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Captain & Crew
Owner and Captain, Eric Boyum
Ocean Adventures and our ship Great Bear II is owned and operated by Captain Eric Boyum. Eric has been exploring and working on the coasts of B.C., Alaska, the Caribbean, and the Sea of Cortez for over 30 years. As Captain, Eric is certified by Transport Canada.
As a professional firefighter for over 25 years, and now serving as a Captain, Eric is also trained in commanding emergency scenes, advanced first aid and CPR, and many kinds of technical rescues. With these qualifications and experience and his Wilderness First Aid training, our guests feel an added confidence when traveling with us.
Eric is a founding member of the B.C. Commercial Bear Viewing Association, formed to set standards for ethical bear viewing by commercial operators.
As a fully certified bear guide, Eric has high standards for bear and wildlife viewing. All of our bear viewing departures or trips where we could encounter bears, are led by Eric and sometimes other certified bear guides. Before guests go ashore for the first time where there may be bears, Eric briefs everyone on his best practices for bear viewing. To further ensure the safety of our guests, our group sizes are limited to 2 to 6 guests. This allows our guide(s) to provide the highest level of safety to our guests, while having the least impact on the lands we visit and the animals we view — something that is extremely important to us. Our small groups also ensure a more intimate experience for our guests and unparalleled opportunities for our photographers.
As owner, Eric believes that is it important for him to be leading our trips. This ensures that his high standards for safety and ethical bear and wildlife viewing, are always met. His strong leadership, his vast knowledge of the natural and cultural histories of our coast, his passion for the coast and its wildlife, and his great sense of humour, keep our guests coming back. On board the ship or on shore in B.C.'s most remote and spectacular locations, Eric brings out the best and inspires all of us, as he leads by example.
From our Owner and Captain, Eric Boyum...
December 8th, 2011
Captain's Message
The "Great Bear II" arrived back at her homeport in North Vancouver on October 15th. Long time crew- member Darren Stevely joined us for our last two trips of the season and then stayed on to help bring the boat home for the winter. We were held up for a couple of days at Bella Bella as a strong southeaster blew through our coastal waters! Once the storm passed we made it across Queen Charlotte Sound and had a calm trip down the Inside Passage. Many of the landscapes we passed were mottled with the beautiful colours of fall as the leaves turned on the alders, maples, and low bushes. The cold evenings and brisk mornings were also reminders to us that winter was not far off.
Our 2011 season was a great one! It was filled with many great experiences with wildlife in the wilderness! Trish and I consider ourselves to be blessed with the amazing experiences we continue to have in the Great Bear Rainforest and other beautiful areas on the coast of B.C. One of our favourite things is being able to watch young bear cubs as they grow bigger and mature from spring to fall and from year to year. Seeing them once again is like a family reunion with so much to catch up on! One particular mother grizzly and her cub nursed numerous times in front of us allowing our guests to share in these tender moments!
We made many new friends this year from different parts of the world! Old friendships were renewed as we had many friends join us for another adventure on the "Great Bear II". Two of our long time guests, Mary from Victoria, and Sam from Virginia, joined us once again for another adventure. (Over 17 trips between them!)
On a very serious note, the threat of oil supertankers plying these same waters is very real. Enbridge, a large pipeline company, wants to build a 1200 km. pipeline from the tar sands of Alberta to the coastal town of Kitimat in BC. Oil supertankers, some with the ability to carry over two million barrels of oil each, would navigate the narrow waters through the Great Bear Rainforest and deliver tar sands bitumen to Asian markets.
Please visit our Enviro Alerts page to learn more about this threat to our coast and province and to learn how you can help us stop this project!
Our 2012 season is already shaping up to be a great one! This is a milestone year for Ocean Adventures. 2012 will be our 15th year of operation! I would like to invite old friends and new guests to join us as we travel to some of the most beautiful wilderness areas in the world!
To end this message I would like to thank our amazing crew members Trish, Darren, Sandy, Eloise, Barb and Pam, all did a fantastic job this year. It is their great energy and their passion for the wild animals and the wilderness that contributed so much to making our 2011 season such a big success! Thank you!
Eric Boyum
Ocean Adventures Charter Co. Ltd.
Recently, at the AGM for the Commercial Bear Viewing Association, a call went out to those in attendance to submit articles or stories for an upcoming Newsletter. This annual newsletter goes out to all members of the CBVA and to those newcomers who are training to be assistant guides and are just landing their first jobs in the field. I felt I would write an article that was directed towards these up and coming guides.
Here is what I wrote:
March 15th, 2011
Being a Bear Viewing Guide is so much more than a Summer Job
Is it just a summer job? In my opinion, no. Perhaps you have just landed a job at one of the lodges or charter boats that take people from all over the world to see bears. Maybe you have just enrolled in the Assistant Guides course with the CBVA, or have just completed it. Whatever the case may be, you are about to join a family of people that care deeply about bears!
Once you have experienced these magnificent animals, they become part of your soul, part of who you are. I believe the bears share themselves with us because somewhere in their own souls they know that we can help them as a species.
