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Orca Kayak Adventure Pre-departure Information
The Areas We Visit...
Vancouver Island. The largest North American Island in the Pacific Ocean, Vancouver Island is 100 kilometers at its widest
point and 450 kilometers in length with 3,440 kilometers of coastline. Vancouver Island's physical features are characterized as
coastal plains in the east, long fjords on the western coast, and a chain of glaciated mountains that geographically and
climatically split the island down its centre. The sparsely populated west coast, which is completely exposed to the Pacific
Ocean, is rugged, hilly, forested and cut by deep inlets. The more gentle eastern side is protected by the mainland, and is quite
undeveloped north of Campbell River. Most of the Island's population of 750,000 live along the south eastern coast. Slightly less
than half of these - 326,000 as of 2002 - live in Victoria. Other major cities on Vancouver Island include Nanaimo, Port Alberni,
Parksville, Courtenay, and Campbell River.
Johnstone Strait. Located between the north-eastern end of Vancouver Island and the BC mainland, this glacier-carved
waterway of 87 kilometers stretches from Chatham Point to Hanson Island, with Vancouver Island on the south and the rugged
mainland coast on the north. Luxuriant forests ringed by snow capped mountains create an inspiring backdrop for kayakers.
The area is characterized by intricate and remote island archipelagos, refuges bays and deep fjords. The top of Johnstone Strait
and the bottom of Queen Charlotte Strait are the most popular areas for those who want to kayak with whales. We'll be
camping and kayaking in this area, which has one of the largest resident Orca (killer whale) populations in the world. It
encompasses Blackfish Sound, home to countless small islands including Hanson Island and the base for the Robson Bight
(Michael Bigg) Ecological Reserve, established to provide a sanctuary for Orcas. Each year the Orcas return to the area to feed
on the abundant supply of salmon, and to rub their bellies on the barnacle-encrusted rocks, pebbles and gravel seafloor at
,
Robson Bight. The region is also home to Minke whales, Dall's Porpoise's, seals, mink, sea lions, black bear deer, cougar and
over 150 different types of birds.
Alert Bay is located at the top of Johnstone Strait on Cormorant Island, a 30 minute ferry ride from Port McNeill. This crescent-
shaped island is situated just off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island, a pleasant six hour drive north from Victoria. Alert
Bay has a population of about 1,100 and is comprised of the Village of Alert Bay, the 'Namgis First Nation and Whe-la-la-u and
area Council. Our guest house is a ten minute walk from the
village and overlooks Johnstone Strait.
The present countenance of the Alert Bay Community
reflects much of it's past history. Visitors to the area will be
fascinated by the mixing and contrasting of the cultures.
Native art forms are represented by their carvings, paintings
and metal crafting. Artifacts and events of the past can be
viewed in the community's Library/Museum and the U'mista
Cultural Centre. A casual stroll from one end of the
community to the other instills one with an appreciation for
the efforts of the early pioneers, who carved themselves a
place to live, work, and also crafted the roots of the village
which now exists on the temperate south shore of Cormorant
Island.
Preparing for the Tour
1. To Do List
/ Reserve flight or Bus
/ Ensure final payment has been provided to Midnight Sun
/ Read Waiver of Liability
/ Gather passport, traveller's cheques, airline tickets
/ Reserve gateway accommodation (pre & post tour)
/ Check if you can store non-tour items at your gateway hotel
/ Packed trip clothing and personal items as per the below checklists
2. Personal Equipment Required For All Trips
The following lists represent the basic type and amount of items you need to bring; clothing items are based on the 'layer'
method of dressing for the outdoors. We suggest the items you bring represent a mixture of cotton and synthetics, as cotton
lacks warmth when wet.
Clothing
/ Hiking footwear
/ Extra footwear (for water)
/ 2 pairs of fast drying, lightweight full length pants.
/ 4 pairs of socks (2 pair wool; 2 pair synthetic fiber)
/ 2 pair shorts
/ 1 bathing suit
/ 2 T-shirts
/ 2 long sleeved shirts
/ 1 pair of long fleece or wool pants.
