Newbie Needs Advice

[Quickbeam]

My wife and I are both fairly new paddlers. We bought a couple of rec. kayaks earlier this year, and quickly outgrew them. We have now sold them and have a couple of sea kayaks on order.

Being fairly new to the sport, we are not yet ready to take on anything too adventurous. We are also looking to able to combine some snorkelling with our kayaking. Earlier this summer we took our rec. kayaks over to Garden Bay in Pender Harbour for one week and had a great time but for next summer we would like to try somewhere different.

We would like to find somewhere where we can stay (lodge, cabin, bed and breakfast, etc.) that we can use for our homebase, and then take day trips out for some good kayaking and also do some snorkelling. We would like somewhere relatively safe where we do not need to be overly concerned with dangerous conditions (eg. - strong currents, etc.). We were thinking of somewhere on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, or the Sunshine Coast. We are looking at going the first week of August next year. After looking on the net we had thought of the Desolation Sound Resort in Desolation Sound. We also thought of the Sechart Lodge by the Broken Islands.

Any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions would be most appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Komatiq]

Hi Quickbeam greetings from a fellow newbie.

Here's another possible destination for you to add to your "links".

http://www.discoveryislands.ca/

There are a few spots up there that may fit the bill for you and I'm sure the others here will have tons of input as well. Great group here and lots of knowledge to share.


Cheers,

 

[Batstar]

Welcome Quickbeam!

I’d personally recommend both Desolation and the Broken Group.

Desolation Sound offers some of the warmest waters on the west coast and is famous for its mild weather conditions. Because of this, there is a fair amount of summer boat traffic and this in itself can create problems for smaller craft. Once there, you have access to two fresh water lakes that make marvelous spots for an evening dip or just for washing up. We put in on the east side of the Malaspina Peninsula in Okeover Inlet which offers sheltered access to the sound and found secure parking by paying a nominal fee of $3.00/day to the operators of Powell River Seakayaking Their boat launch is a roughly a 3km paddle into the sound. Be sure to stop in at the Laughing Oyster Restaurant. Great food there.

Entrance into the Sound

Tenedos Bay

Unwin Lake

Prideaux Haven

Tonight’s Menu

Harvesting Sea Urchins in Malespina Inlet

The Broken Group has to be one of our favourite destinations due to its accessibility and the fact that it offers paddling for all skill levels. Two of the most popular ways of getting to the islands are by either boarding the Lady Rose from Port Alberni to Sechart or by driving the 16km logging road from the main highway and putting in at Toquart Bay. With the exception of the crossing from the Stoppers over to Hand Island, the vast majority of the sound is relatively sheltered. I’ve never stayed at the Sechart Lodge, but several friends who have, tell me that it’s a great place to plan day trips from. Hank (who operates the Toquart Water Taxi/transport) and his wife do a swell job of making their clients feel right at home.