About North Island Kayak

We would like to give you the opportunity to share this part of the world with us.

Since 1991, North Island Kayak has been sharing, with visitors from all over the world, the spectacular Orca or Killer whales, Humpback and Minke whales, black bears, sealions, dolphins, porpoises, eagles, salmon and seabirds plus a whole menagerie of inter-tidal critters found in the wilderness of our Northern Vancouver Island home.

Our goal is to provide you with the best possible sea kayaking tour, the most memorable encounters with Orcas or Killer whales and other wildlife, the most highly trained passionate sea kayaking guides with many years’ experience gained not only working but living and playing in the area, excellent equipment, meals that will delight and an overall experience that will safely provide you with life long memories while causing the minimum impact on the area and all who call it home.

Our philosophy to achieve this is simple; we are committed to delivering the safest and best possible overall experience for our customers by focusing on the following fundamental contributors.

Location

We are located in Telegraph Cove on the North of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Our store and sea kayak tour departure point is adjacent to the boat ramp, the picture above was taken from our front door! We specialize in this area and in providing you with sea kayak tours that provide you the very best value. From where you park your car in our parking lot, which is free for tour guests, to our boat ramp, paddling out into Johnstone Strait and the realm of the Killer Whales or Orca is literally a stones throw. We start our multi-day tours early in the morning and return late afternoon to give you the most time that we can on the water and in the wilderness.

Guides

Our guides are specifically selected and trained to be expertly qualified, intimate with the wildlife, geography, history and culture of our locale, strictly adherent to minimum impact wildlife viewing and respectful of the environment. Our multi-day guides are seasoned outdoors people who typically return to guide this area summer after summer. They are well known in Telegraph Cove and form an integral part of our small community. They are familiar with more than just the parts they have paddled in the current season. They know the best areas to paddle, the North Island hikes, the tricks or our weather and are also dedicated to the preservation of where we and they call home.

Equipment

We use and provide top quality equipment, sourced as locally as we can find and professionally maintained within our local communities.

Customer Service

North Island Kayak is proud to provide year round full time customer service and facility staff who bring a dedication to enabling your vacation that we believe cannot be matched. We fully understand how little vacation time is available and that you have more than enough frustration in everyday life, without encountering it planning or during your vacation. You can contact us by email or phone and can be assured of communicating with a real person who is intimate with the products we offer and the area we call home. Once we have booked a tour, we will not cancel it due to lack of participants. We will also not spring surcharges on you due to the tour not being full.

Food

While we make no claims of gourmet menus and cellared wines, we have delighted thousands of diners in a wilderness environment, by preparing meals that bring a flavour of the Pacific Northwest from quality ingredients that have been sourced as locally as possible. Each summer more and more of our ingredients are grown or made within North Vancouver Island communities.

Environment

We believe in the “leave no trace” philosophy at home and while in the wilderness and in minimum impact wildlife encounters. As we believe that "leave no trace" should apply to our entire organization, we are striving to continue development to become fully sustainable in our own right. We rigidly apply and exceed the wildlife viewing guidelines as defined by Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans. We strive to ensure that future generations will have the same opportunities to enjoy our beautiful area and wildlife as much as we do and you will.

Tour group size

We believe in small groups, our average tour has five participants however during peak season we will occasionally launch a tour with eight or nine. Our half day and 2 hour tours can accommodate up to twelve.

Having Fun

Last but by no means least having fun is of critical importance. It is a vacation after all! Nothing pleases us more than to see our guides and our guests coming back from one of our tours with huge smiles on their faces!

Need to know more?

Give us a call, or send us an email - Contact North Island Kayak.