At the Waters Edge Adventures - Telegraph Cove

Ranking: 5/5

My husband and I did the 3 day Johnstone Straight Adventure Aug 2024.
It was amazing. There is nothing negative I could say about the trip.
AWE Adventures is a fantastic company to deal with, our guide Michelle was awesome, the food was top notch and they 100% accommodated our vegan dietary request.
Let’s not forget how spectacular the scenery was and humpbacks were.
If this sort of adventure is on your bucket list, I suggest you tick that box and AWE Adventures won’t let you down.

Ranking: 5/5

Our family of four (kids 12 and 14yo) did a 3 day kayak expedition with At The Water’s Edge this week. We hoped for an extraordinary adventure for us and the children and we weren’t disappointed. We were attracted by the consistently good reviews, which covered all aspects of the trip and we found them to be accurate. Everything was top notch - kit, boats, company management, guide, broader support staff and facilities and local knowledge. We put 1/3rd of our total 3 week vacation budget to this tour and have no regrets.

We are a sporty family and were able to push ourselves paddling 45km over the 3 days including two Johnson Strait crossings in thick fog. On day 1 we crossed the strait together “like the keys on a piano” with our guide Kai in the middle of our two double kayaks. It was a technical crossing but we always felt safe. On the far side we were rewarded with a bull orca dorsal fin gliding out of the mist about 30 metres from our boats. It was a serene and awe-inspiring experience, not scary at all as I’d thought it might be. The bull was followed by the family group and we gently paddled in the direction they were going to watch them play. We listened to their calls on Kai’s hydrophone. Sea Lions worked hard to get our attention.

We wild camped, enjoying further spectacles of nature accompanied by delicious, healthy food for breakfast lunch and dinner prepared fresh by Kai.

We learned a lot of new skills in wilderness camping, BC nature and kayaking and left the trip more independent. We were expected to pack and care for our boats, deal with our own kit and tents and help plan the route. The kids were trusted to do their own bit and encouraged to be themselves.

Our guide was raised in these waters, educated in biology and ecology and could share his philosophy of the outdoor world, and the way he brings that to his life.

This was the experience we envisaged to bring our family together in a shared adventure. Thank you!

Ranking: 5/5

We just enjoyed an incredible 7-day trip to the Broughtons. This place is magic--we were blown away by the beauty of the region and non-stop wildlife encounters. AWE exceeded our expectations and worked hard to make the trip as memorable as possible. Rob helped us book the right trip option for our group and went out of his way to provide delicious, fresh food while accommodating challenging food allergies. The kayaks and gear provided by AWE were high quality and made for good paddling and comfortable camp life.

I can't speak highly enough of our guide, Kevin. He worked sunrise to sunset to make sure we got the most out of our 7-day trip. His navigational, kayaking, and natural history experience were inspiring and he made sure we got to experience the best campsites and wildlife hotspots in the area. To top things off, he closely tracked whale movements using marine radio. Thanks to his knowledge, we were able to see orcas pass within a few meters of our kayaks on the last day of the trip (while making sure we were following protocols and looking out for the safety of the animals and us). Thank you, AWE!

Ranking: 5/5

We absolutely loved our time kayaking with At the Waters Edge Adventures!! Wes was extremely accommodating and our guides Jono and Carl showed us some amazing spots, made the kayaking experience incredibly fun and kept us fed. The meals were delicious and the gear was excellent! Highly recommend this team, you’ll have an awesome time on their trip!!

Ranking: 5/5

Cannot recommend At the Waters Edge enough! We did a 5 day/4 night trip in the Broughtons in late June 2021 that was the trip of a lifetime.

Wesley was a pleasure to organize with in advance, and obviously cares about the experience his guests will be having. He answered all our questions promptly and thoroughly, and was flexible and accommodating.

On trip, our guides were Alicia and Rob who are truly exceptional humans! We learned so much from them, they were both extremely knowledgeable about the local area, history, and wildlife. Plus they’re great fun, and the meals were absolutely delicious!!

We always felt like we were in excellent hands, and were able to relax and enjoy our surroundings. The nomadic style of choosing routes and camping spots according to tides, weather, and the group made for a very special trip.

Support a local company and book with AWE! You won’t regret it. Wesley and his team are building something special over in Bauza Cove.

