Who we are

Who we are

Located in Telegraph Cove on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island, BC, North Island Kayak has been providing our customers with the opportunity to go kayaking with killer whales and other marine wildlife in this spectacular, remote part of British Columbia since 1991. Our focus on providing spectacular sea kayaking tours has made us the largest sea kayaking tour provider permanently located on northern Vancouver Island, with thousands of delighted customers.

Our goal is to provide you with the best all-inclusive sea kayaking experience in British Columbia from start to finish, including excellent customer service, highly-trained and passionate guides, quality sea kayaking equipment, select kayak camping locations, great food and most of all, no headaches!

We achieve kayaking tour perfection by providing easy, year-round communication; by finding, training and employing top guides; by choosing and maintaining great kayaking and camping equipment; by ensuring we always have all appropriate permits and by consistently implementing improvements to all aspects of our services. We strive to take an active, sustainable role in this beautiful area of British Columbia that we call home. We know how important your vacation is – you can trust its success to us.

Why choose North Island Kayak?

  • The best place in the world to see and kayak with killer whales in the wild – over 200 killer whales call our backyard “home” every summer.
  • Quality service – professional guides, best camp locations and great equipment.
  • Multiple sea kayaking tours every day.
  • Up to 16 guides on the water providing an unequaled wildlife intelligence network.
  • Great food and popular, healthy menus.
  • Four base camps in Johnstone Strait, two base camps in Blackfish Sound and permits for all local parks.
  • Research grade hydrophones on every trip – try your luck listening to killer whales and humpback whales vocalizing.
  • No experience necessary – we have a variety of trips suitable for a range of paddling abilities.
  • Located in Telegraph Cove – serving Northern Vancouver Island since 1991.
  • Professional tour support crew including a dedicated support boat, moored in Telegraph Cove.
  • A great reputation – check out our reviews on Tripadvisor.com

Our Location – Telegraph Cove

We are located in Telegraph Cove, situated on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Our store and sea kayak tour departure point is located at the end of a historic boardwalk. We specialize in this marine area and in providing you with sea kayaking tours that provide you only the very best value. From where you park your car, to our launching ramp, to paddling out onto Johnstone Strait, to the realm of stunning scenery and wildlife…all are literally a stones throw. We start our multi-day tours early in the morning and return in the afternoon to give you the most time on the water and in the wilderness.

Our Professional Guides

Our guides are specifically selected and trained to be expertly qualified, intimate with the wildlife, geography, history and culture of our locale, strictly adherent to minimum impact wildlife viewing and respectful of the environment. Our multi-day guides are seasoned outdoor enthusiasts who typically return to guide this area summer after summer. They’re well-known in Telegraph Cove and form an integral part of our small community. They’re familiar with more than just the parts they have paddled in the current season. They know the best areas to paddle, the North Island hikes, the tricks and weather and are also dedicated to the preservation of this place that we call home.

Our Quality Equipment

We use and provide top quality equipment, sourced as locally as we can find and professionally maintained within our local communities.

Our Customer Service

North Island Kayak is proud to provide year-round, full-time customer service and facility staff who bring a dedication to enabling your vacation that we believe cannot be matched. We fully understand how little vacation time is available and that you have more than enough frustration in everyday life, without encountering it planning or during your vacation. You can contact us by email or phone and be assured that you’re communicating with a real person who is acquainted with the products we offer, and the area we call home!

Our Food

We have delighted thousands through dinners in a wilderness environment by preparing meals that bring a flavor of the Pacific Northwest, using quality ingredients that have been sourced as locally as possible. Each summer, more and more of our ingredients are grown or made within North Vancouver Island communities. With prior notice, we are happy to arrange gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, or pescatarian menus (please let us know if you have any other dietary requests!).

Our Environmental Ethos

We believe in the “leave no trace” and “minimum impact” philosophies at home and while in the wilderness during wildlife encounters. As we believe that “leave no trace” should apply to our entire organization, we seek to continue our development into a fully-sustainable operation in our own right. We rigidly apply and exceed the wildlife viewing guidelines as defined by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans. We strive to ensure that future generations will have the same opportunities to enjoy this beautiful area – and the wildlife that inhabit it – as much as we do…and you will.

Our Small Tour Group Sizes

We believe in small groups: our average tour has five participants. During peak season, however, we will occasionally launch a tour with up to twelve participants. Our day, half-day and 2-hour tours can accommodate up to twelve.

We Have Fun

Last but by no means least, having fun is of critical importance. It is a vacation after all! Nothing pleases us more than to see our guides and our guests coming back from one of our tours with huge smiles on their faces! 🙂