/ 1 fleece jacket/vest or wool sweater
/ 1 windbreaker jacket
/ 1 wide brimmed sun hat
/ 1 warm fleece or wool hat
/ 1 pair gloves, Neoprene paddling gloves (recommended)
/ 1 good quality set of rain gear (jacket and pants)
Equipment
/ personal first aid kit and any medication that you may need
personally. (Aspirin, Tylenol etc)
/ insect repellent
/ suntan lotion
/ water bottle
/ biodegradable soap (e.g. 'Sea Suds')
/ light weight nylon laundry line,
/ plastic clothes pegs
/ waterproof wrist watch
/ Camera equipment and film
/ Binoculars
/ Sunglasses
/ Sunscreen
/ Handy wipes
/ Good reading book, log book and pen
/ Spare set of eyeglasses (even if you wear contact lenses)
and contact lens solution
/ Personal toiletries including tissue paper
/ Personal medications
Suggestions: Cotton is poor, wool better, synthetics best and lightest. Many thin layers are lighter & warmer than one thick
garment. Light fleece garments are warm, even when wet, & they dry quickly. Carry a fanny pack with personal medication,
kleenex, pocket knife, small notepad and pen etc. for ready access. Bring plenty of flim, batteries and accessories. For
expensive cameras we suggest you purchase a waterproof bag or driver's dry box, (available at most outdoor stores or dive
shops) and silica pacts to absorb moisture as the air can be humid. In the case of inexpensive cameras, Ziploc bags are
adequate.
Getting To Victoria (on Vancouver Island)
From Vancouver and Seattle: There are numerous ways to get to Victoria.
Including several ferry services from a number of mainland locations such as Port
Angeles,WA., Seattle,WA., Anacortes WA.,and Tsawwassen and Horseshoe Bay
just outside Vancouver. Victoria has an International Airport with regularly
scheduled daily flights and several float plane services as well as a Helijet service.
By Car: From the Vancouver area: To get to Victoria from the Vancouver
area by car, you must take a ferry to Vancouver Island. The most popular
route is via the BC Ferries from Tsawwassen (on the mainland) to Swartz Bay
(on Vancouver Island). The driving time from downtown Vancouver to
Tsawwassen is about 45 minutes. The ferry crossing is one hour and thirty-
five minutes. The driving time from Swartz Bay to downtown Victoria is 35
min. See “By Ferry” section below for more details.
From Seattle By Car: To get to Victoria by car you must take the Interstate 5
North and follow the signs to Vancouver. Once you have crossed the border
you look for the signs for the BC Ferries to Victoria follow the signs to”
Tsawwassen” and the “Ferries”. You can also drive to Port Angeles, WA at any
time of the year (except for a couple of weeks in January), to board the
COHO. You can also drive to Anacortes, WA and take the Anacortes - Sidney
Ferry (These sailings are not as frequent as the Tsawwassen Ferries so check the schedules and driving times). For further details about the
ferries see the “By Ferry” section below. Note that the ferry service from downtown Seattle to downtown Victoria is a passenger ferry only
and does not take vehicles.
By Plane: Several airlines operate daily connector flights to/from Victoria International Airport. These airlines include:
Air BC 1-888-247-2262, Air Canada 1-800-667-1729, West Jet Airlines 1-800-538-5696, Vision Air 250 656-9727 and
Pacific Coastal 1-800- 662-2872. The airport is approximately 25 kms from downtown Victoria. Once you arrive at the airport, you may take
a taxi (Approx. $30 - $40 CAD) to downtown, or you may opt for a shuttle bus (Approx. $13 CAD), which stops at most downtown hotels.
You may also rent a car at the airport.
There are also direct flights from downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria. Helijet Airways - downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria.
at 79 Dallas Road (250) 382-6222 1-800-665-4354 (www.helijet.com), Harbour Air - Scheduled seaplane service between Vancouver &
.com), West Coast
Victoria and charter service for sightseeing on Wharf Street, Victoria (250) 384-2215 or 1-800-665-0212 (www.harbour-air
Air - Vancouver & Victoria - harbour to harbour, on Wharf Street, Victoria (250) 388-4521 1-800-347-2222 www.westcoastair.com
By Ferry: From the BC Mainland: BC Ferries provide fast, frequent service between the BC Mainland, and Vancouver Island. From
Vancouver (Tsawwassen) to Victoria (Swartz Bay) the crossing time is approximately 90 minutes. Hourly sailings during the summer and a
minimum of 8 sailings per day during the fall, winter and spring. Reservations are not required. 386-3431
.
