Relaxing by the campfire at Nuxda'ma (Compton Island) after a day of exploration.
Hanging out on the beach logs and sharing stories at Steller Beach on Yukusam (Hanson Island).
Catching some rays on the beach below the complex terrace structure at Xupxwapa Village, Insect Island.
Rolls of cedar bark harvested by Beau Dick and the friends at the carvers camp on Yukusam (Hanson Island).
Stopping for a quick lunch near Haw'aa Village on Blunden Island, Clayoquot Sound.
Looking back at the beach on the northwest coast of Vargas Island, Clayoquot Sound.
Stopping for a quick lunch on Hand Island before heading deeper into the Broken Group Islands, Barkley Sound.
Kayaks on the beach at Big Bay on Yukusam Island before crossing Johnstone Strait to Vancouver Island.
Enjoying dinner at 3-fingers bay at the north end of Ahous Bay on Vargas Island, Clayoquot Sound.
Visiting the Big House at Mimkumlis VIllage on Village Island, Broughton Archipelago.
'Mortuary poles standing in the Namgis First Nation Cemetery, Alert Bay, Johnstone Strait.
Traditional cedar canoe on the beach at Tofino. This is one of the canoes carved by Joe Martin, a master carver and member of
the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation.
Mortuary pole being carved by Beau Dick and friends in Alert Bay. Beau Dick is a respected Kwa-giulth artist from Kingcome Inlet.
Remains of a wolf atop a mortuary pole at Mimkumlis VIllage on Village Island, Broughton Archipelago.
Pod of female Orcas in Johnstone Strait.
Two female Orcas playing together in Johnstone Strait.
Watching the Orcas swim by while paddling along the shore in Johnstone Strait.
Paddling south toward Vancouver Island on a beautiful sunny day in the Broughton Archipelago.
Paddling east toward the Fox Group and looking north toward Cramer Passage in the north end of the Broughton Archipelago.
Heading around the north side of Nuxda'ma (Compton Island) and almost home after a long day of paddling.
Suze serenades the group with a nearby piece of Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana).
Loading up the water taxi for our ride north through the Broughton Archipelago en route to Xupxwapa Village, Insect Island.
Paddle through a patch of Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) in the early morning fog near Nuxda'ma (Compton Island), on Blackfish Sound.
Paddling through the aquamarine waters of Tour Bay en route to the Broken Group Islands, Barkley Sound.
Paddling around Cleland Island Ecological Reserve off the west coast of Vargas Island, Clayoquot Sound.
One of the many secret aquaria in the Broughton Archipelago where there's as much to see under the water as above the water.
Looking south down Misty Passage from the shore of Xupxwapa Village, Insect Island.
Looking east down Johnstone Strait from the high bluffs of Yukusam (Hanson Island).
The clouds in the Broken Group Islands looking a lot like the divinity candy my mother used to me me as child.
One of the many fine summer sunsets on one of the many beautiful beaches on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) on their favorite haul out in the Broken Group Islands, Barkley Sound.
Courtney shows off a huge Pink Spiney sea star (Pisaster brevispinus) in the Broken Group Islands, Barkley Sound.
Harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) sunning themselves on a rocky shore in Clayoquot Sound.
Common ochra stars (Pisaster ochraceus) conserving body moisture during low tide. Or maybe they're just having fun.
Giant green anemonies (Anthropleura xanthogrammica) and encrusting algaes reflecting a pink sunset.
A California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) checking me out in Broken Group Islands, Barkley Sound.
Kevin checking out a huge Sunflower Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) in the intertidal zone.
One of the many Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) that frequent the coast during the spring and summer months.
Board walk through the rainforest in Clayoquot Sound.
Intertidal zone near Xupxwapa Village, Insect Island.
Every day begins with a wonderful breakfast made from fresh ingredients and prepared by your multi-talented guides.
An ancient pictograph located on a cliff in the southern Broughton Archipelago.
One of the many culturally modified trees at Xupxwapa Village, on Insect Island. First Nations people have been gathering cedar bark
on the island for thousands of years.
Ancient old growth cedar tree in the Broken Group Islands, Barkley Sound.
View from one of my favourite lunch spots in Indian Channel, Broughton Archipelago.
Kris dabbled before he got serious
and bought his first boat. Working
in exploratory geology he traveled
to remote, environmentally sensitive
wilderness areas in the Pacific Northwest,
southeast Alaska, and the Arctic.
He has an MA in anthropology from the
University of Washington where he studied
archaeology, geology, and evolutionary
theory. Over 18 summers he traveled
to England, France, and the Pacific
Northwest conducting research, teaching
archaeological field schools, and
supervising archaeological projects.
He then spent three years working
for a network routing company in Seattle
before immigrating to BC to live on
a small island near the water. He needed to reconnect with nature. For the
past six years Kris has been a professional
sea kayak guide, instructing kayaking
clinics and leading multi-day expeditions
in the Gulf Islands, Barkley Sound,
Clayoquot Sound and the Broughton
Archipelago. His interests include
prehistoric settlement and subsistence
on the northwest coast, the history
of infectious diseases, First Nations
and European settlement history in
coastal BC, the ecology of intertidal
marine organisms, and ecological literacy. 
Kim has been exploring the beaches
and trails of Vancouver Island since
she was a child. She went on her first
kayaking expedition with her family
at the age of six! Although during
that trip she rode in a storage hatch,
she has since spent many hours paddling
her own boat around the coastal waters
of the Northwest. Kim holds advanced
degrees in anthropology and archaeology
from University of British Columbia
and University of Washington. She
has led archaeological projects in
the southern Gulf Islands, Hawaii,
Washington state, and Ecuador. Currently
she teaches online courses in cultural
anthropology, human evolution, archaeology,
and northwest coast cultures from
her home on Salt Spring. She is an
avid photographer and gardener and
assists with the development, management
and outfitting of expeditions for
Steller Sea Kayaking.
