Captain Darrell was extremely accommodating. My Father-in-law, wife and two young boys had an…read moreamazing time. Captain "D" made sure we went out at a time that would maximize the experiance for the boys' first Salmon fishing trip. Good water, lots of laughs and lots of fish. We did have to release some but of course not on the Captain. So anyone upset about that would just be silly. We caught 3 keepers, 1 coho and 2 king salmon (one 15 pounder). My father in law has been fishing salmon his whole life and Captain D had just as much knowledge. He was amazing.

Captain Darrell Jobb can fish!…read more If you want an awesome fishing experience on the beautiful east coast of Vancouver Island, at French Creek Harbor, you must call Darrell Jobb at Western Star Charters. Captain Darrell caters to both serious fisherman and families with children who want a fun and safe day on the water. Captain Darrell came very highly recommended to me by the helpful owners of the French Creek Marina store. I was very impressed with Captain Darrell's professional and safe operation. Captain Darrell does an excellent job of monitoring the weather and water conditions. Listen to him, his main goal is to help you have the best experience possible. If he suggests that conditions are not ideal, take his advice and reschedule for later in the day or for another day. My 12-year-old son and I really enjoy bottom fishing for rockfish and lingcod. Captain Darrell did an excellent job of getting us into some real hot spots. Kids love fishing for rockfish because it gets them super involved with the equipment. Darrell is a very knowledgeable and patient teacher with children and inexperienced adults. I have now chartered with Captain Darrell several times. I find his prices are very reasonable and we've always had an awesome day on the water with him. Book early with him. He's very popular and his summer schedule fills up fast. PS - don't kid yourself, lingcod might not look like much, but those bad boys are delicious! When Captain Darrell gets through cleaning them you will never have seen such beautiful, white (with sometimes very light greenish hue), delicate flesh. I prefer over halibut.

Xcellent customer service!!!! They brought the paddle board to our Vrbo rental AND picked them up…read morewhen we were done. VERY fair prices as well. Will definitely use them again.

Great place to rent SUP and kayaks for a little tour around Nanoose Bay! Owners (super nice couple)…read morewere very accommodating of our group and were very flexible in the face of some not ideal weather conditions (water was a little rough). Took care of all our needs to ensure we had a good time. Would definitely rent from them again if we're back in the area!

We actually booked their Deep Cove 3 hour tour in Vancouver and our guide was fantastic! Such a…read moretrooper in the cold rain, she made sure we had an easy, comfortable kayak. Although I had prior experience, my guests did not and they still had an amazing time. The instructions were quick and painless and we were in the water in minutes. Our guide spent some time pointing out some interesting native paintings we would have missed otherwise and kept our spirits up when it got a bit soggy and chilly. Overall a fun experience and definitely worth the price for 3 hours. Looking forward to booking with them again!

Such a great find! Small well run family company that has…read morelots of important info to share about the Coast Salish! One of our highlights in staying in the area! Andy is a terrific "Talking Trees Guide"! They also introduced us to Tyrone- At the Sechelt Museum! If you're like us and you love Native Culture, this is the place to go! By the way, it's extremely inexpensive! Comparable tours from hotel cost a lot more.

We loved our time with Coastal Expression! We rented 2 single kayaks for 3 hours each. The shop…read moreis run by the friendliest husband and wife team and a kind, helpful, small staff. They gave us great recommendations to help us make the most of our rental time, and as a result we saw the rare white raccoon, lounging seals, and stunning coastline, all via cold, clean waters around charming Nanaimo. After returning, Richard (with the kindest blue eyes and friendly smile) shared a little history of the coastline and wildlife and helpfully gave us a few post-kayak lunch recommendations. I would return again and again if I could.

Stuck with a parking ticket outside their facility. We had a…read morefantastic kayaking experience and the staff were very friendly. My only fault is that we had to pay a parking fine at the end. We were told that parking tickets would be handled by coastal expressions but they failed to tell us that this only covered certain areas of the car park and they would not pay the fine. This dampened the experience for me. If you drive there, make sure you clarify where you can park!

