Why choose Green Coast Kayaking for your Kayaking trip to the Queen Charlotte Islands?
A description of our touring style
There are a limited number of kayak tour operators leading trips in Gwaii Haanas, and they are all unique and commendable for their own reasons. We have yet to meet a guide who is not experienced, knowledgeable, and friendly, and it really is wonderful to be a part of this kayaking community.
For you, the trick is to find the company whose style of touring best fits your needs and desires. To help you determine whether we are a good match for you, here we describe the three defining features of our trips.
“Sharing the cooking endeavour is often the silliest and most fun time of the day!”
COMMUNAL COOKING
We are the only company that is not fully catered; that is, each person on a trip is responsible for buying and preparing three meals for the rest of the group.
We have found from past experience that sharing the food effort:
- brings an immediate sense of community to the group;
- results in the greatest variety and most delicious meals; and
- allows us to offer our tours at the lowest costs.
Remember: Everything tastes good in the outdoors and your guides are always on hand to help out and make the experience fun and easy for you!
“Brie shows Cheryl the serious art of chart reading and navigation under stressful conditions.”
KAYAKING SKILLS INSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT
Our goal is to help you become a stronger and more competent sea kayaker during our time together.
The wonderful thing about kayaking is that, on the one hand, it is a basic idea that is easy for the beginner to learn, and on the other hand, it encompasses a wide range of skills that are always challenging the expert. Everyone comes to the trip with a different set of skills, and yet there is time, space and opportunity for all of us to improve not only our paddling techniques, but also the myriad of skills required to travel safely as a group.
In concrete terms, these are some of the things we do to strengthen individual and group abilities:
- we provide detailed instructions on a variety of paddling strokes and give ongoing correctional feedback;
- we listen to weather updates together as a group, help you to understand what they are saying, and interpret what kind of wind and weather we can expect that day;
- we explain the tides and currents and how they affect our decisions of when and where to go;
- we bring along extra charts and compasses and help anyone interested in developing their navigational skills; and
- we explain any decisions we make, give the group options whenever possible, and encourage your input.
LOCAL EMPLOYMENT
All of our employees are longtime residents of Haida Gwaii. Furthermore, we increasingly support local grocery providers and initiatives to educate local youth in outdoor pursuits. We are a small company on a small island and it is a joy for us to share our home and playground with you!