I took my boyfriend out to Sooke to rent Hobie kayaks and we had a blast!…read more Allen gave us great suggestions about where we should pedal around and thoroughly explained how to use the kayaks. He outfitted us with everything we would need including a banana to snack on! I felt completely safe the entire time even though I'd been nervous going into it and my boyfriend still felt like he'd had an adventure. We're both from the prairies so seeing sea stars, seals, crab, eagles, and even boats was pretty exciting for us. Excellent fun and we plan to do it again!

My mom and I rented a kayak and went on a guided tour with Allen. It was a wonderful experience!…read moreAllen was informative about the area and shared many stories with us as we peddled around Sooke. The kayaks were comfortable and easy to use. My mom and I were not great at using the oars but Allen was patient and gave us tips to help us! He was entertaining and taught us how to use kelp as a horn! We saw lots of wildlife including some cute seals that we got really close to! We highly recommend this incredible experience to all adventurers and recommend that you go with a guided tour as you will learn much more and get to see more! Thanks for an awesome time, Allen!

Thank you, Brandon for the wonderful tour! We as a family are pretty experienced kayakers and the…read morewhole family had a great time! We stopped in Victoria on our Alaskan Cruise and Brandon did a great job taking care of us! Thank you!

My husband was pretty reluctant to go kayaking for the first time in ages, but our Sunset Tour with…read moreKelp Reef actually made him pretty happy. Called in morning of on Sunday and was glad there was still room for bookings. Turned out we were 2 of only 3 on the tour that evening, and Austin happened to be our guide. Because of unpredictable winds we went up the harbour instead of out to open waters, which was a little disappointing to me but ended up being fantastic, with lots of historic/fun facts about Victoria and sightings of a bunch of harbour seals. The 2-hour tour was just right for getting to the Selkirk Trestle and back, and 7-9pm was still the perfect amount of light in mid-August. 100% recommend and looking for a time to come back ourselves!

My boyfriend and I went on the 9:30am Oak Bay tour this morning. The conditions were perfect - the…read morewater was glassy and peaceful, making for a calm and scenic paddle. Federico took us to several beautiful spots around the bay, including one where we spotted seals lounging and even a bald eagle perched nearby. Later, we were lucky enough to see a sea lion surface right beside us - such a cool moment! We happened to be the only two on the tour, which made the experience feel even more special. Federico was a fantastic guide - knowledgeable, attentive, and easygoing, with a great sense of humor. He kept a comfortable pace throughout and made sure we felt warm, safe, and supported the entire time. Peaceful water (well, we were lucky for that!), incredible wildlife, and a guide who really cares - what more could you ask for? The boats we were in were high quality and the shop is top tier. The people who work at this organization are extremely skilled kayakers who are dedicated to helping the kayak community. The shop has kayak skills courses as well and is dedicated to promoting excellent kayaking. If you're considering a kayak tour in the area or upping your kayak skills, I can't recommend Ocean River Sports enough.

My husband and I were in Victoria for a few days celebrating our anniversary. We stayed at the…read moreDelta Hotel and saw lots of kayaks out and about in the harbor in front of our hotel. We ended up doing a two hour rental with a tandem kayak from Ocean River Adventures. Getting there was a short ten minute walk from our hotel. The entire rental process was very quick and easy and their rental equipment is very good. It was a good value for the equipment and time we got to use the kayak. The kayak tracked beautifully in the water and we had a wonderful time cruising around the harbor for a couple hours. We even had a seal that popped its head out of the water about 20 feet in front of us! Lee (I believe he is the owner) and Wesley were a delight to deal with. I would highly recommend this company.

Fatih was amazing! He was knowledgeable, informative, and incredibly patient with our family,…read moreespecially since we were traveling with two children. He took us to so many wonderful places, including Butchart Gardens, the Butterfly Gardens, Chinatown, the Empress Hotel, Craigdarroch Castle, and Mount Tolmie Park. Each stop was enjoyable, and Fatih shared interesting information that made the experience even more meaningful. He also kindly helped us take beautiful photos that truly captured the memories of our trip. We really appreciated his friendliness, patience, and attention to detail. We highly recommend Fatih to anyone visiting Victoria!

