Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area is located at Pit Lake in Pit Meadows. The only way to…read moreaccess the wildlife area is by paddle boat (Kayak or Canoe) as no motor boat accesss is permitted. To access Widgeon Slough you must drive to Pit Lake at Grant Narrows Regional Park. You then Paddle across the Narrows and into Widgeon Slough. Like Pit Lake, Widgeon Slough is Tidal and can cause real problems for people if they paddle in at high tide. Places that you could pass through before may have only 2 inches of water or none at all! This place is amazing though. There is almost dead silence wile in the slough. There is only the sound of birds, your paddle and maybe the odd plane above. There are a lot of water ways to explore in the Slough but one place to get to is the Widgeon Camp ground. It is Paddle access only but has 2 outhouses and multiple tent pads. No fires are permitted here at all and you can get huge fines if caught. From Widgen Camp you have arrived in Pinecone Burke Provincial Park and have a whole new place to explore.

Loved it. So simple. Simple drop off, then float at your own pace on one of several routes. We…read morechose the shortest because of the kids. Stopped along the way to take the scenery in. I highly recommend this, even if you have limited of no kayak experience. Owner is very friendly and nice.

We had a wonderful time using these kayaks and a canoe from this company. They were so helpful, and…read morehad the necessary attachments needed when we didn't have any.

I love it here! The staff and experience I get everytime I visit Vancouver Water Adventures is a…read more10/10. Staff are knowledgeable and fun with safety being the number one priority, then their customers having a great time. My husband and I went on their City and Seals boat tour and it's awesome that they run through the winter months. They have suits that keep you warm and are life jackets too. I am looking forward to visiting this summer to jet ski and hopefully get out on the paddle board as well. I recommend trying all you can here!

I cancelled my paddle board storage with VWA, by email and phone, before their April 1 renewal…read more They went ahead and billed me for another year anyway. Over 400.00! They are not responding to my emails or phone calls. Disappointing after having rented board storage from the past 4 years.

Been on 2 excursions (one at night and one during day), and would go again. On the nighttime ride,…read morewe saw a bunch of bioluminescence in the water! Wonderful team of guides!! Highly recommend!!

If you have an afternoon and some upper body strength, get yourself into a kayak with Moondance…read more I took a four hour tour with Sophia this afternoon, on a super hot day. Not only was the whole experience so much fun (I had some anxiety about being in a body of water where I cannot see the bottom), but it was super educational, with some facts about the sandstone cliffs we passed and the animals we encountered. With the cool water and the great company, I forgot all about the heat wave we are having and even saw some seals! Will definitely be back for at least one shorter tour, and maybe even a day trip!

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!

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!

On the ride from Parksville to Victoria, we were all itching to get out of the car and do something…read moreactive. Remarkably, we randomly stopped in Cowichan Bay to grab a bite to eat and found this place. I called from where we were having breakfast and talked to Georgia, who I think is the owner. When I told her that we wanted to kayak, like--in 5 minutes--she was incredibly accommodating. We walked over, and within about 15 minutes, we were out on the water for a one hour rental, reasonably priced at $25. The kayaks were super super clean, which really impressed me. Their dock is also really low, which made getting out and especially coming back in really easy. I will say that there's not much to see once you're out there. The seals hanging out sunning themselves and popping up in the water were the highlight. Maybe if we'd gone out longer there would have been some more interesting scenery to see, but all in all, we were grateful this rental place was there.

From the owner: We provide great experiences hiking and kayaking Vancouver Island and Tanzania, Africa.read more

Nice easy hike that is safe for dogs. However, this hike does have some rocky sections. There's…read morelots of wide open spaces, bodies of water, and some wild life.

Beautiful waters here! Short hike, easy access, be prepared to swim…read more PARKING It's a small parking lot, maybe 10 spots, with overflow on the road around it. I've been here in the afternoon on a weekday in July and midday in a weekday in August. Both times we were lucky and one spot was open. Generally there's turnover since it's a short hike and you can get a spot. AMENITIES There is a bathroom at the trailhead, no water. There are tons of educational signage about the wildlife and plants in the area. DIFFICULTY & TIME Short hike, very little elevation change. You can get to the actual Smuggler Cove in about 30-40 minutes with a 4 and a 6 year old in tow (this is right before the loop starts). I've done the entire full lollipop loop in exactly one hour with only adults. SHADE The hike is 95% shaded. RECEPTION I had 5G reception for most of the hike (T-mobile). CROWDS It was busy but not too crowded both times I went. It was more empty when I went in the afternoon (July 2023). There were many more swimmers during my midday visit in August 2024, but still easy to get your own little private small cove to swim in. SWIMMING In August, we went swimming in the cove. It's not tropical, but it's not nearly as cold as other parts of the ocean. Lots of people were swimming, and a lot of people brought inflatable stand up paddleboards or kayaks.

Pros: - Relatively efficient rental process…read more - Workers are nice and friendly although it's clear that they are seasonal and probably very temporary workers. Most are teenagers so hopefully the company is paying them fairly. - Its relatively safe if you kayak close to the dropoff point. You can also explore a much larger area (see the map online) but it's actually quite far. Water is pretty shallow in a lot of parts. Cons: - The rental was $60 for 2hrs for a double which isn't too bad but can definitely add up if you have a large party. Singles are a bit more expensive per person. Definitely expect to spend at least 1hr kayaking. - At least on the day I went, the currents were quite strong which is strange since we were in an inlet.

Well run, definitely busy so make sure you book your equipment online a day ahead of time. Everyone…read moreworking here is friendly and we truly had an amazing time on the water. So amazing, and not too busy on the water.