Deer Group Paddling Tales

Posted on February 24, 2019March 23, 2019 by Ruth Daber

The Deer Group Islands are in the south east corner of Barkley Sound off Bamfield, British Columbia. They are less known and harder to get to than the neighbouring Broken Group of Islands.

We love the Deer Group Islands for their ruggedness, arches and narrow sea caves that you can access by sea kayak or similar craft only. You may find yourself in water vapour clouds of fog temporarily, followed by clear skies, an ideal playground for navigating with a compass.

During this trip we heard whales at night and saw them from afar from the beach. Having paddled all day today, we are surprised that we have not seen any whales since we got on the water, only some splashing across the channel, some one or two nautical miles out on the water prior launching. What a tease! This way-too-far-away spectacle lasted throughout a relaxed breakfast.

Tired toward the end of today’s long and exposed paddle in stirred up waters and stiff winds, we pull in at a sandy beach for a last breather and deserved rest. Earlier this afternoon we paddled around the exposed southern part of Edward King Island. This section offers beautiful fresh air, good size swells, waves and stunning scenery, which become even more dramatic as winds pick up. At this beach we are also able to collect firewood for the night. I pack my kayak as full as possible with small and medium size pieces for our fire. Bending forward with my head down while stuffing the stern hatch with wood of different shape and size, I hear Fred shout: “There, there, behind the rock.” I look up, see the rock that Fred points at and ask, “What is it?” “A humpback, a humpback. Right behind the rock.” “Wow.” We look out in anticipation, waiting, looking, turning to the areas nearby and staring at the unbroken water surface. We were out on the water all day without any whale sightings that we so treasure. When we encounter whales, we make sure we stay well out of their way and respect guidelines to protect the animals and us. Humpback whales especially may not be aware of your whereabouts. We walk along the water at the beach. A large tail sweeps up for a second, then disappears behind a wooded headland area. Trees are blocking our view. We run across to the other side of the narrow section of the island to try and get a glimpse of a whale emerging on the other side. We move, carefully watching our step across driftwood, rocks and seaweed patches that are accumulating to decompose and make fertilising compost in some months. We wait, we watch. We see a hump, then a little more whale, then it disappears into the horizon. Lucky us. Laughing and giggling, feeling euphoric we climb back across rocks and logs to the kayaks to continue the task at hand: pack firewood and reach camp at daylight. We get busy, clipping hatch covers into place, spray skirts on and get ready to launch for the last 30 minutes of paddling today and to arrive before sunset. Good timing, calm seas, a beautiful sky with saturated shades of orange in variations of cloud patterns set a dramatic background for this sunset scene. Once more, the humpback passes our rock, tail up and out, diving and surfacing the hump and dorsal fin, then gliding right back into the water, repeating its movement as we notice a second whale join in. The distance is 100 feet maybe. Our private humpback show from the beach is special. We observe the two whales swimming out and away toward Wizard Islet, a rock formation with a navigational light along our route. We lift the loaded kayaks onto the water, hop into the cockpits and fasten the spray decks into place for a last short paddle to our base campsite. Happy with the encounter we had, we paddle on a somewhat calm sea with light winds. Fred says: “Nice, though some breaching and jumping would have been even nicer.” It does not take long till some noises carry our way; they sound like a motorboat that travels with a steep angle at high speed and keeps slapping onto a flat-water sea, splashing loud and bold. The repeated pounding has us turn and search the horizon. And then we see them: black large shapes shooting out of the water, then crashing back onto the sea. From some distance we try to make out humpback parts that emerge and slap the water: two black panels with white shapes crash and slash forcefully again and again onto the sea. We watch in awe for fifteen minutes. Joy and excitement once again make our hearts tingle. The sun moves close to the horizon now, we leave the scene to get on our way home to our camp, every so often turning back for another glimpse of breaching and splashing whales. What a spectacular humpback show!

The whale sounds dissipating, our camp is now visible, we look forward to reaching our beach where we will build a fire, make dinner and secure our gear for the night. We pull up the boats, unload firewood, Fred builds the fire, I cook a warming stew with ginger spices. Happy and exhausted, we celebrate the day’s paddle with its adventures, whales, sea lions, the big swells around Edward King Island, the deserted romantic beach that we had lunch at and the caves and arches we had explored. It has been a successful and eventful day. A warming fire and a hot chocolate are the perfect way to complete it.

