Broken Group

Located off the West Coast of Vancouver Island, the calm, crystal clear waters are home to porpoises, river otters, sea-lions, migrating Grey whales and over 200 species of seabirds. The inter tidal zones are alive with colourful anemones, sea stars, nudibranch’s and a variety of other brilliant sea-life. The Broken Islands are considered one of the finest areas in the world for sea kayaking and will offer both the novice and seasoned paddler a world class experience. Oh, and the sunsets are absolutely amazing!

All this and more make this expedition an outstanding adventure for the “wild at heart”.

Meeting Location: All participants meet on Day#1 at Secret Beach (Toquaht First Nations) www.secretbeachcampground.com located about a 50 minute drive
from Ucluelet or 80 minutes from Tofino on the West Coast of Vancouver Island) at 8:30 am. Please ensure you’ve had a breakfast before we meet.

*Note there is camping at this site $20/site and there is a $10 per day parking fee payable in cash to the Band at the time we depart. Most folks either camp at Secret Beach or sleep the night prior at a B&B in Ucluelet.

DAY #1:

After introductions to your fellow paddlers on the expedition, the guides will assign you to a kayak and help you get your personal gear stowed away. When everyone is ready, we’ll go over some basic paddling fundamentals and a safety orientation and then launch into the pristine waters of Barclay Sound and 4 days of discovery and enchantment.

With helpful advice and instruction from your guides, it won’t take long till you feel you’re getting the “hang of it” as we paddle amongst the gorgeous islands and explore the many inlets of this Vancouver Island paradise. These waters are home to a large variety of different marine wildlife and it is not uncommon for us to encounter everything from Grey whales, sea lions, otters, porpoises, and eagles throughout your time in this spectacular area.

After a couple of hours, we’ll land on one of the pristine beaches of Hand Island and you can sit back and enjoy a delicious lunch the guides will prepare. After lunch, there is always time to explore the island, take some photo’s or have a swim…then we’ll launch the kayaks and make our way through a series of islands to our campsite at Willis Island. We’ll then make camp, set up our tents and you are free to explore the area, enjoy a book, beach comb…whatever your fancy…A sumptuous dinner around a cozy campfire with a canopy of stars above as the evenings entertainment.

DAY #2:
With another spectacular day ahead of us, we’ll wake to the aroma’s of freshly brewed coffee and a hearty breakfast on the make. After everyone has had their fill, we’ll pack for the day (we return to our site in the later afternoon) and launch yet again into the pristine waters of this magnificent area…be ready with your camera today because you’ll need it!

Our destination today is a paddle further out along the outer islands of the Barclay Sound. Depending on the sea conditions and weather, we may visit the outer coastal islands or we may venture southwest through the interior islands and explore some Sea Caves. The Broken Islands allow us to meander through a myriad of different paddling environments…one minute we’re in the protected solitude of tiny islands and inlets paddling over a kaleidoscope of inter tidal colours and next we can be crossing channels with ocean surge (thrilling yet very safe) with a procession of curious seals following close behind.

We’ll lunch on one of the outer islands, enjoying a relaxing sojourn on an idyllic west coast beach before making our way back to Willis for the late afternoon . There will be time for a swim, a lazy walk through the magnificent old growth rain forest or just sitting with a good book. We’ll enjoy another delicious meal and a warm campfire, tell stories and put and end to a another magnificent day!

DAY #3:
We’ll wake to the sounds of gently lapping waves, the call of a loon or eagle and the aroma’s of coffee and a tasty cooked breakfast. After breakfast, we’ll break camp for today we venture across the Peacock Channel to the Brabant Island Group and into the maze of islets and inlets and narrow channels that make up the Pinkerton Island Group.

One of the highlights of the paddling on our Broken Islands trip, this area paddles along some of the Vancouver Island coastline and it isn’t uncommon on this day to see black bears along the coast, lifting up rocks and eating the small crab underneath.

We’ll make our way over to Hand Island in the later afternoon, setting up camp and enjoying a swim in the refreshing waters of this island gem. While you relax, the guides will whip up another gourmet creation for dinner and we’ll enjoy our last night around the campfire finishing off yet another spectacular day in paradise.

DAY #4:
Well all good things must come to an end, but not before we enjoy a final paddle in this spectacular area.

Today after another great breakfast, we pack for our morning’s paddle back to our embarkation point of Secret Beach. We’ll cross Loudon Channel, passing by Lyal Point and once more through the Stopper Islands. Maybe we’ll get treated to some Humpback Whales lunge feeding in these nutrient rich waters.

We should get back to Secret Beach by noon to 1:00pm at the very latest. We’ll then unpack the kayaks, share emails for pictures and bid our goodbyes and adieu’s. From Secret Beach, it’s a little over an hour drive to Tofino on the west coast (should you want to extend your trip) or a three hour drive back to Nanaimo, where one can catch a late afternoon/early evening ferry back to Vancouver and The Mainland (reservations are always recommended for summer travel).

