In 2024 OSK will be travelling through the less visited but more beautiful, west coast trip designed for a maximum group size of 6 paddlers, who have previous kayaking experiences. If you find yourself being flexible, patient, and embrace places travelled by very, very few people, then the west coast of Haida Gwaii is calling you!
Since my first paddle trip on the west coast of Haida Gwaii in 1998, which found me trading Japanese Glass Balls for butter, and flour with a local fishing boat, I instantly got hooked with this incredible new surrounding of Haida Gwaii. Words like, solitude, vastness, respect, energy, and uniqueness are just a few words that instantly come to mind when thinking about a west coast paddle.
Over the years, OSK guests have completed successful circumnavigation of Graham Island, the largest island in Haida Gwaii over a 19-day journeys. While guests have safely completed on many occasions a 10-day adventure down the west coast to Englefield Bay, Haida Gwaii’s largest defined Bay, which is a proposed tour for 2024, an Anniversary Gift to ourselves and to our guests, as it will be our 35 years of offering safe, cultural, and educational tours on Haida Gwaii.
A unique west coast journey awaits you!
This Kayak Vacation is limited to Six Experienced Kayakers
2024 Kayak Vacations
Anniversary Sale – We have extended our 2024 prices into 2025 for you to Enjoy !
Click Here – For details on wildlife, highlights, and geographical locations regarding this tour.
Below is an overview, created from over two decades of travel through Gwaii Haanas, that guests have enjoyed. Kayaking Gwaii Haanas – Haida Gwaii is a true wilderness and requires a flexible mindset to travel safely in a self-propelled kayak. The success of the tour depends on the weather, tides, guests’ interests, and the overall ability of the group. No one person, including guides, has no control over such variables.
The perfect vacation looks different for everyone, so it’s important to ask yourself some initial questions when planning a trip to Haida Gwaii.
Please note that Ocean Sound Kayaking doesn’t accept direct online bookings.
Instead, we prefer to speak to our guest over the phone, when possible, to answer any questions you may have and design the perfect trip for you. This is what sets us apart, the OSK difference.
We have been introducing people of all ages, abilities, from around the world to Haida Gwaii for the past 30 years, and we want to ensure that all our guests have a clear understanding of our trips before we start, so that your expectations are met.
Personal Fitness
First and foremost, it’s important to note that age is just a number to us. We see that you are an adventurous soul who seeks intrinsic wilderness experiences, and that’s exactly what we aim to provide. If you’re in good physical condition and willing to share in occasional camp chores, you’re welcome on our tours.
We travel in a self-propelled mix fleet of single and double sea kayaks, without any support boat on any of our kayak tours. Kayak experience isn’t required, but we ask that guests feel comfortable around water. More important than your paddling skill is your past camping experience, which will assist you greatly in ensuring your comfort in a remote wilderness setting like Haida Gwaii.
Lifting and Carrying
To make any trip successful, all guests must participate in the daily chores and contribute to the overall team environment, such as food cache, meal prep and clean up, setting up camp, collecting firewood, and drinking water. We can accommodate guests with physical limitations in this department, but we expect guests to be able to carry up to 20-30 pounds, as kayaks must be placed above the high tide line nightly in teams of 6-8 people.
Toilets
There are no outhouse facilities throughout Gwaii Haanas. We use low-impact practices such as the “intertidal flush,” which is a standard set by Parks Canada for all kayakers in Gwaii Haanas. Your guide will brief you on this practice and present a private area for the group washroom at each rest stop and campsite.
Bathing and Water
Many of our chosen camps have a freshwater source to collect water and take a bath. Your guides will create the boundaries along with a private location for guests. The kayak tour can carry 110 liters of water to sites that do not have a suitable or reliable water supply. Non-scented wet wipes are handy items around camp as they are convenient and easy.
OSK Principles
Our goal is to offer a wilderness experience that will remove you from your everyday distractions, replacing cell phones with solitude, and streetlights with stars. Let’s keep the wild, “WILD.” With this in mind, it’s our responsibility to travel through Haida Gwaii with an ethical approach. Haida Gwaii is known as the “Galapagos of the Pacific Northwest” and can offer some incredible wildlife experiences. Your guide will provide you with a trip orientation on day one, a Parks Canada requirement for all Gwaii Haanas guests. The orientation is to offer insight into the Haida Culture, the sensitivity of Ecological Reserves, and to deliver awareness of how our tours will practice industry standards regarding low-impact camping and wildlife encounters.
The OSK Team has designed a few tutorials for you.
A compressive Trip Planner and further videos will be presented to all guest once registered on a tour with Ocean Sound Kayaking, referencing over 30 years of questions and answers.