Gazing into the glowing coals, we exchange fond memories of the previous year when a humpback whale was visiting our narrow channel between this very beach and the small island across. The noise of excited seagulls screeching and flying wildly about, scooping up prey, the surface of the sea stirred up with small silver shimmering fish jumping out of the water and the humpback scooping up fish in slow motion with its mouth wide open. Two nights in a row at our dinner time we had this special visitor show up and dine next to us.

Read Deer Group Paddling Tales Part 2.

If you like to join us this year for a five-day sea kayaking expedition in the Deer Group, let us know so we can make arrangements before our summer schedule fills up.

Ruth and her husband Fred teach sea kayaking courses for various skill levels on Saturna Island and the Deer Group Islands. Level 2 courses take on expedition style for five days with overnight camping, conducted at the Deer Group Islands or circumnavigating Saturna Island. Call if you like to learn sea kayaking, enhance your skills, join a paddling adventure or find out more about their programs.

Saturna’s Tides Decoded

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

The following information, observations and conclusions are from the perspective of a Saturna Island based Sea Kayaker and Paddle Canada certified Sea Kayaking Instructor and compiled to the best of her knowledge and experience over the past five years.

Tides move up and down, currents move side to side. Tides are actually long-period waves that roll around the planet as the ocean is “pulled” back and forth as the moon and sun interact with earth. The moon orbits earth and earth spins around the sun. The moon and sun both have a gravitational pull, strongly effecting large bodies of water. There is a repeating cycle as the moon orbits earth. The moon causes the majority of the gravitational pull. When sun, moon and earth align during full moon and new moon, the gravitational pull is amplified. Around two days later we experience the largest tides, called spring tides (think of “springing up and down”). This means that more water moves between low and high tides. During the first and third quarter moons, the gravitational pull is reduced, and we have smaller tidal ranges, called neap tides. Currents, also called tidal streams, are the horizontal effect of the tidal movement. While tides are biggest at spring tides, currents are also stronger as more water volume is pulled around earth. Due to the varied coastline and the many small islands in our area, slack water (when there is little to no current at the change of direction of tidal flow) does not necessarily occur simultaneously with high and low tide times, despite their correlation. The West coast of North America mostly experiences two high and two low tides of different heights each lunar day. This tidal pattern is called a mixed semi diurnal tide.

Which tidal station do I look up when paddling off Saturna Island? Primary tide stations that are relevant for Saturna Island are at Fulford Harbour on Salt Spring Island and Point Atkinson between Horseshoe Bay and West Vancouver. Saturna Island has two secondary tide stations: Tumbo Channel and Narvaez Bay and there is also Hope Bay on Pender Island nearby. I once wrote down tide predictions for Hope Bay, Tumbo Channel and Narvaez Bay, Fulford Harbour and Point Atkinson. I converted all the information into a graph and noticed that the difference and potential error margin for our purpose is too small to really fuss about (see graph). Especially when looking at Tumbo Channel, Hope Bay and Fulford Harbour: the graph looked almost identical for those three. Who knows, maybe I just picked a particularly good day to compare them 🙂

Keep predicted tide heights and possible variance due to wind and barometric pressure in mind when leaving your boat at the beach while going for walks or overnighting. Always secure your kayak with a rope too. High pressure systems can contribute to very low tides while low pressure systems can increase the height of a predicted high tide.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans publishes tabulated printed data annually. You can buy Volume 5 for tidal stations of Juan de Fuca Strait & Strait of Georgia or get Tide information at Fisheries and Oceans. Tabulated data is easy to write down while a graph puts numbers visually into perspective and considers that tide heights increase fastest in the middle two hours between low and high tide (roughly six hours apart); both are useful tools.

Ensure that tide times are in PDT (Pacific Daylight Time) or PST (Pacific Standard Time, which you need to adjust during daylight savings in summer). In Canada, tides are measured in metres. Many websites work in feet and generate graphs which I find easy to relate to my needs. What interests us as when launching and landing a sea kayak in Lyall Harbour, is when the tide is going to be over four to five feet (by Fulford Harbour tide station). We prefer to avoid the otherwise inevitable mud battle. Intertidal zones are illustrated in green colour on nautical charts. Looking at a nautical chart for the area, you will notice how much intertidal zone there is at different beaches (look at Cabbage Island for example). Consider this when choosing launching and landing sites, especially when packing gear for overnight camping trips and dealing with low tides.

