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About Us
Why GUESTS CHOOSE "Ocean Adventures" and
our ship, "Great Bear II" for all of their coastal adventures.
SMALLER GROUP SIZES
Ocean Adventures offers
an unparalleled
Crew-to-Guest Ratio
(based on an annual average of 4.23 guests per trip with a crew of 3)
Our small group sizes of 2 to 6 guests, provide our guests with the best wildlife viewing and safety, while making the least impact possible, on the lands we visit, the wildlife we view, and the First Nations cultures that inspire us, something that is extremely important to us. Our small group sizes ensure our guests the most intimate experience and our photographers, the best opportunities.
Our guests are never just part of a crowd.
OUR SHIP GREAT BEAR II
Our 54- foot ship, Great Bear II offers unparalleled comfort and privacy as our guests experience British Columbia's most remote and spectacular locations. The ship's spacious layout and warmth of her wood interior can only be outdone by the magnificent views from her salon, dining table, and pilothouse. No huddling down below on rainy days... our guests can enjoy the awe- inspiring views from anywhere on the ship, no matter what the weather is doing. Great Bear II's spacious foredeck with cushioned seating, has room to relax and enjoy the scenery with still plenty of deck space for photographers to set up their tripods.
Our guests enjoy accommodation in private staterooms, (based on double occupancy) and single guests not wishing to share a room, may book single accommodation in the pilothouse, (which closes off from the rest of the ship at night). Each of the staterooms on board is well appointed with beautifully made beds, complete with duvets, pillows and linens. Large bath towels, facecloths, special reading materials and chocolates also await our guests. Fresh hand towels are put out each day and complimentary natural personal care products are provided in each of the on board bathrooms. The private staterooms and many amenities are often said by our guests to "have exceeded their expectations." With our small group sizes of 2 to 6 guests, the spacious layout of our ship, and our many amenities and services, our guest are sure to feel pampered... never just part of a crowd.
For more detailed information on our ship, Great Bear II,
click here or contact us at info@oceanadventures.bc.ca.
SAFETY ENSURED ON BOARD AND OFF
Our 54 foot ship, Great Bear II is fully certified as a passenger vessel by Transport Canada. Each year the ship undergoes rigorous safety inspections by inspectors from Transport Canada, by specialists in on board systems, and by our owner and Captain, Eric Boyum.
Ocean Adventures owner and Captain, Eric Boyum is certified by Transport Canada. As a professional firefighter for over 20 years, Eric is also trained in commanding emergency scenes, advanced first aid and CPR, and many kinds of technical rescues. These, in combination with his certification in Wilderness First Aid, give our guests added confidence when traveling with us.
To further ensure your safety, our Chef and Crew Person are certified in Marine Emergency Duties by Transport Canada. Our chef is diligent in the cleanliness of the galley and the safe handling and storage of all foods on board.
At the very beginning of each trip, our Captain and Crew give our guests a thorough briefing on ship safety and emergency procedures.
Fully qualified, professional bear guide(s) lead all excursions off the ship on bear viewing departures, and, on trips where bears may be encountered. Our guide(s) brief guests before their first on-shore excursion, on bear behaviour and our best practices when viewing all wildlife. To further ensure your safety on shore, we limit our group sizes to 2-6 guests. This enables our guides to provide the highest level of safety to our guests while ensuring the least impact on the wildlife we view, something that is extremely important to us. We also believe that having our owner leading our trips, ensures that his high standards of wildlife viewing and safety are always met.
To read a message from our owner and Captain, Eric Boyum, please click here to visit our Captain & Crew page.
A MORE INTIMATE EXPERIENCE
We welcome you aboard, to share with you, what we believe are global treasures. We want to spend less time traveling long distances each day, and have more time for you to really get to know the places, the wildlife and the people along the way. When our paths cross with nature's best: Grizzly bears feeding on sedges or salmon... Spirit Bears feasting on berries or fish... Humpback Whales breaching or bubble netting... the towering trees of the Great Bear Rainforest... a Peregrine falcon in flight... a meadow carpeted in wildflowers... OR we are invited to a First Nations feast, we have time to stop, for as long as we like, and savour these life changing moments.
ECO CHARTER AND CONSERVATION LEADERS
Working side by side with First Nations
Ocean Adventures were among the first to sign working Protocol Agreements with the First Nations peoples whose traditional lands we visit. As our guests meet these coastal First Nations people, they are meeting our friends and our teachers... at a Feast that we've been invited to... at a dinner with friends in Haida Gwaii... in spectacular wilderness with Doug from Klemtu or Marven from Hartley Bay... watching the school children of Hartley Bay as they perform their traditional dances... or when someone just stops by the ship for a visit... we are all treated to a more meaningful experience and opportunities for understanding and respecting the First Nations cultures
Supporting Local Villages, Communities & Businesses
To support local villages and communities along the coast, we hire people there to work with us, we are often led by First Nations guides to limited access areas, we buy fresh food locally, buy fuel when we need it, introduce our guests to new cultures, donate recycled cans and bottles for local fund raising, honour our protocol agreements with the First Nations people whose traditional lands we visit, introduce our guests to local artists, and introduce our guests to environmental organizations that are active in the areas we visit. On route to meet us, we encourage our guests to enjoy some extra time visiting local museums, cultural centres, take part in local events, stay in local accommodation, buy local art, and enjoy local foods and beverages.
