The sum of the journey is the collection of events and memories. You don’t complete a marathon in one stride, but in a series of steps. This is my mindset as I launch into my day on the West Coast.
I have explored this area many times over the past two decades as it holds a special place in my heart. In 2024 to celebrate Ocean Sound Kayaking – 35th Anniversary we navigated with guests over 19 days within the Duaawuuxusda Conservancy, and never seen another kayaker. If you are an experienced paddler looking to enhance your skills or simply someone who craves adventure in off-the-beaten-path locations where even animals can get lost, then look no further. The West Coast of Haida Gwaii is calling you.
Words like flexibility, patience, solitude, vastness, respect, energy, and uniqueness instantly come to mind when thinking about a West Coast paddle.
In 2025, OSK will be offering an exploration tour, as there is a stretch of West Coast we have yet to paddle. The tour will start in Rennel Sound, with weather permitting finish in Sandspit, hope you can join us.
To review the proposed tour click here.
Working with the Council of Haida Nation and BC Parks has enabled Ocean Sound Kayaking to be the only outfitter to explore the Class 4 waters and vast wilderness of Daawuuxusda Haida Heritage Conservancy, which we navigate with great honor and Yahguudang – respect. Owner/Operator Steve Konik is one of seven Class Water Endorsed Guides in BC, providing OSK guests with a truly unique West Coast experience on Haida Gwaii.
The people of the Haida Nation have occupied and collected food and materials from the Daawuuxusda Conservancy area since time immemorial. There are seven known Haida villages and seasonal camps within the conservancy at Gasi’ndas, Kaidju, Skaito, Kaisun, Nest, Chaatl, and Sl’asit. With every passing trip, my appreciation for the Haida canoe grows.
With plentiful food and towering evergreens on Haida Gwaii, the Haida would have time and resources to develop a boat like no other in the region. Their canoes were the only ones capable of crossing the 60 miles of Hecate Strait between haida Gwaii and the coast, allowing them to raid and trade with mainland villages – without fear of counterattack – and range from present day Alaska to Vancouver.
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 on this incredible new surrounding of Haida Gwaii. Over the years, OSK guests have successfully circumnavigated Graham Island, the largest island in Haida Gwaii, over a 19-day journey. 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 outlined in the itinerary for this tour as well..
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.
This 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.
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.
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 kno
wn 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.
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.
When mother nature cooperates, paddling out to Marble Islands allows us the opportunity to view Tufted Puffins at this bird sanctuary,
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.
This Kayak Vacation is limited to Six Experienced Kayakers
2025 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 take note that Ocean Sound Kayaking does not accept direct online bookings.
Instead, we prefer to communicate with our guests over the phone when possible. This allows us to introduce ourselves, answer any questions you may have about designing the perfect trip for you, or about Haida Gwaii in general. Additionally, this process allows OSK to create a cohesive group well before we even meet on Haida Gwaii.
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.