Kayaking along rocks with a large visible intertidal zone is particularly beautiful and interesting. Sea stars, sea urchins and other sea creatures, normally hidden, become visible at low tide. Take care when crossing fragile intertidal zones, seaweeds and eelgrass that provide fundamental ecosystems for the Salish Sea.

We have summarised sources of information for tide, weather and currents relevant to Saturna Island.

Use this information for the Go/No-Go decision making process that we use in planning and executing a trip, considering various environmental factors.

Ok, so we have figured out the relevant tide stations. And we understand that greater tide ranges happen at spring tides and smaller tidal ranges during neap tides. If you are looking for less currents, go kayaking during neap tides. If you are looking for more currents to play in, look for spring tides. All this is especially relevant when navigating through small passages like Boat Passage or around Boiling Reef off East Point. Our next article will decode currents around Saturna Island.

KayakingSkills.com offer Paddle Canada Sea Kayaking skills and instructor courses at various levels. We teach essential and relevant sea- man/woman -ship. We promise to educate and entertain you. You will get hands on experience with tides and currents in our courses when planning a sea kayaking trip. We help you identify hazards to avoid and risks to mitigate for your sea kayaking adventures. Our intermediate courses include current clinics in areas such as Boiling Reef, Tumbo Island and Boat Passage.

Happy Paddling!

Why wear your PFD

Posted on May 25, 2018May 25, 2018 by Ruth Daber

During the past five years of living on Saturna Island, enjoying water sports and running a sea kayaking business, my husband Fred Shadian and I have witnessed many paddlers not wearing a PFD (Personal Flotation Device) or lifejacket when on the water.

To some it feels unnecessary or uncool to wear a PFD, but the best paddlers in the world wear their PFD, and they are supercool. Here are some considerations for the next time you make the choice to wear or not to wear your PFD while out on the water.

Transport Canada states: You are required by law to have a lifejacket or PFD (Personal Flotation Device) on board for each person on a watercraft. This includes human-powered craft.

PFDs are designed to be warn for the duration of a water-based activity. A well-designed PFD allows for comfort and sufficient mobility during activities such as sea kayaking. Lifejackets have extra floatation on the front and are designed to turn an unconscious swimmer face up to enable breathing. Choose a bright color PFD if you want to be seen.

Transport Canada: A lifejacket (or PFD) is your best defence against cold-water shock. Research shows that unexpected immersion in cold water is a serious risk to life if a boater is not wearing a flotation device. This is true despite the boater’s experience, closeness to shore, and even swimming ability.

A sudden fall into cold water can seriously affect breathing, nerves, and muscle strength. A lifejacket gives you thermal protection as well as keeping you buoyant.

Most recreational boaters who die on the water each year in Canada are not wearing floatation devices, or are not wearing them properly.

A PFD should fit correctly and all buckles fastened, straps tightened snugly. Periodically it needs to be tested by walking into shallow water while wearing it and verifying sufficient buoyancy. Also check for any wear or tear to ensure it works when you need it to.

Learn more about choosing lifejackets, PFDs, keeping children afloat, care for your flotation device and more.

Water temperatures around Saturna Island vary with seasonal weather patterns and within local areas due to shore shape, water depths, winds and mixing of currents. Surface water is normally warmer than lower lying layers. Even in the hottest summer months, expect the water to be cold. Environment Canada collects water temperature data of buoys which vary mostly around 8 to 13 degrees Celsius.

This graph illustrates the minimum and maximum water temperatures around Vancouver Island through the year (averages of the past 10 years).

This is cold water. If you have ever gone for a swim at a medium to high tide at Lyall Harbour beach (Saturna Island) during a late afternoon after a hot sunny day that heated up the exposed mudflat during the recent low tide, you can appreciate much warmer temperatures. Do not be mislead though to expect this kind of warmth 10 metres or 20 metres out from shore, in open water, deeper water or currents. It is realistic to experience a degree of cold shock response in the event of unexpected capsize / falling off your boat in our surrounding waters.

Hypothermia 1-10-1 principle:

1 minute – to get your breathing under control. Cold shock response: an initial deep and sudden gasp followed by hyperventilation that can be 6-10 times greater than normal breathing. The cold shock response will pass in about 1 minute. You must keep your airway clear and above water to avoid the risk of drowning. Concentrate on calming yourself and control your breathing. Wearing a lifejacket / PFD during this phase is critically important to stay afloat and be able to breathe.

