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Spirit of the West Adventures
Categories: Active Life Boating Active Life Rafting/Kayaking Boating, Rafting/Kayaking [Edit]
1380 Hooley RoadHeriot Bay, BC V0P 1H0
(250) 285-2121
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 9 am - 6 pm
Sun 10 am - 4 pm
One review for Spirit of the West Adventures
1 review in English
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Review from Christina S.
9/30/2010
This is one of my favorite trips! The guides are incredible. They are knowledgable and excellent chefs. The wood burning hot tub is definitely a bonus, along with the large 4 man tents that are assigned to only two people. All the tents have excellent views and were clean upon arrival. I have nothing bad to say about the 4 day, 3 night kayaking trip in the Johnstone Straight. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in a kayaking with the Orcas. Another great bonus was the Hydrophone they used not only at camp, but also while out kayaking. We not only saw the Orcas, but heard them chattering under water. Absolutely incredible!!
Specialties
There are many great ways to spend your well-deserved and hard-earned vacation time. We want you to fall in love with kayaking and our coast, and this passion shows in everything we do. We don't cut corners, we always put forth a 110% effort and we are always trying to improve. Vacations should be safe, fun, educational and of course environmentally friendly! We live year-round where we work and play, so we know our area inside and out. We love it here, and it shows in the way we run our trips. Our Kayaking Tours run from June until September, 4-6 days around the Beautiful Northern Vancouver Island area. There is even a base camp option that is fully equipped with a hot tub & hot shower. We aim to be a leader in responsible and sustainable tourism and business practices. There are many ways that we minimize our impact, green our operations and contribute to the communities we live and work in. We were also the first Kayaking Tours company in Canada to become 100% Carbon Neutral.
History
Established in 1996
Spirit of the West Adventures began with an amazing passion for kayaking, killer whales and the British Columbia coast, and it has been the catalyst for many people's outdoor activity ever since. Originally founded by John Waibel and Christine Portmann, longtime guides Breanne Quesnel and Rick Snowdon joined John as owners in 2006 and continue Spirit of the West's commitment to providing fun, safe and ecologically sound kayaking experiences in BC. While they all have always been wilderness adventurers, being able to combine playtime with work infuses a client's experience with a special kind of pleasure. After globetrotting for a few months most years, they always come back to their homes on Quadra Island, BC, a testament to their love for the BC coast and the amazing opportunity for sea kayaking. As seagoing folk, John, Breanne and Rick were born to live and breathe British Columbia coastal air.
Meet the Business Owner: John W.
John was born in the Victoria area to a German father and Canadian mother. A passion for outdoor fun, including mountain biking and kayaking, has taken him around the world and at 23 John owned and operated an overland travelers hotel in Malawi in the heart of the African continent. Every summer, John would return to the BC coast and for 6 years his summers were spent fishing commercially along the West Coast. It is the coastal environment which keeps John stimulated, and reminded of life's fascinating ecosystem and cultures. John is always keeping busy biking on Quadra Island's trail system, kayaking British Columbia, Johnstone Strait, or just around Quadra. Checking his prawn traps keeps friends and some of our guests who stick around Quadra Island, BC well fed on local prawns, not to mention giggling constantly.
