Following the Proposed Supertanker Route
Islands at the Edge — The Inside Passage
7 day adventures cruise in June aboard our 54 foot ship, Great Bear II.
Watching bears, whales, birds, wolves, in B.C.'s Great Bear Rainforest. Trace proposed oil super tanker route, experience First Nations Aboriginal Culture on B.C.'s West Coast.
Our 7 day Islands at the Edge / The Inside Passage will begin and end in B.C.'s northern coastal city of Prince Rupert.
Islands at the Edge / The Inside Passage will begin and end with a seaplane flight over the very scenic northern reaches of B.C.'s Inside Passage. These seaplane flights are included in the price of this trip.
Our ship Great Bear II is equipped with all the latest navigation and safety equipment, a 16-foot hard bottomed zodiac for guided trips ashore and shoreline exploration, and kayaks for enjoying the serenity of our spectacular coastal anchorages.
See our SCHEDULE for DEPARTURE POINTS and DATES or
email us at info@oceanadventures.bc.ca.
OUR SMALL GROUP SIZES ARE BEST FOR WILDLIFE VIEWING
Ocean Adventures' small group sizes (of 2 to 6 guests) provide our guests with the best wildlife viewing and safety.
Our small group sizes mean we are making the least possible impact on the lands we visit, the wildlife we view and the First Nations Peoples who inspire us, something that is extremely important to us.
Our small group sizes ensure our guests the most intimate experiences with nature and our photographers the best opportunities... our guests are never just part of a crowd.
FOCUS OF "ISLANDS AT THE EDGE ~ THE INSIDE PASSAGE in June
June is springtime on B.C.'s north coast. Whales breaching and lunge feeding... bears just out of hibernation... waterfalls that seem to fall from the sky... seabirds with tiny balls of fluff in tow... river estuaries carpeted in wildflowers and teeming with new life... the ancient trees of the rainforest alive with the symphonies of song birds... and the unique and powerful culture of the Gitga'at aboriginal people.
Sadly, B.C.'s central and north coasts face the single biggest threat ever.. the proposed oil super tankers that will ply these very waters on their way to and from Kitimat to meet the proposed Enbridge pipeline from the tar sands in Alberta. On this trip we will travel, in part, the proposed route of these oil super tankers to witness what is at stake.
POWERFUL LANDSCAPES OF IMMEASURABLE BEAUTY
This is spring on our central and north coasts and the rugged mountain peaks of the coastal range are stilled draped in snow. The long, narrow inlets off the Inside Passage are defined by the polished granite walls that rise thousands of feet out of the sea, walls of granite that are laced with waterfalls that seem to fall from the sky. The velvety green river estuaries are carpeted in wildflowers and teeming with new life.
As the oil tanker route nears the Hecate Straight, granite walls give way to the rugged windswept Islands at the Edge. Here, white sandy beaches are edged in ethereal rainforest, sunsets turn seascapes into ancient masterpieces, and the mesmerizing sounds of the surf remain with you like a well- loved song. These powerful landscapes of immeasurable beauty, where the lines between the sea and the rainforest are blurred, remind us that this is no place for oil super tankers.
LED BY OUR FULLY QUALIFIED & EXPERIENCED GUIDE(S)
Led by our professional, fully qualified and experienced guide(s), guests will travel in our 16-foot hard bottomed zodiac, up rivers and along shorelines looking for Grizzly Bears, Black Bears, Coastal Wolves and perhaps even the elusive Spirit Bear.
We will see many species of birds, some of which come here only at this time of year, to nest and raise their young. River estuaries and surrounding old growth forests are important to the survival of Marbled Murrelets and Harlequin Ducks, Bald Eagles, and Dippers to name a few. Who can resist a photograph of a Merganser mother with her tiny chicks riding on her back?
Along the Islands at the Edge, Ancient Murrelets have their tiny fluff balls in tow, Peragrine falcons with a freshly caught fish return to their nest, and Red Throated Loons puncture the stillness with their haunting calls. Although wolves will rarely let us see them at this time of year when their pups are still so young, they do leave plenty of signs that they are here.
WHALE WATCHING
Guests will have many opportunities to enjoy the biodiversity of marine life along the waterways that we will travel.
At this time of year Humpback whales are returning from Hawaii, some with new calves, and can be seen feeding in almost all the channels and inlets we will visit. Orca follow the return of the wild Pacific Chinook salmon and Transients are in search of young marine mammals. As we travel, it is not uncommon to have Dall's porpoises and/or Pacific Whitesided Dolphins come to play on the ship's wake. We hope to meet with Janie and Hermann from Cetacealab about their research and learn why their work is so important at a time when oil super tankers are proposed for waterways that are SO important to the survival of these cetaceans.
FIRST NATIONS (ABORIGINAL CULTURE)
During this trip we will primarily be traveling through the traditional lands of the Gitga'at People of Hartley Bay, whose lives would be forever changed by the proposed oil super tankers. As we meet some of these people, you will be meeting our friends and our teachers... and you will have opportunities to learn why these lands and waterways are so important to their futures.
IMAGES TAKEN ON OUR TRIPS... ALONG THE PROPOSED OIL SUPER TANKER ROUTE
See our SCHEDULE for DEPARTURE POINTS and DATES or
email us at info@oceanadventures.bc.ca.
Experience the Wild in Wilderness !
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