From Port Angeles in Washington State USA: M.V Coho ( Black Ball Ferries) 386-2206 is a scheduled year-round vehicle and passenger ferry
operating between Port Angeles, Washington, and downtown Victoria. Sailing time is approximately 95 minutes. Complete information on its
services is available on their Web Site. (www.northolmpic.com/coho)
From Anacortes in Washington State, USA: Washington State Ferries provides scheduled ferry service for both passengers and vehicles
between Anacortes, Washington and Sidney, BC. The ferries operate all year. Telephone (250) 381-1551 or (250) 656-1531 In Washington
State call (206) 464-6400 or 1-800-84-FERRY. www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries
The Victoria Clipper (206) 448-5000 in Seattle, or 1-800-888-2535, operates a daily high-speed passenger only, catamaran service between
Seattle and Victoria year round. For information on schedules and costs, the company can be contacted at 254 Belleville Ave., Victoria, B.C.
V8V 1W9 Telephone: (250) 382-8100. You can book on line at their web site.www.victoriaclipper.com
By Bus: Pacific Coach Lines offers frequent Bus/Ferry service from downtown Vancouver to Downtown Victoria.
From Vancouver:PCL Coach Lines, Pacific Central Station, 1150 Station Street
Vancouver, B.C (604) 662-7575 or 1-800-661-1725.Located next to the Main Street-Science World Skytrain
From Victoria:700 Douglas Street, Victoria, b.C. (250) 385-4411 or 1-800-661-1725
Located behind the Victoria Conference Centre and the Empress Fairmont Hotel
From Seattle: Gray Line Seattle offers a variety of package bus tours to Victoria, B.C. Seattle, Washington 98106 Phone: 1-800-426-7505.
Quick Shuttle offers bus service from Seattle to downtown Vancouver daily for Information or to make reservations over the phone:1-800-
665-2122 Toll Free 604-940-4428 Vancouver Area
By Train: Amatrak from Seattle to Vancouver 1-800-872-7245 for reservations and information. Trains 750 and 14 make bus connections
, ,
in the Seattle depot for Vancouver B.C. Train 752 makes a train/bus connection to Bellingham/Vancouver B.C.
Once You Arrive in Victoria
Gateway accommodation is not included in the cost of the
tour. Due to the early pick up times of the tours we
recommend that you spend the previous night in nearby
hotels or hostels. We recommend the following listed hotels,
Bed and Breakfasts and hostel. Please call the Midnight Sun
office and advise us of your pick-up location. 1-800-255-
5057. Upon pick up, pleased be prepared to sign a Waiver of
Liability if you have not already and pay the local payment to
your tour leader.
Pick-up and Drop-Off location in Victoria:
Traveller’s Inn Downtown
1850 Douglas St
Victoria, BC
Phone: 1-888-254-6476
Http://www.travellersinn.com/
Pickup Time: 8:00 a.m. Drop Off Time: 7:30 p.m.
Hostelling International Victoria
516 Yates St
Victoria, BC
Phone: 250-385-4511
www.hihostels.ca/hostels/BC/BCRegion/Victoria/Hostels/ Weather in Victoria
Pickup Time: 8:15 a.m. Drop Off Time: 7:00 p.m. With 2,183 hours of sunshine annually, Victoria's climate is the
mildest in Canada. Average daytime temperatures range from
Selkirk Guesthouse 71° F/22 C° in July to 45° F/7° C in December. Our weather,
934 Selkirk Avenue along with the fact that Victoria offers year-round golf, whale
Victoria, British Columbia V9A 2V1 watching, fishing, horseback riding, cycling, diving, bungy
Phone: 250.389.1213 Toll Free Call: 1.800.974.6638 jumping, hiking, wildlife viewing, kayaking, canoeing, and much
http://www.selkirkguesthouse.com/index.html more, makes the "Garden City" an ideal destination any time of
Email: info@selkirkguesthouse.com the year.
Pickup Time: 8:30 a.m. Drop Off Time: 6:45 p.m.
Weather for Northern Vancouver Island
Northern Vancouver Island has a typical, west coast marine
Optional Activities: climate which brings cool, moist weather to the area for most of
the year. Temperature variations are moderate with an average
U’Mista Cultural Centre $5.00
annual temperature of 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees
Whale Watching $75.00
Fahrenheit).
