SRKW Interim Order and Sea Kayakers

Posted on June 22, 2019May 29, 2024 by Ruth Daber

PLEASE NOTE: The information in this article is of 2019. There have been changes for 2024 measures.

In addition please check under Interim Sanctuary Zones on this link about special rules applicable to human powered vessels.

From the perspective of a Saturna Island based Sea Kayaker and Paddle Canada certified Sea Kayaking Instructor.

Sea kayaking is a great way to explore Saturna Island and the Salish Sea. BC Marine Trails connect some of the Gulf Islands for kayakers, going around the east side of Saturna. The route connects Narvaez Bay and Cabbage Island campsites that have marine access. We wanted to know if the new Interim Zone to protect the Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) would mean an end to circumnavigating Saturna Island by sea kayak.

SRKW Boiling Reef Interim Zone – shaded

The image that I drew over a nautical chart illustrates the Interim Zone (Saturna Island portion shown only, gray shade) which prohibits general vessel traffic including kayakers between June 1^st to October 31^st.

Here is a link to the Transport Canada issued Interim Order.

Sea kayakers travelling around Saturna Island must pass the east side of Saturna cautiously; keeping in mind currents, shipping channels and the United States border. A previous article took a look at currents around Boiling Reef. Avoiding the Interim Zone increases risks.

I compared two likely routes from the south east side of Narveaz Bay to Tumbo Island (both locations are en route when circumnavigating Saturna). The white line is the safer shore paddle route (about 2.6 nautical miles (NM)), the black line (about 3.5 NM) that avoids the Interim Zone is less safe.

While it potentially only takes 20 minutes longer to travel this way, it means that about 2 NM (40 minutes paddling for a good paddler and good conditions) would be in waters that are hazardous. Keeping track of the exact location of oneself and the Interim zone while travelling in a sea kayak and avoiding the shipping lane, requires good GPS technology or advanced navigation skills. There are no markers on the water. Sea kayakers most often travel along shores.

A safety-stop at Shell Beach helps a kayaker to assess current conditions for safe paddling (especially if travelling south). Whales do not usually come to Shell Beach, but technically speaking it is in the Zone. I had one close encounter with killer whales in a sea kayak. The whales were Transients and outside the Interim Zone, close to Fiddler’s Cove. The Interim Zone at large is mostly a place for transiting in a kayak due to the strong currents that often prevail… idling for long periods is rarely an option.

Saturna Islander, David Osborne phoned Transport Canada and received an official email response addressing some of his concerns.

Find the full email. Here is an extract:

“However, marine safety is priority. If it is unsafe to comply with the rules, vessel operators are exempted to avoid immediate or unforeseen danger. If this is the case, Kayakers must transit through the area (cannot idle) and stay a minimum 400 metres from whales when safe to do so. ”

So, if you see kayakers transiting the Interim Zone, they are likely doing so for marine safety reasons.

KayakingSkills.com promote best practices regarding wildlife, i.e. to not disturb the animal’s natural behaviour or put oneself at risk and to abide by advised distances when safe to do so.

To conclude, circumnavigation of Saturna Island is possible and if it is unsafe to comply with the Interim Zone, it is appropriate to transit through it.

Read FAQs on the Interim Order here.

Happy & Safe Paddling!

Boiling Reef Rescue by Hovercraft

Posted on June 22, 2019June 22, 2019 by Ruth Daber

Pictures taken by Louise Peramaki

Easter 2019, Saturna Island

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Boating Hazards at Boiling Reef, East Point

Posted on May 11, 2019June 22, 2019 by Ruth Daber

Recent rescue scenarios at Boiling Reef prompted me to get this article out quickly. Just this past Easter Sunday two people using a small inflatable boat who had drifted beyond their control were rescued from the reef by Hovercraft thanks to the emergency call-out by some onlookers. A sailboat stranded on the reef and at several occasions over the past years, kayaks have capsized, and the paddlers were unable to re-enter without outside assistance, sometimes capsizing their peers that tried to help.

Visitors to Saturna Island are often unaware of the hazardous waters at Boiling Reef, East Point.

Look at the Nautical Chart and Current Atlas images to notice the hazards in the area. Both publications can be purchased at marine stores.

Boiling Reef, East Point Area

Unless you fully understand when to go kayaking (or boating in general), take a course first. These waters require the right boat, skills and conditions to safely navigate them. Shell Beach at East Point can occur deceivingly calm and sheltered. The current flowing between Saturna and Tumbo islands moves toward Boiling Reef at flood and ebb. A small vessel that is lightweight with a large surface area (i.e. inflatable kayak) quickly acts like a sail and becomes impossible to control in currents with enough wind added, even for an athletic person. Here strong currents, rips, eddies, waves and increase of wind effects are not obvious to the untrained eye and using a marine chart is crucial to help identify hazards.

Additional factors: Spring tides around full and new moons mean greater water fluctuation and faster currents, increasing the risk of capsize or being carried out and off to the United States. Capsize of any vessel can potentially lead to its passenger’s death by drowning or hypothermia after prolonged exposure to cold water.

When approaching a headland (i.e. Monarch Head, East Point), currents that funnel or form eddies can change significantly, also wind speed and direction, potentially resulting in a quite different sea state.

From East Point along Cliffside and all the way to Monarch Head there are potentially strong currents also, even at the occasion that Boiling Reef itself shows little indication. Our resources page has a link to current speed data for Boundary Pass near East Point.