10 minutes – of meaning full movement – gradually cold water incapacitation sets in when you will lose the effective use of your fingers, hands, arms and legs. These minutes are critical to establish a position that keeps your airways above the water. And if you need to use a device to get outside help (for example by VHF radio, mobile phone or a SPOT device), do so while you have the use of your hands and fingers. If you are in the water without a PFD or lifejacket, drowning is likely when cold water incapacitation sets in.

1 hr – before you become unconscious due to hypothermia. Even in ice water it could take 1 hour before becoming unconscious due to hypothermia. At this point you will want to make contact for outside help if not yet done and get yourself into a position for optimum heat conservation. As an individual you would bring your extremities close to your chest, as a group, provided all wear PFDs, you would huddle together, legs down. Moving less, saves energy that can be used for heat creation from inside.

When taking KayakingSkills.com courses, you will learn to capsize in a controlled manner, learn to control your breathing while in the water and re-enter your kayak in a timely manner. It is a good idea to regularly review and practice re-entries to be as prepared as possible for the case of accidental capsize. KayakingSkills.com’s courses are open to all level paddlers who want to be better prepared for the unexpected.

Your survival chances when exposed to cold water over a period of time, will depend on water temperature, your clothing, your body mass index and whether you are male of female; a situation where being a woman and having a few extra pounds maybe a slight advantage. Without PFD your chances are slim.

Here is a link to the 1-10-1 principle as taught by “Baby it’s Cold Outside”, a free online course.

Fred and I both have deepened our understanding of dealing with cold water immersion through this outstanding course information. It gives insight into how to handle a hypothermic victim for best survival odds.

Why wear your PFD? Your PFD can save your life. But it won’t work if you don’t wear it. Buckle up!

KayakingSkills.com teaches Paddle Canada certified Sea Kayaking Courses. We cover essential water safety skills and knowledge during our one day, two day and multi-day courses.

Kayaking with Orcas

Posted on September 21, 2017September 25, 2017 by Ruth Daber

It is Sunday night on Cabbage Island.

Midnight! Tomorrow, Monday, will start within seconds. I should be sleeping…

I can’t. My mind is stirred up. Today was a great day.
No. It was beyond great. Today was an unbelievable day!

I close my eyes and I can see them again, the gentle giants, as they glide through the sea, as they blow water spray up high.

Did they see me?

Did they notice me?

What were they thinking?

Here is a true story. I am too excited to sleep. A whale passed me on the right, another on the left and three others must have gone underneath my kayak. And this is how it happened:

The wind blows strong. I decide to stay close to shore as I leave Narvaez Bay campground. Cliffside’s shoreline protects me from gusting winds. It really is quite pleasant paddling here. It is sunny and my dry-suit keeps me warm. I made the right choice crossing the bay and following the shoreline: no wind and sometimes currents in my favour.
Then I hear the blows. Two of them. Many times had I turned around looking for the source of blow-like sounds and whales, only to find the sound was a creation of a wave hitting an air pocket inside some rocks.

I hear more blows. anticipating nothing, a rock, or maybe a seal, I turn and see two black forms diving and surfacing. I wonder if they are harbour porpoises. I heard porpoises regularly come to Narvaez Bay.

They come closer. They do not move like porpoises. Porpoises create more of a circular shape as they surface and do not show much of themselves. These fins are taller and they also are blowing air and water up high… not like porpoises. Are there orcas in Narvaez Bay? I never heard about that before, so I remain skeptical.

But these fins moving toward me are blowing air and water, making these blowing sounds, too.

They must be whales. As they come closer, I see black and white areas within the shapes. They come toward me. My heart is racing. I pull out my camera, making sure to keep it dry. I still do not own one of these nice waterproof cameras that I really should have right now.

I decide to film rather than take pictures, as this is going to be the sure way to capture something.

Camera ready, I realise I am on my own, on the water, in my kayak, nobody sees me and I count 5 orcas moving toward me.

What if…

I loose my balance?

I drop my phone? My emergency contact would not get her 4 pm message as arranged and worry about me.

I come back to the moment, camera ready and filming.

