly recommend this tour. This was my third sea kayaking trip, and it won't be our last. We really enjoyed ourselves and were so proud of ourselves that we were able to paddle through the tidal currents. Our wildlife viewings included bald eagles, seals and crabs on bull kelp. The hiking portion of the trip was fabulous. It was a nice walk on an old boardwalk. This forest had some incredibly old and very large red cedar and western hemlock trees. You could sit there for hours to stare at the trees and plants. A four hour paddle (more like five) on Clayoquot Sound and hike through the ancient Big Tree Trail on Meares Island - magnificent!

We loved our time with Coastal Expression! We rented 2 single kayaks for 3 hours each. The shop…read moreis run by the friendliest husband and wife team and a kind, helpful, small staff. They gave us great recommendations to help us make the most of our rental time, and as a result we saw the rare white raccoon, lounging seals, and stunning coastline, all via cold, clean waters around charming Nanaimo. After returning, Richard (with the kindest blue eyes and friendly smile) shared a little history of the coastline and wildlife and helpfully gave us a few post-kayak lunch recommendations. I would return again and again if I could.

Stuck with a parking ticket outside their facility. We had a…read morefantastic kayaking experience and the staff were very friendly. My only fault is that we had to pay a parking fine at the end. We were told that parking tickets would be handled by coastal expressions but they failed to tell us that this only covered certain areas of the car park and they would not pay the fine. This dampened the experience for me. If you drive there, make sure you clarify where you can park!

We passed this spot multiple times when driving to Tofino. We actually really wanted to do the…read morezipline, but unfortunately we were drained from traveling the day we arrived. Instead we took some photos and chatted with the employees. They were very helpful and offered a lot of information about the kayaking and ziplines. We watched others do the ziplines and saw the area where they take the kayaks out. What gorgeous land! It was exciting just to watch. Recommendation: Make your appointment before you arrive so you have a good time reserved. There's no guarantee if you just show up. We will definitely be back here soon, and when we do the zipline we'll add the photos and our experience on how much fun it is. Can't wait!

Thank you Joel, Sean and Ken ! What a great time we had . I wish i would have recorded all of the…read morerides instead of trying to shoot stills. The views are spectacular and these guy's are the best! Would highly recommend this adventure! Joe and Pam from Cobble Hill

Our 3-day Vargas Island paddle trip with PWK was truly the experience of a lifetime! For 3 days we…read moresoaked in countless beautiful sights, lost track of how many eagles and otters we saw, learned new knowledge of the local area, ate incredible food, and enjoyed genuine connection and new friendships over crackling camp fires. We were so privileged to have Andy and Ben as our guides and what they contribute to this world is deeply meaningful. They met our humor, excitement, and passion step for step and this trip was made all the more incredible thanks to them. As Ben and Andy shared with us local history, resiliency of the Tofino community to protect the land, or fun facts about the local plants and animals - they spoke with such an overflowing passion that truly brought everything to life. They love what they do and it made our trip so much more fun and meaningful - all thanks to them. Extra Props: - Our paddle started in some challenging weather, yet Andy + Ben were great at reading our group and we always felt safe and supported in all conditions. - 10/10 shout out for the food. You won't go hungry as PWK plans for teas, coffee, snacks, and each meal was balanced and filling! They did a great job accommodating dietary preferences too. I still dream of the salmon chowder! - We saw: sea otters, seals, bald eagles, a pine marten, so many starfish, fried egg jellies, moon jellies, banana slugs, and a garter snake. - Our paddle was in late June and we had 1 day of heavy rain (which really added to the adventure!), 1 day of sun, and the last day was partly sunny with rain that evening. On our last day as our trip was coming to an end, my heart was as equally full as it was sad to be leaving. I only hope to make it back again sometime soon. If you're even remotely on the fence about taking a trip with Paddle West - DO IT!! I promise you'll love it and then some!

Overall, we had a fun kayak paddle tour. The waters around Tofino are beautiful with lots of sea…read morestars clinging to the rocks. Sam, our guide, is studying oceanography, so was a good resource in showing us the sights as well as explaining about the currents and tidal flow in the area. The boats and gear were all good quality and using the online registration made check in a breeze. Our only negative was in the timing of the outing. The other group in our tour, a family, was late in arriving, then needed time to get organized. We ended up starting our on shore orientation quite late. In addition, we returned to the landing before the scheduled ending time. All in all, we lost probably 30 minutes of the scheduled 2 hour tour, which was a bit of a disappointment. Also, the level of paddling was easier than I would have liked, but that is to be expected in a shorter family - oriented trip like this. Overall, a fun was to enjoy the beautiful coastline around Tofino and learn a few things too.