$schemamarkup = get_post_meta(get_the_ID(), ' schema ', true); if(!empty($schema)) { echo $ schema ; } Haida Gwaii whale & bird migration | Ocean Sound Kayaking Haida Gwaii whale & bird migration | Ocean Sound Kayaking
Gwaii Haanas was a Trip of a life time. The food, gear, and most importantly the people was fabulous. It was an amazing immersion in such a special place. No cell phones, or computers, just vast wilderness, exactly what we were looking for.
Rod & Sue Velleneau

Alberta

In 2024 OSK will be visiting the Forgotten Haida Totems of Chaatl, while navigating through the Daawuuxusda Heritage Site/ Conservancy. This is a 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!

Here is a teaser video for the Forgotten Totems of Chaatl.

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.

The “Forgotten Totems of Chaatl” is a 10-day expedition that will begin paddling west through Skidegate Channel, which divides the two major islands Graham and Moresby.  A visit to Ts’aa.ahl (Chaatl, pronounced “Joth, the T is silent) has two of the most compelling House Frontal Totems on the islands. Actually, other than museums there are no other original standing House Frontal Poles left on the Coast of British Columbia. However, nature is catching up with her duties and every year we try to visit the village!

A unique west coast journey awaits you!

Reviewing the Tour Map allows guests the opportunity to get familiar with the highlights, wildlife, and geographical locations of the tour. The goals of our Haida Gwaii kayak trips are to be fun, engaging, educational, and relaxing.

Kayaking Gwaii Haanas – Haida Gwaii is a true wilderness experience and requires a flexible mindset to travel safely in a self-propelled vessel.  This is a self-supported kayak tour, which uses a mixed fleet of kayaks for your convenience, confidence and enjoyment.  The success of the tour depends on weather, tides, guest interests, and the overall ability of the group. No one person (guides included) can have any control over such variables.

Below is an itinerary, created from over two decades of travel thru Gwaii Haanas, that guests have enjoyed. That said, it is your tour, and you may have your own personal bucket list to check off, so OSK will try to facilitate any deviations from the below schedule.

The “Forgotten Totems of Chaatl” is a 10-day expedition designed for a maximum group size of 6 paddlers.  The tour will begin paddling west through Skidegate Channel, which divides the two major islands Graham and Moresby.  A visit to Ts’aa.ahl (Chaatl, pronounced “Joth, the T is silent) has two of the most compelling House Frontal Totems on the islands. Actually, other than museums there are no other original standing House Frontal Poles left on the Coast of British Columbia. However, nature is catching up with her duties and every year we try to visit the village!

From Chaatl, we travel south along the western edge of Moresby Island taking us to the largest Bay on Haida Gwaii, Englefield Bay. Rich in history, this is true wilderness in its rawest form. Once in Englefield Bay, circumnavigating Hibben Island will be our objective.  Setting up a camp on the white sand beach of Kaysuun village (Also known as Kaisun).

Ocean Sound Kayaking, Co.Visiting Security Inlet allows guests the opportunity of walking amongst Giant Old Growth. Walking through these towering forests kayakers can see the Western Red Cedar tree (Thuja plicata) which is the provincial tree of British Columbia, and also known to coastal natives as the “TREE OF LIFE”. Woven into the Haida culture, guests can reflect with these massive giants and how over a century ago these Haida had stripped bark and fell trees for cedar ornaments, clothing, houses, totem poles, and canoes.

Traveling towards the eastern side of Hibben Island your camp is back dropped by a 1500-foot cascading water fall from Mount Moresby, the islands tallest mountain.  The southern shore of Hibben Island has three distinct inlets of Douglas, Mudge, and Mitchel. The latter is the area where Captain Gray sailing the THETIS had found gold amongst the Haida in the area. Known as Gold Harbour, this area brings gold prospectors even in today’s modern era.

Once we complete our navigation around Hibben Island, and visiting the Stellar Sea Lion haul out on its western extremities, we paddle north once again to Chaatl Island.

Weather permitting, a circumnavigation of Chaatl Island permits paddlers the opportunity to visit the vast white sandy beaches of Gudal and Tana Bay where beach-combing for Japanese Glass Balls can be a favorite past time.

Ocean Sound Kayaking, Co.Throughout your journey, you will kayak corridors that provide ample feed for a migrating Humpback whale.   Feeding on krill, and small fish, a Humpback will consume over 1.5 tons (1,361 kg) of food a day.  While the female is slightly larger than the male (45- 50 feet), these whales are capable of breeching their 40 tons completely out of the water –  a sight never to be forgotten.  Transient Killer whales also visit the area, while a rare sighting of Off Shore Killer whales has been spotted on our last journey thru the area.

Some other highlights in a tour of this nature might be watching the sun dip into the ocean, a mighty pacific storm where 3 to 4-meter waves can be watched from a safe haven, or hiking in the alpine which at times comes to ocean’s edge. Let’s not forget the opportunity of a fresh catch of fish for dinner, which is always on the list for things to do during our daily outings.

This is a true west coast kayak expedition while the specific tour itinerary is weather dependant.  Flexibility is required when planning such a west coast itinerary, simply – put, have a plan B.   A patient mindset is also required, as mother nature will dictate how a group travels safely from one camp to the other.

Our final days will find us returning to the water corridor of Skidegate Channel to visit the recent pole raised in the Haida village of Xayna (Haina), which translates to sunshine (2022).

Kayak Haida Gwaii!  A unique sea kayaking vacation 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 !

2024 Dates
2024 Availability
$ Cdn
Aug 4 – 13
1 Spot
$2895
Aug 13 – 22
Full
$2895

2025 Kayak Vacations – Anniversary Sale ends July 1st, 2024

2025 Dates
2025 Availability
$ Cdn
Aug 10 -19
Open
$2895
Aug 19 – 28
Open
$2895

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.

Connect with us!

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.

Connect with us if you have any questions.