Now, no whales in sight. Nothing for 5 then 10 seconds, my hands slightly shaking.

Then, on my right: a slow moving gentle giant of the sea. Graceful, majestic, magnificent, blowing air and water. The moment he is under water, I see another on my left. Wow. Beauty, just beauty. What happened to the other three? Their dorsal fins appear out of the water, some 20 metres away, in front of me. They must have gone underneath my kayak.

What would they be thinking? What are they doing?

I am in love. I pause as I see the gently giants move into the distance till they dive out of sight.
It is time to carry on with my journey. I don’t want to follow too close. Leaving a gap, I paddle on.

My heart is overjoyed, my hands still shaking; I am happy I had this experience. What more can one wish for? It was a unique encounter, just me and 5 whales. They have disappeared. I do not see them anymore. I keep paddling. I am happy.

There they are again; they turn around.

Really? I see them getting closer.
This time I put my camera away and just enjoy their magnificent movements and their impressive size.

The gentle giants pass me once more.

I am in love, in orca love. I watch as one dives down, followed by another in the same location; another follows. It seems like a dance. Maybe they are feeding. I do not know. They stay in the same spot for 10 minutes, maybe 20, maybe longer.

Time is confusing, I watch the orcas and their continuous dance.
It is time to depart to go to my 4 pm check-in appointment with Kate. I already know I do not get a signal with my phone and I have to get around Boiling Reef when currents are slow; I cannot risk being late. I say farewell to the whales and paddle on, happy in my heart.

Video footage of my orca encounter below. I have edited into a 2 minute movie titled: Kayaking with Orcas.

Kayaking Skills on Saturna Island

Posted on May 11, 2017January 13, 2019 by Fred Shadian

Saturna Island: A Sea Kayaking Paradise

We are excited to be offering Paddle Canada Certified Sea Kayaking Courses on Saturna Island and surrounding areas.
Check out our 2019 Sea Kayaking Courses.
We are a family owned and operated sea kayaking company that loves to kayak the Southern Gulf Islands.
Our goal is the help you and your family become more safe and skilled on the water.
Come and join us for an adventure of a lifetime.

We are currently offering Sea Kayaking Skills Courses.

Paddle Canada Basic Sea Kayaking Course:
Aim: Basic Kayak introduces the novice to paddling a kayak in calm sheltered water.
Rescue techniques at this level incorporate the use of a paddling partner and it is essential for all
Basic Kayak certified paddlers to travel on the water with others who have been trained in the techniques of assisted rescues.
Course Length: 1 Day

Paddle Canada Level 1 Sea Kayaking Course:
Aim: Level-1 provides the skill and knowledge necessary for day-long sea kayaking trips in sheltered waters (non-wilderness areas).
Successful completion of Level-1 indicates competence to paddle a sea kayak within a sheltered bay in the company of one or more paddlers with Level-1 or greater skill and knowledge.
Prerequisites: Paddle Canada Basic Kayak skills certification or equivalent skill and knowledge.
Course Length: 2 Days

Paddle Canada Level 2 Sea Kayaking Course:
Aim: To provide the skills and knowledge for proficient kayaking in moderate conditions,
on overnight trips along a moderately exposed shore with frequent easy landing opportunities.
Prerequisites: Paddle Canada Level-1 Skills certification or equivalent skill and knowledge.
Course Length: 5 Days

Paddle Canada Basic Sea Kayaking Instructor Certification Course:
Aim: To provide a national certification in the instruction and administration of the Paddle Canada Basic Sea Kayak skills course.
Prerequisites: At least 16 years of age.
Paddle Canada Sea Kayaking Level-1 Skills Certification.
Current Standard First Aid / CPR (14 hours) or Wilderness First Aid (16 hours)
Course Length: 2.5 Days

Paddle Canada Kayak Rolling Skills
Aim: To understand the basic mechanics involved in rolling a kayak, and to develop the ability to roll a kayak confidently in calm conditions.
Prerequisites: Must be able to perform a controlled and calm wet exit.

Instructor: Fred Shadian
Paddle Canada Basic Instructor
Paddle Canada Level 1 Instructor
Paddle Canada Level 2 Instructor
Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC: Level One Guide
Wilderness and Remote First Aid CPR/AED Level C
VHF Restricted Operator’s Certificate (Maritime)
Pleasure Craft Operator
Teaching Martial Arts since 1989