Actively Involved in Conservation and Environmental Projects
All of us at Ocean Adventures are actively involved in wilderness and wildlife conservation and environmental projects. We also work with Ian and Karen McAllister of Pacific Wild as they work to stop trophy hunting and oil super tankers on our coast.
Visit their amazing website (www.pacificwild.org). Ocean Adventures and our clients will be supplying photos for whale ID and research to Cetacea Lab as they work to protect the whales from the threat of oil super tankers on the north coast. Visit Cetacea Labs website (www.whaleresearch.ca). We support long time friend and teacher Wayne McCrory of Valhalla Wilderness Society (www.vws.org) as he keeps working tirelessly for more protected areas on our coast and throughout our province. Wayne's passion for BC's wildlife is evident in everything he does and to all of us who consider him our mentor.
See our links page the environmental organizations that we support. For more information on projects that we are involved with, please feel free to contact us.
Tenure and Park Permits
Ocean Adventures was among the first to hold land tenures with the B.C. government for charter and wildlife viewing operations on the central and north coasts. As some of these areas change to Conservancies under B.C. Parks jurisdiction, we continue to work with the government for licenses in that department. We are also licenced by Parks Canada to operate in Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve.
A Founding Member of the Commercial Bear Viewing Association of B.C.
Ocean Adventures is a founding member of the Commercial Bear Viewing Association of B.C., an organization that was formed, to set standards for safe and ethical bear viewing by commercial operators.
LESSENING OUR FOOTPRINT
Reducing Water and Energy Consumption
On board our ship, Great Bear II, in the office, and at home, we are reducing, wherever possible, water, power, and fuel consumption. Our trips are designed to travel less distance each day and at slower speeds — allowing our guests more time on shore each day and allowing us to cut down on fuel consumption. At home in North Vancouver, we travel fewer miles each week in our vehicles, and at slower speeds, which helps reduce stress and fuel consumption. On board the ship and off, we are reducing water consumption, even though we are a part of an often wet ecosystem. On board the ship our electric flush toilets use minimal water, with all waste from the toilets being stored in holding tanks until they can be pumped.
As much as possible, we use local, home grown, in season, fruits and vegetables. During our trips in Haida Gwaii, for example, our chef buys local organic produce, grown on the islands. Only B.C. VQA wines are served on board and at home. Buying locally and buying British Columbia products not only supports our local economies, it also cuts down on energy for transportation. Our cleaning supplies come to us in concentrated form — requiring less space and energy for transportation.
 Re-use and Re-cycle
On board our ship, at home, and in our office, we re-use and re-cycle, and as often as possible, buy products using less packaging. When traveling the coast on board the ship, we often donate some of our re-cycled cans and cartons to local fundraising. Ocean Adventures has stopped our printed version of our newsletter, (called "Reflections"), and have gone electronic with our "What's NEW" on our website. Paper used in our office is 100% re-cycled as are the paper products used on board the ship. In 2008 we started using fabric napkins at dinner, lessening our use of paper napkins by over 500 pieces.
More Natural and Organic Foods and Products
As often as possible, on board the ship and at home, we shop for natural and organic foods and products. Our chef uses only organic fertilizer for her on board herb garden. When our chef shops for beef, pork, and chicken, she buys naturally fed meats and poultry. All seafood served on board is wild and locally caught. Our Chef uses whole grains, natural sweeteners and organic/natural products as much as possible. On board the ship and at home, we use natural cleaning products from Shaklee. As well as being healthier for everyone using them, they are also completely environmentally friendly.
Smaller Group Sizes (2 — 6 guests)
With each of our trips having very small groups of 2 — 6 guests, we make the least impact possible on the lands we visit and the wildlife we view... something that is extremely important to us. With our small group sizes, our fully certified guide(s) are better able to provide our guests with unparalleled wildlife viewing, while still ensuring the safety of the group. Our guests enjoy the most intimate experiences and our photographers, the best opportunities — they are never just part of a crowd.
Lessening our Footprint is a work in progress... as we look for more ways to tread more softly on the earth.
for contemplation...
"The wilderness and the idea of wilderness is one of the permanent homes of the human spirit."
~J. W. Krutch
and a comment from one of our guests...
"Your love of these lands and these people is palpable and moving."
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