Our guide, Alan, was amazing from beginning to end. We booked two tours for 11 people. The…read morerainforest tour was a slight hike in areas two hrs away from the city to Victoria. It was something different. The wine tour was to three different wineries that were all diverse in unique in its own way. We also utilized the shuttle service from the airport as well as to the ferry terminal. Alan's driving is soo smooth that those who have severe lit motion sickness didn't feel a thing in the giant shuttle. Alan was always on time for pick up and flexible for drop offs. I cannot express how easy it was working with this tour company. Also a shout out to Fatih who drove us to the ferry terminal. His driving was smooth and conversation was great! Don't hesitate to book a tour.

Had a great experience with these guys, showed up totally unannounced with no reservations and they…read morehad us out on a kayak within 20 minutes! Even though we told them we had plenty of kayaking experience, they still took the time out to provide some instructional quick tips. Enjoyed the time in this area of Sooke, got out for about an hour and a half, swung by the marina and had some fun meeting new seal friends! Again, dudes working here are awesome, and their rental prices are very reasonable.

My family and I had never kayaked before, but we have paddleboarded - once with a great teacher in…read moreHawaii, and another time with a mediocre, impatient teacher in San Diego. Our kayak teacher, Jared, was fantastic! He guided us with techniques and tips both at the start and throughout the journey, he led us to some beautiful spots where we saw sea stars and seals, and he give us the history of the region. He was also patient and helpful and had a great sense of humor. Highly recommend!

Super busy park - when I went last month, it was difficult to find parking on the south end of the…read morepark. There are two entrances so maybe the north end was better? Anyway, I went to Goldstream Falls and saw a huge group of salmon trying to jump up the falls. I'm not sure if any of them made it as it's very tall... The hike took a leisurely one hour, with the steepest part being right before the falls as there is a staircase leading down to the falls. There are huge trees and cool-looking fungi that dot alongside the trail. The trail follows the stream for a good bit so you hear the bubbling stream. The toilets are the composting/septic tank toilets without water, so be prepared. I wanted to go to Niagara Falls, but ran out of time. Maybe next time! At the time of this review, it looks like the trail to Niagara Falls is washed out and so inaccessible.

Beautiful! Maps made…read moreus drive an extra 5 miles when it was unnecessary, but we parked right off of 1 south in a tiny pull off (no official parking lot or even signs) and it was less than a 5 min walk to the falls. Just beautiful.

Mount Douglas Park and renamed the indigenous peoples name, Pkols is a beautiful park that a…read morerelative of mine recommended to our group of four. We drove to the top and took in the beautiful view near the parking lot which you can get a view of Victoria and the Straight of Juan De Fuca. We then proceeded up a trail that took us even higher and got a breathtaking panoramic view of the surrounding area of Vancouver Island. Entrance is free so it's definitely worth pursuing as far as sightseeing goes. Where we went to the top it's a manageable trail that you can do in casual shoes but if you want to climb up rocky trails it's probably best to have more rugged hiking shoes. At any rate this is a "must stop" while exploring the Victoria area.

Get your nature fix here in the Victoria area. There's easy hiking trails through the forest and a…read morenice little beach as well. The park is well maintained, with free parking, bathrooms, and even some EV charging stations. In no time you'll be refreshed and ready to face the city again.

This review has been incredible delayed, but I would highly suggest Pacifica for a fun night out…read more We did the bioluminescent kayak tour and it was excellent. I had never kayaked at night before so the environment was pretty incredible and the bioluminescence was fascinating and quite beautiful. The silence, the darkness and the guides sharing stories and history of the area made it a really great experience. We will be back to take our kids once they are old enough!

I can not say how wonderful this company is!!! When I have guest visiting this is a must!! We…read morerecently did 2 kayak outings.. the first one was just a relaxing paddle around The bay and exploring Tods inlet..The second was absolutely mind blowing! We did the unique night glow tour.. if you decide to do it and are lucky enough to get a spot it is a must!! EJ who is the front desk gal is so sweet and accommodating! Sorry if I got your name wrong also the 2 owners are just fabulous!!