The Gwaii Hanaas National Park in Haida Gwaii is a paradise for sea kayaking. It's very remote and…read morequiet, has good beaches, fresh water and lots of wildlife. I've taken four trips with Gord in Haida Gwaii; two trips to Cape Freeman and two trips on the Outer Coast. On one Cape Freeman trip a pod of Orcas closely followed us for 30 minutes and on one Outer Coast trip a juvenile humpback surfaced with an outstretched mouth directly in front of us - about 20 yards distant. Another highlight of these trips is the visit to Sgang Gwaay, a Haida village that still has totem poles that are still standing after the village was abandoned in the 1860's. Gord is an outstanding guide who holds to the highest standard of safety and providing opportunities for guests to have genuinely meaningful experiences in a remarkable place. Gord's philosophy of attending to the present, particularly the quietude (there can be hours and hours without any noise pollution) helps to settle a busy mind. Gord is renowned for his cooking and his skillful use of his spice pantry. When he taught a kayak guiding course I attended last year, Gord emphasized that it is much easier to make rational decisions if one is relatively comfortable and that good food is a great source of comfort. The kayak fleet and gear are first-rate. Unlike, most kayak guided trips which require 1 or 2 large double kayaks, all of Gord's guests can use single kayaks - a double kayak is also available. There is a world of difference paddling a single and double kayak. Gord has different types of trips. For those with little or no experience sea kayaking, the Waters of Sgang Gwaay trip stays in calmer waters and has shorter trips between campsites. Experienced paddlers can take the Cape Freeman trip which can get out to the West Coast of Moresby Island. A trip with Gord is not for those who need an agenda. Gord always complies with the conditions of winds and waves - which may mean that you stay and continue to enjoy the same campsite. This is a great lesson for life! Nor are Gord's trips good for those who want to kayak independently of the group. But if you want to safely kayak and camp in a remote, beautiful and dynamic setting, Gord can't be beat.

Gord's attention to detail in virtually every aspect of his tour - from the thorough packing list,…read moreto the delicious campfire-cooked meals, to his diligence with safety on the water - combined to make a truly memorable experience for me during my recent 7 day 'SGang Gwaay Adventurer' tour. For those adventurers who are looking for an intimate wilderness experience with a well-seasoned guide who will help you make the most of your time in Gwaii Haanas, this is the trip for you. I highly recommend Butterfly Tours and, as someone who has self-guided many outdoor excursions before, I think the experience was well worth the investment to do this trip with a professional guide.

this is one of the best marinas I've stayed at, such a good environment, staff are great, facility…read moreis outstanding, such a great experience all around. The docks are so new.

Best marina I've ever been to. The staff is incredible - Carter is the hardest worker out there!…read moreFish tables - SO clean. Docks are super new and also SO clean! The amenities are great, they have showers, laundry, gas, and even ice cream in the summer! Definitely add Fairwinds Marina to your next trip!

The Protection Connection runs hourly from Nanaimo out to tiny little Protection Island where about…read more400 people live and ride their golf carts and bikes. The ferry is driven by adorable young men (Nanaimo observation: "the cute men are on the boats.") The ferry is perfectly trundly and seats about 12. When there are people on it they know each other and have interesting conversations about local folks and documentary film and their recent trip to South Africa and all manner of fascinating things. From the ferry you can see seals and watch kayakers going by, and if you ask the driver (Captain!) and pay an extra three dollars they'll drop you off at Newcastle Island Provincial park and pick you up whenever you like later in the day. The ferry doc on Protection is at the Dinghy Dock Pub. All of this to say: Heaven of a certain variety is to be found here.

The service is good and the captain is friendly, but how to get there and how to use it isn't very…read moreintuitive if you're just visiting the area (though, it's understandable for a small community, but I still think that something could be done about it). I also wish that debit/credit cards could be accepted on board, which would definitely be doable with an interact machine or even a device to plug to your smartphone (don't know how it's called, but I saw some people use it at a farmers markets in a small community in Nova Scotia). Also, the day I decided to visit Protection Island, the ferry was late. I don't know if this is usual or not.

Cute little park. My friend wanted to visit here while we were staying in Victoria, so we made the…read moretrek and discovered it's much smaller than they thought, but we still enjoyed it. There are different trails, and the water's calm.

Cool place to visit! Lots of walking trails, rock formations, low tide allows walking to the…read morefurthest rock formation. Decent amount of parking available. Logs wash up onto the shore and provide habitation for insects and small animals.