Discovery Islands Paddle Route
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

The Discovery Islands paddle route includes exploring the ocean waters around a group of islands including Quadra Island and Cortes Island. They are the largest islands in a group of islands located on the inside passage of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Both islands are part of a popular group of islands called the Gulf Islands.

The closest Vancouver Island communities to the Discovery Islands are Courtenay, Comox and Campbell River. The marinas in Campbell River and Comox are within walking distances of restaurants and shops. They are good spots for launching a kayak.

There are good kayak launch sites on Quadra Island and Cortes Island also. On Quadra you can launch a kayak from Heriot Bay, Village Bay and Granite Bay. On Cortes Island you can launch from Whaletown and Coulter Bay. Launching from Quadra and Cortes Islands helps avoid some of the heavy marine traffic navigating Johnstone Strait.

The paddle routes in and around the islands are very popular marine routes and are home to many recreation destinations. There are many types of water craft exploring the area - some for recreation, some for commercial. The route is popular for fishing boats, kayaks, barges, cruise ships and scuba diving tour boats.

Quadra and Cortes Islands are the two most visited islands. each island with a small village and marinas. However there are many other smaller, less populated, islands nearby including Maurelle Island, West Redonda Island, Rendezvous Islands, Stuart Island, East Thurlow Island, Read Island, Subtle Island and Sonora Island.

Some of the other waterways which challenge kayakers include the Yuculta Rapids, Dent Rapids, Lower and Upper Rapids, Okis Islands and Surge Narrows. Always be prepared in BC waters and have proper tidal and navigation charts when exploring the region. Kayaking in the region can be challenging. The weather changes, winds pick up and ocean swells develop on a moments notice.

The bigger islands of Quadra, Cortes and Read Island force the currents into a powerful bottleneck creating small rip tides, upwellings and whirlpools. In Bute Inlet which means “violent winds” the winds funnel up the passage with unpredictable velocity. Bute Inlet, just tucked behind Stuart Island is a popular area for wildlife viewing including Black Bears, seals, sea lions and Bald Eagles.

Many visiting kayakers exploring the islands belong to a tour group. However there are some on the water enjoying self guided tours. Many of these kayakers are experienced paddlers and equipped with all the proper equipment like gps, tidal charts and navigation charts.

Kayak tour groups include lessons, equipment and, most importantly, an experienced guide. A guide enables a kayak group to safely navigate the many islands, currents and ocean tides. Guides also are prepared for unexpected weather, storms and trained in open water survival techniques.

Multi day tours tours provide kayak groups accommodations and/or beach camping. There are designated campsites located along the route. Self guided tours need to prepare for camping locations well in advance as some shoreline areas have “Private Property” signs limiting your rest stops.

Some of the more popular areas to explore in the Discovery Islands region include the Octopus Islands Marine Park, Waiatt Bay and the seals at Cyprus Rocks.

Happy Kayaking Eh !!

The EH TEAM.