Meeting Location: All participants meet on Day#1 at Secret Beach (Toquaht First Nations) www.secretbeachcampground.com located about a 50 minute drive
from Ucluelet or 80 minutes from Tofino on the West Coast of Vancouver Island) at 8:30 am. Please ensure you’ve had a breakfast before we meet.

*Note there is camping at this site $20/site and there is a $10 per day parking fee payable in cash to the Band at the time we depart. Most folks either camp at Secret Beach or sleep the night prior at a B&B in Ucluelet.

DAY #1:

After introductions to your fellow paddlers on the expedition, the guides will assign you to a kayak and help you get your personal gear stowed away. When everyone is ready, we’ll go over some basic paddling fundamentals and a safety orientation and then launch into the pristine waters of Barclay Sound and 4 days of discovery and enchantment.

With helpful advice and instruction from your guides, it won’t take long till you feel you’re getting the “hang of it” as we paddle amongst the gorgeous islands and explore the many inlets of this Vancouver Island paradise. These waters are home to a large variety of different marine wildlife and it is not uncommon for us to encounter everything from Grey whales, sea lions, otters, porpoises, and eagles throughout your time in this spectacular area.

After a couple of hours, we’ll land on one of the pristine beaches of Hand Island and you can sit back and enjoy a delicious lunch the guides will prepare. After lunch, there is always time to explore the island, take some photo’s or have a swim…then we’ll launch the kayaks and make our way through a series of islands to our campsite at Willis Island. We’ll then make camp, set up our tents and you are free to explore the area, enjoy a book, beach comb…whatever your fancy…A sumptuous dinner around a cozy campfire with a canopy of stars above as the evenings entertainment.

DAY #2:
With another spectacular day ahead of us, we’ll wake to the aroma’s of freshly brewed coffee and a hearty breakfast on the make. After everyone has had their fill, we’ll pack, Our destination today is a paddle further out along the outer islands of the Barclay Sound.

We may poke around mystical island Silhouettes in the fog, or bask in the sun as we paddle amongst kelp forests, or lay on the outer beaches. Our Campsite goal is Gilbert Island Where we will stay for two nights. We’ll lunch on one of the outer islands, enjoying a relaxing sojourn on an idyllic west coast beach before we  head further out towards the open sea, Camping near where the wild things roam, Sea lion Haul outs and the pulsing ocean call us.

The Broken Islands allow us to meander through a myriad of different paddling environments…one minute we’re in the protected solitude of tiny islands and inlets paddling over a kaleidoscope of inter tidal colours and next we can be crossing channels with ocean surge (thrilling yet very safe) with a procession of curious seals following close behind.

We will take these extra nights to enjoy the broken group to the fullest. we hope to share a great week with you in this amazing National Park.

Day 4

Making our way through yet more islands for the day we head for Gibraltor Island for the night . working our way north we will explore the interior islands and maybe some Sea Caves. once in camp, There will be time for a swim, a lazy walk through the magnificent old growth rain forest or just sitting with a good book. We’ll enjoy another delicious meal and a warm campfire, tell stories and put and end to a another magnificent day!

DAY #5:
We’ll wake to the sounds of gently lapping waves, the call of a loon or eagle and the aroma’s of coffee and a tasty cooked breakfast. After breakfast, we’ll break camp for today we venture across the Peacock Channel to the Brabant Island Group and into the maze of islets and inlets and narrow channels that make up the Pinkerton Island Group.

One of the highlights of the paddling on our Broken Islands trip, this area paddles along some of the Vancouver Island coastline and it isn’t uncommon on this day to see black bears along the coast, lifting up rocks and eating the small crab underneath.

We’ll make our way over to Hand Island in the later afternoon, setting up camp and enjoying a swim in the refreshing waters of this island gem. While you relax, the guides will whip up another gourmet creation for dinner and we’ll enjoy our last night around the campfire finishing off yet another spectacular day in paradise.

DAY #6:
All good things must come to an end, but not before we enjoy a final paddle in this spectacular area.

Today after another great breakfast, we pack for our morning’s paddle back to our embarkation point of Secret Beach. We’ll cross Loudon Channel, passing by Lyal Point and once more through the Stopper Islands. Maybe we’ll get treated to some Humpback Whales lunge feeding in these nutrient rich waters.

We should get back to Secret Beach by noon to 1:00pm at the very latest. We’ll then unpack the kayaks, share emails for pictures and bid our goodbyes and adieu’s. From Secret Beach, it’s a little over an hour drive to Tofino on the west coast (should you want to extend your trip) or a three hour drive back to Nanaimo, where one can catch a late afternoon/early evening ferry back to Vancouver and The Mainland (reservations are always recommended for summer travel).