Sea kayaks are designed with the ocean in mind but require training and practice for proper use. Some are intended to handle waves and dynamic conditions while others target forward speed on flat water and require more balancing skills. Recreational kayaks from large retail stores are typically made for flat, sheltered water and are unsuitable for venturing into areas like Boiling Reef, East Point. Some do not have enclosed buoyant compartments that displace water to prevent sinking if capsized.

Things you can do to paddle safely: take a course and learn about safe paddling conditions, gather local knowledge of areas you intend to explore, practice rescues, learn risk assessment and reading nautical charts, use the right boat and safety equipment, paddle with peers that also know how to rescue you, check weather, tides and currents, paddle in conditions that you are skilled to handle, and file a float plan with a reliable friend. Wear immersion gear and PFD, we are surrounded by cold water throughout the year. Avoid strong currents by choosing neap tides around first and third quarter moons. Use our KayakingSkills.com Saturna Kayaking Resources page.

KayakingSkills.com teach essentials of tides and currents and about hazards to avoid on your sea kayaking adventures. Our intermediate courses include rescue practices in waves and currents.

Saturna’s Currents Decoded

Posted on September 29, 2018September 29, 2018 by Ruth Daber

Here a link in case you missed our article titled “Saturna’s Tides Decoded” which connects with this article.

The general direction of flood (feathered arrow) and ebb tidal streams around Saturna Island are shown in the image. Ebb and flood currents between Saturna and Pender Islands are generally less strong, and direction varies. For detailed information it is helpful to refer to the Current Atlas (Juan de Fuca Strait to Strait of Georgia) by Fisheries and Oceans. This spiral bound publication has 93 scenarios of current direction and rate for our wider area. The corresponding Murray’s Table (purchase printed or download for free (correct link when last checked September 2018)) connects each hour with the applicable page. Note that currents at Boat Passage and similar cannot be properly identified this way. Thick, fat arrows indicate strong currents of 2.5 knots and above! Be very cautious in the surrounding area.

Kayakers often travel close to shore and passing through back eddies that are circular currents running in reverse direction of the main current and are not necessarily indicated in the Current Atlas. I often look at bull kelp as I paddle to help me identify the direction of such currents.

Tumbo Channel currents always run toward East Point due to an eddie forming at Tumbo and Cabbage Islands. The only time the surface water does not move that way is when winds are stronger and force the surface water the other direction. Other than that, plan your sea kayaking trip taking advantage of the tidal stream whenever it is safe to do so (i.e. travel counter clockwise around Tumbo Island).

Boat Passage at Flood Current

Visit Boat Passage once a while from shore and view it at different flow rates. You may see a still pond and an hour later a raging river. With currents as strong as 6 knots, it can run twice as fast as the speed of an average skilled paddler. At high speeds expect turbulent water with whirlpools also. If not understood, Boat Passage can become a one-way trip ending in a rescue scenario or at best a very long wait for a turn of tidal stream flow. You can however cross many narrow passages by sea kayak during a predictable window of opportunity when tidal horizonal movement turns, called slack tide. To work out how much time you have to get through a passage, you need to know slack time as well as the maximum ebb or flood of the current before and after slack (typically around 3 hours before and after). I am going to pick an example here around a new moon when tidal ranges are great. Let’s say that you want to get through Boat Passage on October 7^th, 2018 and wonder when it is safe to do so. There is no current station measuring speeds and times here; data is derived from surrounding current stations. We find the numbers close to what happens. Look up maximum ebb (into Winter Cove), slack time and maximum flood currents (toward Vancouver) and click through to currents at Boat Passage (and choose the date):

Max Ebb: 4.3 knots

Slack: 9:21am

Max Flood: 5 knots

Apply the Slack Water Rule:

Period of Slack Water (minutes) = 60/Speed of Max Current (knots)

Period of Slack Water = 60/4.3 = 14 minutes (before slack)

Period of Slack Water = 60/5 = 12 minutes (after slack)

Total Period of Slack Water = 14+12 = 26 minutes (starting 14 minutes before slack water at 9:21, so at 9:07am)

This formula calculates how much time there is to safely get through a passage by sea kayak. Always arrive early, so that you can allow for variables and be flexible if conditions are beyond your skill level. If you are not sure it is safe, apply common sense and don’t cross till you have gained more skills as well as better judgement. Always be aware of your surroundings and other boats passing through, some of which are unable to move out of the way, if you move into theirs. Boat Passage is a very short passage and therefore travelling through it under the right conditions is fast. If you wanted to get through Active Pass, you want to be aware of the much longer distance and time needed to travel through it. If your paddling speed is 3 knots, just one knot of current against you, will slow you down to 2 knots. One nautical mile will take you 30 minutes instead of 20. While not the whole stretch of Active Pass encounters the strong currents, certain areas are extremely fast flowing with whirlpools and in addition ferry traffic and waves to look out for.

Great, now that you can figure out when to get through Boat Passage safely, think about the rest of your trip. Will you go to a destination beach and return in around six hours with the next slack time? Or will you carry on your journey to a different destination. If you are planning on going around Samuel Island, beware that the passage between Samuel and Mayne Island also has currents that can be significant for a paddler.

Tide, weather and current information relevant to Saturna Island can be found at the same link. Use this information for the Go-No-Go decision making process that we use in planning and launching a trip, considering various environmental factors.

In a future article I will share some insights on currents at Boiling Reef / East Point. Paddlers that were unfamiliar with the currents have gotten into trouble, needed to be rescued as well as capsized empty kayaks have floated across to US waters from here.

KayakingSkills.com provide Paddle Canada Sea Kayaking skills and instructor courses at various levels. We are planning a series of courses that will go in more detail with local weather, tides and currents, rescues and stroke clinics. Let us know what you are interested to learn more about.