Our Story:

Located on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia; Paddle West Kayaking offers sea kayak tours and kayak rentals (Tofino only) out of the seaside communities of Tofino and Ucluelet. Originally founded in 2001 by Chris Bowers, the company was purchased in the Spring of 2010 by long time Paddle West guides/managers Ryan Rogers & Nick Benton

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What we do:

Our goal at Paddle West is to provide you with a fun, safe, and informative wilderness kayaking experience; and to leave you with a sense of wonder for the breathtaking sights of one of the world’s premier kayaking destinations. On all of our kayak tours you’ll be provided with the necessary equipment and experienced instruction for a safe and enjoyable paddle.

Our tours are as educational as they are fun. While kayaking through the islands and waterways surrounding Tofino and Ucluelet, our highly experienced professional guides will touch on subjects such as rainforest and ocean ecology, local wildlife, the cultural and historical significance of the first nation peoples (Nuu-chah-nulth), and the sensitivity of environmental issues which have captured the attention of the world.

As paddlers and nature enthusiasts we feel incredibly fortunate to be able to live in such awe inspiring surroundings as Clayoquot (off Tofino) and Barkley (off Ucluelet) Sound. Our great reward as guides is not only to be able to explore, on a daily basis, this area we feel so passionate about, but to be able to share the sport we love and our knowledge of this spectacular place with travellers from around the world. With it's stunning backdrop of old growth temperate rainforest, white sandy beaches & snow capped peaks; and it's incredible abundance and diversity of life; the west coast of Vancouver Island is one of the best places in the world to explore by kayak. At Paddle West we'll provide you with the tools, experience and expertise to enjoy this stunning wilderness environment in the best way we know how; by sea kayak.

Environmental Commitment:

In this day in age with all the threats facing the environment we believe it is important for businesses to take responsibility for the inevitable impact we have on our surroundings. At Paddle West we try to mitigate those impacts as much as possible by using practices such as "leave no trace" ethics on our tours, and using locally made equipment and materials as much as possible. An example of this is our new 20' by 30' floating launch in Tofino, which we built using 100% locally salvaged wood.

We also work to help educate the public on important issues such as temperate rainforest conservation, and more importantly; through our membership with the organization 1% for the planet we help support environmental groups that are focussed on this type of work.

Each year Paddle West Kayaking donates 1% or more of its gross revenue to ENGO's working on environmental conservation, education and sustainability. This last year we made donations to two organizations:

The Raincoast Education Sociey is a community-based non profit society with a mission to help shape an environmentally sound future for the Clayoquot and Barkley Sound region through education and community stewardship. Funds go directly to environmental and cultural education programs, including their Young Naturalist  programs, and the "More than Just Mud" educacattion program about the Tofino Mudflats.

To learn more or to donate visit: www.raincoasteducation.org

The Western Canada Wilderness Committee is based out of Vancouver BC, and is the largest grassroots environmental non-profit organization in British Columbia. They work on a variety of conservation campaigns including the Clayoquot Campaign to which we donated.

To learn more or to donate visit: www.wildernesscommittee.com

Other organizations we support:

If it wasn't for local grassroots powerhouse The Friends of Clayoquot Sound, the spectacular temperate rainforests of Clayoquot Sound would have been logged decades ago. Despite temporarily preventing the area from being heavily logged, logging in the area still persists today; along with a host of other environmental threats in the area such as a proposed copper mine on Catface Mountain near Tofino. If you have visited the area and are as passionate about its protection as we are please go to their website to learn more and if possible make a donation to the most effective ENGO on Vancouver Islands west coast.

To learn more or to donate visit: www.focs.com

West Coast Aquatics Tsawalk Partnership is a unique coastal planning process for the west coast of Vancouver Island that brings communities, researchers, businesses and different levels of government together to link a healthy ocean with healthy communities.

To learn more or to donate visit: www.tsawalk.ca