We had a great time with this rafting crew on the last run of their season as it turned out…read more Unlike the other reviewer (and I'm not discounting their story at all), our scheduling and trip went fairly smooth, especially considering that on the day that our 10 person family rafted, there was another family of 7 with the same last name. Could have been confusing but we all ended up having a great time and our guides were not only capable and knowledgeable, they could also be real cut-ups as well. After the 10 minute safety orientation, I'll admit some of us were a bit nervous. Nothing like talk of getting caught under water in a whirlpool or impaling on a log (WOOD IS YOUR WORST ENEMY!) to make you rethink your decision. Especially when you have your elderly parents with you. But Jamie really took great care with us and them in particular. Hubby and I elected to ride in the raft with the 'rents so we could keep a firm eye and hand on them throughout. The nieces and nephew rode with Jim. (sidenote, anything, ANYTHING, you need to know about Campbell River, ask Jim....he was our raft guide and all around answer man....maybe they should call him Jeeves) My sister took the inflatable kayak. Our raft's run was fairly sedate thanks to Jamie. Looking back on the young-un's raft, we could have had a wilder time if we didn't have the Cottontops in our boat (Jim calls them Arctic Blondes :). Some of my nieces got tossed out of the raft as they became very intimate with a huge boulder. No worries tho. They were back in in minutes with only a scabbed knee and a great story that they excitedly told and re-told the rest of the trip (and no doubt multiple times when they got home). Plus everyone was wearing a PFD (aka personal floatation device...."lifevest" is so gauche). That's not to say that Jamie was boring. He pointed out wildlife, showed us how to use the front of the raft as a trampoline and at one point, suddenly launched himself on the inflatable kayak and capsized it, tossing my too dry nephew in the drink. I almost wet my wetsuit on that one. Our trip was about 5 hours (again cause the water was low) and for the most part was fairly easy rowing until the end. The scenery was absolutely stunning and we were buzzed fairly often by kingfishers and saw several schools of salmon swim under us. We pulled onto a rock beach early on and they unpacked a fabulous lunch for us of sandwiches, fruit, veggies and pastries. Hell, they had an entire raft just for the food. We had another break towards the end to fortify us for the last very windy, choppy stretch that was a bit of work. Everyone had a great time, even the old folks which was great since they paid for it after all. And we all lived to tell about it which gets them that fifth star for sure!

These other reviews are very old and I don't think accurate…read more If you are on Vancouver Island for any reason, you must take a swim with the salmon with Destiny. They are extremely organized, and provide great equipment and care about your safety. However, the Campbell River is swift and you should be able to swim (even though you are wearing a life vest) and must follow their directions. If you do what they tell you, and don't expect to be coddled, then you will LOVE this experience. Swimming with magnificent salmon and trout in a gorgeous setting with local people who love their river is so amazing. A true highlight of our trip to BC. If you love snorkeling in general go do this. We took our 9 year old daughter and she absolutely loved it. I really appreciated that they don't try to micromanage your experience or "tour guide" you to death. They get you to the best spots and let you immerse yourself in another world. Worth every penny.

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 spent 4 days on their Orca Camp Tour and it was amazing. Great food, nice accommodations, and we…read morewere able to see over 25 Orcas from camp on one sighting and two other close encounters with smaller groups of Orcas. A definite bucket-list trip.

My wife and I have never kayaked before so we decided to go for their 'Bunny Tour'. (A one hour…read moretraining and tour. ) We went on one of the last good days of the summer. Jesse, the owner and tour guide, explained everything and made sure we had the foot controls setup properly. Then he took us on a short tour along Saratoga Beach. We are looking forward to going on a longer tour next spring.

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!

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.

Had a great experience renting from Kai at Cortes Kayaks…read more My partner and I were pretty new to overnight kayak trips. In fact, ocean paddling itself was fairly new so we also signed up for a lesson before heading out into Desolation Sound. We had an amazing trip and Cortes Kayaks really made it both possible and easy. We really enjoyed our hour lesson with Jolène, who, bless her, got to the dock for 9am to demonstrate how to get back into a tipped kayak for us and then see us off well equipped for the journey ahead. I'll add we may well have not had enough water if not for her recommendation to bring lots with us and, indeed, there was none to be found out there so that was a life saver! I had a very easy time coordinating with Kai in the weeks leading up to our trip. I felt at ease and there was no hassle involved. Their online booking system made payments simple, I found their rates to be quite reasonable, all the gear was in good condition and worked perfectly and overall nice folks to deal with, would highly recommend. Also appreciate the land acknowledgements on their website!

From the owner: Cortes Kayaks is a sea kayaking adventure company based on Cortes Island, British Columbia. We are…read moreopen April- September. Visits to kayak storage is by appointment only. We offer day and multi day kayaking adventures as well as kayak rentals. Cortes is situated 150km North of Vancouver, in the Discovery Islands. Cortes is the perfect jumping off point to explore Desolation Sound, the surrounding inlets and islands. We are open April through September, and offer sunset tours, bioluminescence tours, afternoon adventures, kayaking expeditions, kayak and yoga retreats, lessons and much more. On our kayak adventures we will paddle the coastline and explore nearby islands, while looking out for humpback whales, orcas, harbour seals, sea lions, and an abundance of birdlife along the way. On all of our trips, our certified local guides will teach you about the ocean, wildlife, geology and history of the area. Our trips are open to all levels of experience. Book kayak trips and rentals online.

My teenage son and I did the 2.5 hour trip in the evening. Jack was our guide. He made sure we got…read morea good tour of the area and dropped a lot of info about the history and wildlife we saw. A great and serene way to spend an evening. Highly recommend.

Husband and I did a private 2.5 hour harbor tour. The first half hour was set up (all essentials…read moreprovided including water shoes, glasses strap, phone holder, dry bag, spray skirt, and of course lifejacket), instruction, and safety (we had 4 bald eagles fly directly overhead during the set-up!) then we were out on the water with our guide, Hailey. She listened to what we wanted from the tour, was great about giving us some history of the area, and shared her knowledge about the local wildlife and ecology. This was our first real experience sea kayaking and I felt safe the entire time, and knew safety was of upmost importance to our guide. When the tour was over, we had coffee in the shop that's associated with Tofino Kayak, looking out over the water. Overall, a great experience, and would highly recommend this business.