Kayak Travels: Nootka Sound North

Tuesday 3rd - Thursday 4th July

We headed back across the island to the west coast, arriving in Tahsis just before lunch time. Tahsis was a bit bigger than we expected for a town that once depended on the logging industry. There is a big space where the mill used to be but the town carries on around it and has a focus on boating/fishing and tourism. It has three sea kayak businesses - one at the main wharf and two more at the boat ramp.

We checked out the launching possibilities and had a chat to Jude at Tahsis Dive Charters (also one of the three sea kayaking businesses), then had a big burger early lunch at the diner/supermarket/gas station. We got back to the launch site and unpacked and discovered that we had a bit of a technical difficulty. The best temporary fix at the time was to hire a kayak and carry on... Jude was very helpful above & beyond and we were soon on the water. [A fix is now in hand - very prompt response - Thanks]

The weather forecast was for improving conditions - the rain had stopped but it was still quite grey and overcast and the afternoon winds had come in by then. We hugged the side of the inlet and escaped most of it and it eventually dropped off for the evening.

The BC Marine Trails website and the recently published The BC Coast Explorer & Marine Trails Guide lists a few campsites within a couple of hours paddling of Tahsis but they are not as good as the ones further out. The terrain is vertical and there are not what we would think of as beaches.

The first one, Lord Waterfall is a small ledge, but it was a bit overgrown with prickly bushes. Across Hecate Channel is Haven, which offers a choice of a scramble up a rocky shelf or a one-tent space back off the rocky beach. We spent a bit of time debating these options - the rocky shelf was doable but the camping was a bit confined and there was nowhere to go if the bear that had been snacking on berries there returned (he had left a couple of large deposits to announce his very recent presence). The other site was okay. It had a discarded snake skin next to it which we were contemplating when I just missed stepping on the actual snake... It disapeared into the bush right next to where the tent was going to go - less than ideal. We paddled on around the corner into Esperanza Inlet, to Saltery Creek, but couldn't find anything sufficiently above high tide and the areas behind the beach were either completely overgrown or were streambed.

So we went on the Garden Point, which is accessed by beaches either side of a sandy spit connected to an island at high tide (a tombolo) - an idyllic spot and the one I had been intending to get to anyway before we were delayed. The campsite area is big with multiple tent sites, a central area with a driftwood table and a rather dodgy outhouse set back in the woods.

West facing beach at Garden Point

As we came in to the beach we were greeted by a family curious sea otters. These were the first of many we saw here and in Nuchatilitz Marine Provincial Park.

Sea otter families near Garden Point

Next day we encountered the other inhabitant of this beach - a large black bear! Startled, he intially ran away, but later resumed his patrol of the edge of beach - fortunately some distance away as the tide was out!

Black bear doing a circuit of the beach

After breakfast we paddled to Nuchatilitz Marine Provincial Park (keeping a eye out for our furry neighbour as we launched) and spent the day around the islands. Most of the larger ones have campsites - there was a big group already on Wy-Ash island which seems to be the main one paddlers go for. We saw many sea otters playing in the kelp beds, bald eagles, interesting marine life on the rocks and some nice caves and gauntlets.

More sea otters

There's no such thing as seeing too many sea otters!

Bald eagle on an islet

With the high rainfall trees grow on any small rock!

Sea cave

The skies cleared and the whole picture changed as the sun came out. What was previously a grey palate of pearly, slatey, pewtery and green-grey colours now became a riot of greens and blues. The whole area was transformed.

Garden Point

Garden Point tombolo

All the green colours revealed by the sunlight...

Back at Garden Point - after dinner I watched the sun set behind the hills and the sea turned a burnished bronze colour. As I watched the light gently fade a family of sea otters emerged and swam in the bay, feeding on clams. The adults could clearly be heard tapping a rock on the clam balanced on their bellies as they floated on the surface. Then crunching as they devoured the meat through the cracked shell and the mewling of the youngster as it demanded food. I watched them for a while as the light dimmed and later when it was dark (around 11pm) they could stil clearly be heard.

Otters at sunset

We paddled back to Tahsis the next day. Brilliant sunshine - summer has arrived declared the locals. We saw more bears on various beaches in Esperanza Inlet and lots of different starfish in the shallows and on rocks. The water was clear over the kelp forests and fish could be seen swimming in the shallows. Three days doesn't do the area justice - there is a lot more to see in the area both north at Catala Island and south along Nootka Island (there is also a walking trail along the ocean side of the Island).