SEA Kayaking Tours with Mothership Adventures

You can always recognize the elegant COLUMBIA III at the dock or at anchor by the bright yellow kayaks covering her rooftop. As you get closer, you’ll see the rows of spray skirts and bright orange life jackets hanging neatly under cover on the back deck. Racks of paddles hang below. 

The COLUMBIA III has been custom outfitted and is perfectly set up to load and unload kayaks smoothly and quickly with its efficient rooftop crane system. There’s plenty of room on the roof to carry kayaks for ten guests and two guides. The water level platform at the rear of the boat makes getting in and out of the kayaks simple and easy. 

If you are a beginner paddler, not a problem! Attentive instruction is provided by our certified guides. So welcome aboard and let us provide you the kayaking trip of a lifetime! British Columbia’s coast is a sea  kayaking paradise.

From Desolation Sound to the Great Bear Rainforest, glacial fed rivers spill into lush salmon spawning estuaries at the heads of magnificent steep sided fjords. Hundreds of islets and islands provide sheltered travel from the open ocean and habitat for a vast array of marine life. Orcas, humpback whales, sea lions, dolphins, sea otters, black bears, spirit bears, grizzly bears, wolves, eagles and seabirds all inhabit this temperate coastal rainforest and the waters of its rugged Pacific shores.

These coastal waters are the supernatural paradise the Columbia III has safely traveled since 1956!

A typical day on one of our sea kayaking tours starts with the guests gathering on the back deck after breakfast. Water bottles are filled, dry bags are packed with cameras, sunscreen and a spare sweater, and spray skirts are pulled on. A guide assists each person into their kayak and soon everyone is on the water. The mothership sounds its whistle goodbye and heads off to the afternoon meeting place while the paddlers settle into their rhythms, anticipating the day’s journey ahead. 

With the kayak’s minimal draft, we’ll float over shallows profuse with intertidal creatures. We’ll glide along cliffs just inches away from clusters of starfish and anemones. From the intimate vantage of your kayak perhaps you’ll surprise a seal dozing in the sun, or pause as an eagle swoops for a salmon. After the morning’s paddle we’ll land on a shell beach or rocky islet for a leisurely picnic lunch before continuing on in the afternoon. We’ll watch in awe as orcas pass by, or perhaps glimpse a bear on the beach.

COLUMBIA III awaits your return each evening in a new location. No backtracking necessary! By taking a kayaking tour with the mothership, you will explore and paddle in new landscapes every day. We are not limited to areas with natural campsites; we simply drop the anchor! This means we can paddle in the more remote, steep and rugged parts of the coast, where other kayakers rarely venture. The COLUMBIA III is always within radio range of the guides and available in the unlikely event of an emergency. Safety is always our first consideration. Our goal is to provide you with attentive service, a spotless ship, a warm family atmosphere and a fantastic kayaking experience during your mothership adventure.

After the day’s paddling, guests come back aboard, kayaks are settled and secured into their places on the roof, and we’re off to our next anchorage. It’s very luxurious to enjoy a hot shower, great food and a warm bed after a day exploring the wilderness! There are no tents to set up, and if the weather turns foul we have a cozy environment – dry and heated. Our fully equipped galley turns out dishes with a west coast flavour and our guest book raves about the vessel and the hospitality shown by her crew.