Header image by Convergence Studio
If there’s one thing that unifies all Outer Shores guests it’s an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and understanding of the natural world. You are passionate, curious, life-long learners. And specifically, for our small-ship based expeditions, this pulls us into the many fascinating realms of marine biology and ecology. No matter where we are on the BC coast, each day we encounter a wide range of marine life, and we naturally dig into the fundamental questions of names, taxonomy, diets, predators, life-cycles, behaviours, conservation status, and more.
For years, I have heard from many of our guests that they want more of that. They want the Outer Shores Expeditions crew to help them build a broader and more in-depth understanding of the huge discipline of ‘marine biology’.
And so, with the arrival of our new-to-us vessel, Ocean Wayfinder, we are pleased to announce a new kind of expedition, the first of what we hope will become an annual tradition. These expeditions will have all the key elements of our more typical expeditions (i.e., adventure, comfort, sailing, great wildlife, and great food), but with a more structured introduction to the marine life of the Pacific coast.
In 2027, we’re offering two inaugural Marine Life of the Pacific Coast departures; one exploring the Salish Sea – Salish Sea and Gulf Island National Park Reserve | April 23-27, 2027 (4 nights) – out of Sidney, and one exploring Barkley Sound out of Ucluelet – West Coast Vancouver Island and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | May 8-13, 2027 (5 nights).
Through pre-departure resources, interactive onboard presentations, boat-based and shore-based excursions and activities, these expeditions will dive into marine life, big and small. We will work our way up from marine plankton, marine algae (seaweeds), and marine invertebrates, to marine fishes, marine mammals, and seabirds, as well as some of the broad concepts of marine ecology and coastal oceanography.
Moreover, guests will support and participate in Outer Shores’ on-going citizen-science projects aimed at monitoring ocean climate change and marine biodiversity using oceanographic sensors, eDNA sampling, and underwater time-lapse photography.
The dates for these expeditions have been chosen to align with exceptionally low tides, making for incredible tide pooling and low intertidal zone explorations. As well, each of these expeditions will include a visit to a local marine interpretive centre; In Sidney, the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea, and in Ucluelet, the award-winning Ucluelet Aquarium.
Each of these regions is home to a wide range of marine habitats, ecosystems, and wildlife to explore and learn about.
In the Salish Sea, home to the Southern Resident Killer Whale population, we’ll consider the ecological importance of current-swept passages, eelgrass meadows, and unique island life, along with bull kelp forests and some great tide-pooling.
While in the Broken Group Islands of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, we’ll see how recovering sea otter populations are transforming marine ecosystems here, and spend time along the kelp forests and in the intertidal zone that has drawn researchers to the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre for more than fifty years. We’ll also keep watch for migrating grey whales, juvenile rockfish, and Pacific herring, and consider the role coastal upwelling plays along the west coast of Vancouver Island and beyond.
As your instructor and expedition leader, I look forward to sharing with you my passion and expertise of these topics and regions, and I hope you’ll join us!
For more information, please contact us!
Take care,
Region: Salish Sea and Gulf Island National Park Reserve
Dates: April 23-27, 2027 (4-nights)
Starts/Ends: Port Sidney
Price: $3,950 CAD/person
Region: West Coast Vancouver Island and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
Dates: May 8-13, 2027 (5-nights)
Starts/End: Ucluelet
Price: $4,950 CAD/person
