A Sea Safari in Howe Sound, British Columbia

Last Friday was close to a perfect day. Not only was the sun shining, but I had the opportunity to spend two hours racing around in an inflatable boat at about 45 mph, courtesy of Sewell’s Marina. Talk about FUN.

Sewell’s Marina is a long time business located in the Village of Horseshoe Bay – all of about seven minutes away from my house.  They rent boats for day use (and you can take a safety course on the spot now), and organize guided fishing trips but best of all they operate a seasonal sea safari. I have no excuses for why I have waited so long to take this tour – but it’s probably because it’s so close to home that it doesn’t feel exotic enough. Was I wrong.

The sea safari tour goes something like this.

Show up thirty minutes before your tour begins so you can sign all those nasty liability forms. Then pull on one of the not so pretty survival suits. Even if you’re the fashionista type. They’re supposed to act as a life jacket and will help you stay warm…for a while.

Then its the requisite safety talk but thankfully its short. In no time we’re in the boat.

I’ve joined another family from Burnaby who have also lived here for more than a decade but never explored the area. It took a visit from out of town Toronto relatives to get them here today.

We leave the harbour, heading north towards Lion’s Bay. This is our first chance to see what the boat can do. Plenty as it turns out which is what one would expect with two 225 horsepower motors. And it’s incredibly maneuverable – as aptly demonstrated on several occasions by our guide Darren.

Darren is keen to share his considerable knowledge of the area. He’d stop the boat to give us a geology lesson as he pointed up the mountains.

Then the next second he’d have you hanging on for dear life as he swung the boat in tight circles, creating a great big wake. That was a surefire way to get everyone smiling.

Christie Island and Pam Rocks are the next stops on the itinerary. The bird life and the countless number of seals to see are definitely the highlight of the family I’ve joined, especially for the little girl.

Darren also knows his birds – and their habits. He can tell you the difference between the double crested and pelagic cormorants and point out where they nest. He shows us the Harlequin ducks and we spend some time gawking at one of my favourites – the Oystercatcher. A pod of  seals lie lazily on the rocks with only a few concerned enough to actually move into the water.

Next we head for the passage between Bowen and Gambier Islands. This is all new territory for me. I’ve had peek a boo views from the ferry but I get close-ups on this boat. I just wish we’d had more time to gawk – because there are beautiful little islands, especially in the Pasley Group, that I’d like to explore.

We do a few more donuts on the water to get everyone’s attention before heading for the much rougher water in Georgia Strait. Then it’s the hold on for dear life feeling all over again as we get slammed with wave after wave.

More birds show up – this time as part of a giant raft of about 1000 Surf Scoters. Darren says – that’s nothing – we see rafts with 10,000 birds soon. Now that would be incredible.

Since we’ve rounded the top of Bowen Island the ferries plying the Horseshoe Bay -Nanaimo route come back into view – as do the freighters, and sailboats and all the other watercraft that make this area so interesting.

Just before we head north again, we get an interesting perspective of downtown Vancouver from the water. Then to top it all off, we roar by Point Atkinson Lighthouse in Lighthouse Park – which is worth exploring on foot I might add – and finally by some of the prciest real estate in all of Canada.

That’s a lot of territory to cover in just two hours but does it ever give you a sense of the place.

If you are really lucky, you might now see pods of dolphins on this tour. They’ve returned after a very long absence (at least 9 years), on account of a resurgence in herring numbers. It’s nice to have a good news story for a change.

Useful Information to Book a Sea Safari

• Trips run from April through October only.
• Departure times are 10 am, 1 pm and 4 pm daily. Reserve in advance, particularly on weekends.
• Prices are $73 + tax for adults, $43 + tax for kids under 12 and $65 + tax for a student or senior.
• During the three fireworks competitions in the summer, three hour tours are offered. What a great view that would be!
• You can phone to book at 604-921-3474.
• They have a container to leave valuables.
• Parking is free for 3 hours if you park about 4 blocks up from the water on Royal Avenue.

If you’re new to the west coast or you haven’t explored your own backyard yet, don’t be like me and wait nine years. Join a sea safari tour and have a whole lot of fun in two hours.

Leigh McAdam

HikeBikeTravel

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