There is a paradox here however. On one side of the coin, there are people who are very passionate and willing to do everything they can do to help bears. On the other side, we are all part of the human race, and we are responsible for the main threats to the bears existence and survival. As long as the seemingly unquenchable thirst for our planets natural resources continue, the bears survival will remain threatened.
How can we all help to ensure the bears survival? Rally with others to stop a pipeline and keep oil tankers off our coast. Walk more, or bike, or drive a more fuel efficient vehicle. Call an environmental organization and find out how you can help stop the trophy hunting of our bears and other wild animals. Save our salmon! Write letters to government calling for the creation of larger, interconnected protected areas. Support First Nations with their environmental goals and tourism initiatives. They have always held the highest respect for bears within their culture. Make wise, sustainable choices while shopping. The power of the consumer to effect change is unequaled! Educate your friends and gain their support. Organize a rally or a fundraiser. There truly are so many ways we can all help!
Excitement is building for all of us once again as the bear-viewing season is only a few months away! The images we hold dear of a mother and cubs feeding in the new sedge grass of spring, fuels our preparations for the season. Once the guests begin to arrive from all over the world, it is time to share your passion for these great animals. Share your newfound knowledge and understanding of the biology and behavior of bears. Learn the habits that give each bear it's individuality— and share these with your guests! Educate your guests to the threats that are facing the bears and let them know what they can do to help.
Your job has placed you in a very important position. Your efforts will be rewarded with countless amazing experiences! You are an ambassador for the bears and they are counting on you to advocate for them! Always remember that being a bear-viewing guide is so much more than just a summer job!
By Eric Boyum
Ocean Adventures Charter Co. Ltd.
In the Office & On-board: Trish Boyum
Helping Eric with the running of the company, marketing and trip reservations, is Eric's long time partner and wife, Trish Boyum.
After having grown up on cattle ranches in B.C.'s interior, Trish now calls the coast her home, and is passionate about the preservation of its wildlife and intact rainforests. Currently working with and inspired by Karen and Ian McAllister of Pacific Wild, Trish is adamant that Trophy and Sport Hunting in B.C., must be ended. Trish will soon be starting work with clients, supplying ID photos and GPS coordinates of whale activity to Cetacealab to help in their fight to stop oil super-tankers from coming to our coast. Brought up in the interior of the province means that supporting projects there too is important to Trish — projects that Wayne McCrory of Valhalla Wilderness Society, leads. Wayne, passionate about the preservation of B.C.'s wilderness and wildlife, has been instrumental in gaining protection for many areas of our province. Trish and Eric feel honoured to call Wayne a friend and mentor.
Trish is also our chef on board our ship, Great Bear II. Having been brought up by a mother who believed in lots of good, fresh food, Trish is inspired by her example. A wide array of cuisine is offered, made with the freshest ingredients, brought on board at the start of each trip. Trish shops for foods that are grown naturally or organically, in season, and locally as much as possible. Her on board organic herb garden, the pairing of British Columbia VQA wines with dinner, and the chocolates... ahh yes, the chocolates, provide some of the unexpected luxuries Trish loves to surprise us with while we travel in B.C.'s most remote wilderness.
If you are planning on traveling with us, and you have any questions or concerns about the menu on board Great Bear II, please contact Trish: trish@oceanadventures.bc.ca or call 604-812-9453. She will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
If you have traveled with us in the past, and would like one of Trish's recipes, please feel free to contact her for that as well.
If you are planning a Custom (Private) Charter with us,
Trish would be happy to discuss your food and beverage preferences.
Chef Barb van der Gracht
Barb van der Gracht has been involved in the culinary field for many years. After graduating from BCIT in Restaurant/Hotel administration, she took a family hiatus and then came back with a culinary diploma from Dubrulle French Culinary Institute. Her focus for the past years has been on whole food cooking, with an emphasis on local food, taste, and nutritional value. Being a BC resident has exposed Barb to a number of world cuisines, and she feels comfortable dipping into many varied cultural styles, as long as the taste, and nutritional quality is there. Barb presently works a personal chef, and does private catering in Kamloops, BC.
We are looking forward to welcoming Barb back in 2012 as lead chef on some of our trips!
Chef Darren Stevely
Darren Stevely will join us again in 2012 as chef on several trips. Read more about Darren after we update this page in the New Year!
Eloise Rowland, our on board Naturalist & Crew Person
Eloise has been living on the B.C. coast for the past 21 years. She is a research biologist and ecologist with a Masters of Science degree in bio acoustic communication. Eloise has conducted research all over the world!
Eloise is currently a primary responder with the B.C. Marine Mammal Response Network and a member of the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition. As a volunteer with the Vancouver Public Aquarium, Eloise is able to share with guests, her enthusiasm about the unique and diverse marine mammal and invertebrate life inhabiting the coast of B.C.!
Eloise will be our on board Naturalist and Crew Person for all our 2012 trips.
Experience the Wild in Wilderness !
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