The Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak Centre offers great sea kayaking on Vancouver's doorstep

    by Keith and Heather Nicol

On Sunday, June 7 we headed to Deep Cove where we planned to go sea kayaking and have a picnic lunch in a sea side park with our daughter Kristie and her boyfriend Eric.  It was Kristie’s birthday and this was one of the activities she wanted to do to celebrate. We had sampled kayaking here in May 2014 with Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak Centre (DCCKC) and we were keen to head back and do some more exploring. This area is just a 30-45 minute drive from downtown Vancouver but seems more remote since Indian Arm is a steep walled fjord. And there are several islands and beaches which make for interesting destinations from DCCKC’s launch point in Deep Cove. 

Eric and Kristie paddling in scenic Indian Arm

  Despite our relatively early start time of 9:30 am Sunday morning there was lots of activity on the beach from paddler boarders, to rowing shells and canoes as well as sea kayaks being launched.  We opted for 2 double kayaks from DCCKC and in no time we were out of the harbour heading for Jug Island for our 2 hour self guided tour. There was also quite abit of other boating activity from sailboats to powerboats which you need to keep an eye on but the flat calm sea conditions made for easy paddling. We paddled along the opposite shore and then past Jug Island which is about 2.5 km from our launch point. We noted a nice beach opposite Jug Island but decided to paddle around the corner and into Bedwell Cove. We stopped for a short break on the beach we had passed by earlier and then paddled back into Deep Cove spotting our first eagle of the trip. Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak Centre  offers a variety of rental options and we wished we had booked a longer trip since Raccoon Island beckoned as did the more rugged shoreline further into Indian Arm. That will have to wait until next time! If you are interested in paddling in scenic area on Vancouver’s doorstep, then check out Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak Centre.  They offer a full service programme of rentals, sales, tours and rentals and you can check them out at http://www.deepcovekayak.com/    

Paddling out of Bedwell Cove

The beach at Deep Cove is a happening spot!