Orca Waters Base Camp Kayak Tour - Sea Kayaking Johnstone Strait

Our Guest Handbook - Orca Waters Base Camp contains details on preparing for your kayak tour. Included in the handbook is travel and accommodation information, a list of what to bring, what you can expect while you are kayaking, wildlife viewing etiquette, and medical and release forms.

The handbook answers commonly asked questions. However, do not hesitate to contact us with any specific questions you may have. The handbook is in PDF format. If you do not have a PDF viewer one can be downloaded free from Adobe.

For quick reference, here is what you should be bringing on your kayak tour. We provide everything else.

Sleeping bag - fit into 40 litre dry bag
Please note Kingfisher supplies sleeping bags, liner sheets and full size pillows to all base camp guests but if you prefer to bring your own we recommend:

• A three season synthetic insulated bag
• Pillow

Clothing - fit into 20 litre dry bag

• 2 pairs of shorts
• 2 pair of pants
• 2 long sleeve shirts
• 2 short sleeve shirts
• 3 to 4 pairs of underwear
• 2 set of long underwear
• 3 to 4 pairs of socks
• 1 sweater or sweatshirt
• 1 fleece jacket
• 1 baseball cap or sun hat
• 1 Wool or fleece cap
• 1 Swimsuit

Rain gear - fit into 10 litre dry bag

• 1 waterproof rain jacket with hood or rain hat (does not need to be breathable but has to be waterproof - not water repellent)
• 1 pair of waterproof rain pants

Personal Items - fit into 10 litre dry bag

• Toiletries
• Sun screen
• Sunglasses with a retainer
• Prescription eyeglasses or contacts
• Spare eyeglasses or contacts
• Medication
• Spare medication
• Book
• Flashlight
• Camera
• Extra film, digital storage and batteries
• Battery charger for camera and North American convertor if needed
• Insect repellent
• Wet Wipes
• Small hand towel (fast drying material)

Footwear - either worn or packed loose

• Sandals or shoes you can get wet
• Walking or running shoes (preferably waterproofed)

Optional Items

• Rubber boots (some guests prefer these instead of wet shoes or sandals for kayaking. But, if you go too deep when entering or exiting your kayak the boots will be wet for the remainder of the trip).
•  Wool or fleece gloves or mitts (if your hands easily get cold these are good to have for the evenings)
• Paddling or cycling gloves (we provide kayaking mitts for warmth, but if you are prone to blisters you may find cycling or paddling gloves to be beneficial).
• Farmer Jane/John wetsuit (for those who want to learn new skills like self rescues)

All of the items listed above (with the exception of shoes, sandals, and boots) will need to fit into four dry bags which we supply. Your clothing into a 20 litre dry bag, your rain gear into a 10 litre dry bag and your remaining personal items into a 10 litre dry bag. If bringing your own sleeping bag it will need to fit into a 40 litre dry bag (Kingfisher supplies sleeping bags, liner sheets and full size pillows to all base camp guests but if you prefer to bring your own you can.)

For base camp tours we do have some extra room as not everything has to be packed into the kayaks but are still limited to what we can take on the water taxi. Some extras like a travel guitar or extra camera equipment. If you have any questions please let us know.

It is important that your clothing be made of synthetic materials or wool to retain their warmth when wet. Most synthetics like polartec fleece and polypropylene also have the advantage of quick drying. Avoid cotton items as much as possible because they lack warmth and take forever to dry once they are wet. If you have any questions on what you need to bring please feel free to contact us.