Kayaking is both an outdoor adventure and full-body workout.
It’s an iconic image of outdoor adventure: a kayak gliding across a glassy bay, bow knifing through the mist, its wake shimmering in light. With nearly 4,500 kilometres of coastline and hundreds of lakes and rivers, paddling is a favourite outdoor activity on Vancouver Island.
In fact, B.C. has been rated as one of the best kayaking destinations in the world, up there with the Galapagos and Mexico’s Sea of Cortez.
Where to start?
Rent a kayak: Although you’ll get the bare minimum amount of gear and instruction, it’s a low-cost way to dip your toes in the sport.
Sign up for a tour: You get the boat, gear and fundamentals all in one package. Options range from a sunset tour to a multi-day adventure in a wilderness locale like the Broken Group near Ucluelet or the Broughton Archipelago.
Sign up for a class: Like a tour, everything is provided and the emphasis is on in-depth learning, from basic strokes to advanced skills like wet exits and rolls. The Paddle Canada National Sea Kayak Program offers nationally recognized certifications in five skill levels. Students develop the skills for safe sea kayak touring in both calm and rough water.
The Basics of Kayaking:
Sit up straight: Your mother was right. Posture is important for balance, efficiency and safety. Keep the heaviest parts of your body — head, chest, abdomen and hips — stacked like blocks in a tower. Staying loose in the hips allows the boat to rock under you.
Use the big muscles: Paddling with arms alone is inefficient and fatiguing. Your chest, back and stomach muscles are better suited for the task. Paddling slightly stiff-armed encourages efficient strokes by forcing use of the larger muscles.
Get a grip. Relax: Hold the paddle shaft with thumbs and forefingers like you’re making the “OK” sign, and keep your other fingers loose. To find the right hand position, rest the centre of the shaft on top of your head, then hold it so that your arms form right angles at the elbow.
Going forward: Plant the blade as far forward as you can comfortably reach, rotating your torso without leaning forward. Keep the path of your stroke parallel to the boat.
3 Area Paddles to Explore:
All three of these routes have one or more kayak rental shops.
Tod Inlet: Tucked behind The Butchart Gardens is a beautiful tree-lined inlet, beach and nature preserve accessible only by boat or by a walking trail just off Wallace Drive. This is an ideal paddle for beginners as the inlet is sheltered and the total route there and back is only five kilometres.
Inner Harbour & the Gorge: Victoria is a working harbour with pleasure boats, water taxis, ferries, tugboats and plenty of seaplanes to dodge. But there are also historic buildings, harbour seals, bald eagles, herons and the occasional sea lion. There are also floating restaurants and coffee shops at Fisherman’s Wharf that cater to the paddling crowd.
Sidney: From Port Sidney Marina or Tulista Park, paddlers can poke around the bays and shoreline south to Island View Beach or north to Tsawwassen. Or, for the more experienced paddler, Sidney offers a jumping-off point for the Gulf Islands. A popular three-kilometre out-and-back trip is to Sidney Spit, a sweeping stretch of sandy beach.
Article sources: Canoe Kayak Canada, ACA, Perception Kayaks