Ranking: 5/5

We did a 3-day kayak tour with At the Waters Edge in August 2022 and highly recommend AWE! As we started to plan our trip, Wes, AWE’s owner, was responsive and clear with us via email and made sure we had all the info we needed to pack and prepare in advance of our trip. Our guides on our trip, Johno and Carl, were awesome.hey carefully planned each day’s activities and clearly communicated each night what was in store for the next day’s adventure. They enriched this fun and adventurous kayak experience with some key lessons about the wildlife, marine biology, conservation issues, and history of the First Nations in the area. The meals and snacks our guides cooked for us were absolutely delicious - seriously the best food we have ever had while camping. The gear provided for us (tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mattresses, raised cots for the tents, and chairs) were all top of the line gear. We stayed warm, dry, and slept so comfortably. Over our 3-day trip, we saw orca several times, humpback whales, porpoise, and seals. It was truly like a sea-fari. One one of our orca encounters, a pod of 15-20 orcas passed right by our kayak group. Johno and Carl kept us calm and safe, directing us to group our kayaks together and hang tight as we watched these beautiful creatures pass us. It was truly an incredible experience seeing these majestic animals so close. We originally chose AWE because their kayak trip dates were more flexible and worked better for our vacation schedule. We are SO glad we chose AWE over other kayak guide companies. During our trip, we passed by other kayak guide tour groups, and I can say that our group to staff/guide ratio seemed much better than what I saw from the other groups (our food also looked way better - no joke!). And our guides were so personable and knowledgeable, and well-respected. We would pass by other groups and it was fun to see the different guides interact with each other - it was clear that our guides, Wes, and AWE were well known and very respected by the other guides. AWE made this a trip of a lifetime for us. If you are thinking about booking a kayak trip on the northside of Vancouver Island, do not hesitate booking a trip with AWE. They are amazing.

Ranking: 5/5

At the Waters Edge:
Where do I begin??
HOW do I even begin to say how wonderful this experience was?

I guess I'll start at the beginning:
I wanted to surprise my partner and my 9 year old son with an ocean kayaking trip, and all the reviews led me to AWE Adventures. From the beginning communication was clear, concise, and courteous. Wesley was friendly and quick to respond to all my inquiries, and I had many! The lists and documents and suggestions provided were extremely helpful and I took them all very seriously, much to my partner's dismay, and I stayed warm and (mostly) dry.

Let me tell you about our guides Marc, Ricci, and Dennine:
Our guides were so patient and encouraging with our 9 year old son. They graciously listened to his stories, readily answered his many questions (and they were MANY), and matched his enthusiasm at his request to help with various tasks. They kept him busy just as much as he kept them on their toes. They were wonderful.

Marc, the man with a 5 star plan. On departure day Marc explained his plan and outlined his expectations for the trip. Marc had a plan for every day taking into account the tides, currents, and weather. He was extremely knowledgeable and kept us safe and on schedule in accordance with the ocean currents and tides. He was enthusiastic, and patient, and he makes a damn good cup of coffee.

Ricci, the girl with 5 star knowledge on inter-tidal marine life, and a heart the size of a Giant Pacific Chiton! To say Ricci is passionate about inter-tidal marine life would be an understatement. Ricci was eager to show us all the things she knew about inter-tidal life. She was quick to answer my son's MANY questions, and if she didn't have an answer, she had a book and we would look it up together. Ricci radiates positivity and always had a smile on her face.

Dennine, the girl with the spontaneous adventure streak, 5 star neck massages, and all the local plant based remedies and knowledge. Dennine was our local indigenous guide and it was such a blessing to have her there with us. Her knowledge, experience, and passion for the land and the ocean was invaluable. Dennine has a generous and peaceful soul and offered us much balance on our journey.

OMG, and the FOOD!!!!
The food. All I can say is WOW. I wish I would have taken pictures of the food! Quite honestly it looked and smelled so good, and I was so hungry that I could not be bothered to take pictures. I am amazed at the quality of the meals we were served while on an island in the middle of nowhere. They were incredible. The meals provided also catered to dietary restrictions. We were beyond impressed.

And of course we saw all the wildlife. whales, porpoise, sea lions, otters, you name it. Our guides were all so knowledgeable and knew where to look and what to listen for to make sure we all got a chance to see the animals in this incredible place.

I could go on, but I've probably lost many of you by now...

We will book again as soon as we can make it happen. 10/10 recommend AWE Adventures.

TLDR:
Great guides. Great food. 5 stars. Book here.

Ranking: 5/5

Our kayak trip with AWE Adventures was the best experience we've had all summer. We did the 3 day kayak trip and it exceeded our expectations. Our guide (Alicia) was so genuine and incredibly knowledgeable. It was honestly such a treat to be lead by such a professional. The provided gear was all high quality and super comfortable. The food was a really unexpected highlight of our trip, as each meal was well thought out and enjoyed in such stunning sceneries. We were also blown away with the amount of wildlife that we saw on the trip, especially the several orca families that swam right past our campsite.

We would highly recommend this trip!

Tips:
1. Don't feel you need to bring any of your own food, because there is so much food to eat.
2. Wear rubber boots under your provided water pants, as it'll keep your feet dry!
3. Don't overpack. It'll save you alot of time throughout the trip.