Our 3-day Vargas Island paddle trip with PWK was truly the experience of a lifetime! For 3 days we soaked 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! read more

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Overall, we had a fun kayak paddle tour. The waters around Tofino are beautiful with lots of sea stars 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. read more

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I had a terrible experience with Paddle West Kayaking in Tofino. On the day of our tour, we received an email putting us on a weather watch due to strong winds where our tour might be cancelled, but they would contact us 1-2hrs beforehand and offer options to cancel with a full refund, reschedule or continue the tour if we were experienced kayakers (which we weren't). We lost service while driving into Tofino and couldn't receive any calls. An hour before the tour, we finally got service and received a voicemail offering to reschedule or cancel for a full refund. I called back five times but only reached voicemail, so I left a message requesting to cancel and reschedule. Later, David from paddle west kayaking called, saying the tour guide was waiting and claimed he hadn't received our voicemail. He said he would check with his supervisor about a refund and call back, which he didn't. After multiple follow-ups David said we had to pay full price since the tour guide had shown up. We offered to come down within 15 minutes to complete the kayaking session if we had to pay full price anyway, but David said the tour guide had already left, and rescheduling would require another full payment. After requesting to speak to the supervisor, Alys, the manager called a few days later and apologized and said we would receive a 70% refund as the guide still needed to be paid. We agreed, but later received only a 50% refund. When questioned, she denied the 70% refund offer. This experience was incredibly disappointing. The lack of communication, unresponsiveness, and mismanagement ruined what should have been an enjoyable activity which was intended for a bachelorette party. I would not recommend this company to anyone considering paddle west kayaking in Tofino. read more

We had an awesome experience with paddle west. We did a guided tour and then also just rented kayaks a couple days later to explore on our own. Amelia and Shaun were awesome. When the weather was looking bad they switched us to a different day and we had a fantastic paddle. read more

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In a picturesque yellow wooden shack - stuffed with kayaking gear - located next to Jamie's Whaling Station. The people working here are extremely knowledgeable & helpful, without feeling all corporate & plastic. The overall ambiance is that of hanging out at your local, small surfshop. My 4hour kayak tour was wonderful with a guide who knew when to talk & when not to (so we could fully experience the silence: misty morning in the bay & in the ancient cedar forest). I would definitely go here again when in Tofino. read more

Paddle West Kayaking - Front entrance - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Tofino, British Columbia

I had a very frustrating experience with Paddle West Kayaking in Tofino. On the day of our tour, we received an email notifying us of a weather watch due to strong winds, indicating that our tour might be canceled. They mentioned they would contact us 1-2 hours beforehand with options to cancel for a full refund, reschedule, or continue the tour if we were experienced kayakers (which we weren't). We lost cell service while driving into Tofino and couldn't receive any calls. An hour before the tour, we finally got service and received a voicemail offering to reschedule or cancel for a full refund. I called back five times but only reached voicemail, so I left a message requesting to cancel and reschedule. Later, David from Paddle West Kayaking called, saying the tour guide was waiting and claimed he hadn't received our voicemail. On a day with a weather watch why were phone calls not being answered and how are they not checking voicemail?! He said he would check with his supervisor about a refund and call back, which he didn't. After multiple follow-ups initiated by our party, David said we had to pay full price since the tour guide had shown up. We offered to come down within 15 minutes to complete the kayaking session if we had to pay full price anyway, but David said the tour guide had already left and rescheduling would require another full payment. After requesting to speak to the supervisor, Alys, the manager, called a few days later, apologized, and said we would receive a 70% refund as the guide still needed to be paid. We agreed but later received only a 50% refund. When questioned, she denied the 70% refund offer. This experience was incredibly disappointing. The lack of communication, unresponsiveness, and mismanagement ruined what should have been an enjoyable activity intended for a bachelorette party. I would not recommend this company to anyone considering paddle kayaking in Tofino. read more

Amazing 2.5 hour tour from Tofino last week ~ we were lucky enough to have Ryan, the owner, be our tour guide. Ryan was so personable and knowledgeable, the tour was full of interesting facts about the history and ecology of the area, even finding special sea creatures for our 8yr old son to hold. Their safety and Covid-19 protocols and procedures were excellent, making everyone feel safe and secure. We would absolutely do this tour again with Paddle West ~ it made our family vacation very memorable. THANK YOU!!! read more

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Planning an upcoming trip to Tofino? The gorgeous scenery and breath taking landscape of the West Coast will make this trip worth while, but why not get a close up of the beauty and sign up for a kayaking tour with Paddle West Kayaking! Smell the fresh air, feel the ocean breeze on your face and taste the salty sea mist while getting a workout and exploring the surrounding area! Ease into your comfy solo or double kayak and explore the sea and land with family, friends or coworkers. You'll be sure to see some creatures on the water, land and sky like seals, hawks, eagles, fish, heron and more! They have tours in both the Tofino (Clayoquot Sound) and Ucluelet (Barkley Sound) area where you can roam around endlessly. Upon check in you'll get a brief tutorial and safety talk to ensure you are comfortable in your kayak and how to stay safe, then led their professional experienced guides take it from there! Here are some of the tours they offer; Rainforest Tour - This is the one we did, a full 4 hours of exploring the sea by kayak and roaming the forest on Meares Island on the Big Tree Trail to appreciate the history and beauty close up. We went with another couple and a solo, it was nice and quiet, not rushed at all. Everyone was quiet while enjoying the sounds of nature so you don't have to worry about trying to keep up as you go at a nice pace. This one is $84 per person. Discover the Islands Tour - This one is 2.5 hours which excludes the roams around the forest. This one is $65 per person. Discover Clayoquot Sound - This is a longer tour for 6 hours for $124 and includes an hour on land to relax and have lunch. Discover the Night Stargazing Tour - How amazing does that sound? Stargazing? Beautiful! This is an overnight tour where you'll get the chance to stare up at the sky endlessly. Multi-Day Tour - You heard right! They have 3 day 2 night tours as well! Bring (or rent) your own tent and sleeping bag and get ready to kayak for 3 days, meals included! They are also strong supporters of keeping the environment clean and how we safe. Donating to environmental non-governmental organizations like 1% for the Planet, The Raincoast Education Sociey and The Western Canada Wilderness Committee as well as supporting the Clayoquot Action. read more

Paddle West Kayaking - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Tofino, British Columbia

Tracy was a friendly and knowledgeable guide who shared a breadth of information on the local marine life, vegetation, geography, and the history of Meares Island. The kayaks were of high quality and performed excellently. Our tour in the morning allowed for a cool (comfortable) air temperature, quiet waters, and viewing of a range of wildlife including a river otter, seal, grey eagle, jellyfish, sea stars, and more! And a great walk through thousands-year old forest on Meares! Would highly recommend! Great value! read more

A small shop with a fantastic experience! Went there with my girlfriend for her birthday and had an incredible time. The guide was super informative of the surrounding region and the lands. The 2 hours we booked was a perfect time to see a couple islands read more