Village Island Tour $105.00
The summer months, May through September, are considerably
drier than the winter. Temperatures average 17.4 degrees
Celsius (63 degrees Fahrenheit) in July and August, with hot,
sunny days and some cooler days as well. Rarely does the
temperature fall below 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees
Fahrenheit) in the winter.
Celsius June H...L Jul H...L Aug H...L Sept H...L
1845 B Fort St, Victoria, BC, V8R 1J6
www.midnightsuntravel.com ~ tours@midnightsuntravel.com Victoria 21...11 24...13 24...12 20...10
Phone: 1.800.255.5057 ~ 1.250.480.9409 ~ Fax: 250.370.7871 Johnstone Strait 15...5 20 ...7 22...6 17...30
Please read the waiver on the next page carefully
and bring it with you to give to your guide on Day 1 of your trip.
ASSUMPTION OF RISKS AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT
RELEASE OF LIABILITY, WAIVER OF CLAIMS
Initial
By signing this document, you will waive certain legal rights, including the right to sue.
Please read carefully!
Midnight Sun Adventure Travel Inc. & Midnight Sun Adventure Tours Inc.,
hereinafter referred to as Midnight Sun.
Name Last First Initial
Address Street City
Prov/State Code
ASSUMPTION OF RISKS
I am aware that the tours offered by Midnight Sun involve many risks, dangers and hazards including, but not limited to: the
hazards of the forces of nature; wildlife; weather; and travel by air, train, automobile, boat, animal, foot or other conveyance;
AND NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF MIDNIGHT SUN OR ITS STAFF INCLUDING THE FAILURE ON THE PART OF MIDNIGHT
SUN OR ITS STAFF TO SAFEGUARD OR PROTECT ME FROM RISKS, DANGERS AND HAZARDS WHILE ON TOUR. I freely accept
and fully assume all such risks, dangers and hazards and the possibility of personal injury, death, property damage and loss
resulting therefrom.
RELEASE OF LIABILITY, WAIVER OF CLAIMS AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT
In consideration of Midnight Sun accepting my application and permitting my presence from the time and date of pick up on the
first day of the tour to the time and date of drop off on the last day of the tour (hereinafter referred to as "the tour" I hereby
agree as follows:
1. TO WAIVE ANY AND ALL CLAIMS that I have or may in the future have against Midnight Sun and its directors, officers,
employees, agents, representatives, successors and assigns (all of whom are hereinafter collectively referred to as the "The
Releasees") and to release the releasees from any and all liability for any loss, damage, expense or injury including death that I
may suffer, or that my next of kin may suffer as a result of my presence on tour due to any cause whatsoever; INCLUDING
NEGLIGENCE, BREACK OF CONTRACT, OR BREACH OF ANY STATUTORY OR OTHER DUTY OF CARE, INCLUDING ANY DUTY
OF CARE OWED UNDER THE OCCUPIERS LIABILITY ACT, RSBC 1996, C 337, ON THE PART OF THE RELEASEES, AND
INCLUDING THE FAILURE ON THE PART OF THE RELEASEES TO SAFEGUARD OR PROTECT ME FROM THE RISKS, DANGERS
AND HAZARDS ON TOUR AS REFERRED TO ABOVE;
2. TO HOLD HARMLESS AND INDEMNIFY THE RELEASEES from any and all liability for any damage to property of or personal,
injury to, any third party, resulting from my presence on the tour;
3. This Agreement shall be effective and binding upon my heirs, next of kin, executors, administrators, assigns and
representatives, in the event of my death or incapacity;
4. This Agreement shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia;
5. Any litigation involving the parties to this Agreement shall be brought within the Province of British Columbia.
In entering into this Agreement I am not relying on any oral or written representatives or statements made by the Releasees
other than what is set forth in this Agreement.
I HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THIS AGREEMENT AND I AM AWARE THAT BY SIGNING THIS AGREEMENT I AM WAIVING
CERTAIN LEGAL RIGHTS WHICH I OR MY HEIRS, NEXT OF KIN, EXECUTORS, ADMINISTRATORS, ASSIGNS AND
REPRESENTATIVES MAY HAVE AGAINST THE RELEASEES.
Signed this _______________ day of __________ 20____
Signature of Passenger Witness
Please print Please print
