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Can you spot the Bull? Our last trip in the Brou

Can you spot the Bull?

Our last trip in the Broughton Archipelago involved many marine mammal interactions, however, this night in particular was very special. As we sat down with our good friends on the back deck of Passing Cloud to enjoy our dinner, a pod of Northern Residents came cruising beside us and then disappeared into the setting sun. It was a calm evening on the water, and the sight of the bulls dorsal fin piercing through the water, paired with a delectable 3 course meal, is not something that will soon be forgotten.

We are now in the Great Bear Rainforest and we can’t wait to share with you what we find up there!

#passingcloud #explorebc #pnw #northernresidentorcas #sail #beautifulbc

There is nothing like running into our longtime co

There is nothing like running into our longtime colleagues aboard @mapleleafadvent for a friendly sail together

#passingcloud #mapleleafadventures #pnw #sailing #explorebc

Here we go! We are finally off of the dock for ou

Here we go!
We are finally off of the dock for our first trip of the season and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome guests back on board! For the next month we will be sailing through Johnstone Straight, exploring the Broughton Achipelago and enjoying the diverse marine life this area has to offer. After a month of sailing with whales, we will be headed to the Great Bear Rainforest in September.

#explorebc #beautifulbc #britishcolumbia #pnw #explorevancouverisland #outershores #passingcloud

After a full 6 week expedition, the crew of the Pa

After a full 6 week expedition, the crew of the Passing Cloud recently returned from another wildly successful Marine Debris Removal Initiative (MDRI). Working alongside over 100 crew members and 8 fellow boats, we managed to scramble over 305km of coastline to collect 210 tons of marine plastics from the Northern British Columbia coast. This year we are happy to announce that after the debris was collected and recorded, it was then sorted and sent off to @theoceanlegacy with the intention of about 70% of it being reused or recycled. The data that our teams recorded on the specific debris found will also be presented to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.

We would like to thank the Coastal First Nations Kitasoo/Xai'Xais, Heiltsuk, Gitga’at, Gitxaala and Haisla for their support and permission to allow this initiative to take place. As well as, the Government of British Columbia who funded the expedition as part of the Pandemic Response and Economic Recovery initiative and the Clean Coast, Clean Waters Initiative Fund under the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.

Although we are very proud of our accomplishments, the battle against marine pollution is not over. After returning to a shoreline that our crew cleaned only 6 months earlier, they were shocked and discouraged to find another 300kg of plastic had washed up in their absence. With an estimate of 8 million tons of garbage entering the ocean each year, our work is far from done.

@kitasooxaixais @heitsukcouncil @gitgaat @CLCKitkatla @Haisla_Nation
@georgeheyman @johnhorgan4bc
@oceanadventurescharter @bluewateradventuresbc @mothership.adventures @outershores @wildernesstourismassociation @oceanlight2adventures @mapleleafadvent @bearviewingbc @wildernesstourismassociation @helloBC

#bearviewingbc #cleancoastcleanwaters #saferoceans #cleanbc #betterbc #bccoastalcleanup #explorecanada #exploreBC #greatbearrainforest #getoutside #keepitwild #beachcleanup #protectingbc #marinedebris #plasticpollution #ghostfishinggear #cleanocean #oneocean #beautifulbc #canada #leaveitbetter #microplastics #bcwehaveaproblem #oceanawareness #explorevancouverisland

It is Earth Day 🌎 We hope everyone has the ch

It is Earth Day 🌎

We hope everyone has the chance to get outside and appreciate Mother Nature and all that she provides for us today!

#earthday #outershores #respecttheplant #mothernature

Wishing everyone a safe and healthy Easter weekend

Wishing everyone a safe and healthy Easter weekend!

This weeks #funfactfriday showcases the Tufted Puf

This weeks #funfactfriday showcases the Tufted Puffin. A seabird we are always thrilled to come across on our expeditions. Being a true sea bird, they spend the majority of their lives on the water. They are so well adapted to ocean life, they are essentially able to “fly” underwater to catch and consume their prey. Although they mostly feed on small fish, they have also been known to go after larger meals such as squid, crustaceans and sea urchins. The only time they come to land is for 3 months a year when they lay and incubate their eggs in burrows up to 1.5m underground. Let us know what you want to learn about next Friday!

📸 James Thompson

#outershores #puffin #britishcolumbia #bcbirds

It is officially spring! Our favourite sign that t

It is officially spring! Our favourite sign that the seasons are changing is when our coastal waters light up in a brilliant turquoise hue, due to a massive spawning event from the Pacific Herring. Millions of these little fish migrate to inshore waters to lay their eggs on eel grass and other seaweeds. This event attracts thousands of birds, seals, seal lions, and whale species to the underwater buffet each year. The grey whale in particular, migrates all the way up from the Baja coast to attend this spectacular event and they remain in the Northern waters to feed until the fall.

📸 1: @matahillawsondesigns

#herringspawn #britishcolumbia #outershores #pacificherring

This weeks fact is focused on the Pacific White-si

This weeks fact is focused on the Pacific White-sided Dolphin, or "lags". They are the acrobats of our sea, and it is not uncommon to see them riding the bow of Passing Cloud. Although we see them regularly on our expeditions now in pods of 5-200, they were not commonly seen in the inside coastal passages of BC until around the 1980s. But, since then, the frequency of their sightings has significantly increased, with pods of over 1000 individuals being spotted on the BC coast today.

#funfactfriday #pacificwhitesideddolphins #outershores

We have decided to start doing fun fact Fridays! C

We have decided to start doing fun fact Fridays! Check in every Friday for an interesting fact about the wildlife you may encounter on our expeditions, or some history of our favourite places to travel to.

This week we decided to start with the Pacific Harbour Seal, which is one of the most common marine mammals we see here on the west coast. They are found in all coastal areas of BC and their population stretches from Baja, California, all the way up to Alaska. Did you know that although they are mostly found in marine environments, there is also a population of harbour seals that live year round in freshwater lakes and rivers. They have been found in at least 20 rivers around BC, including Hells gate in the Fraser River, which is 500km away from the ocean!

#funfactfriday #harbourseal

Seven years ago our sea star populations fell vict

Seven years ago our sea star populations fell victim to sea star wasting disease, in which the animal affected seemed to perish by melting away. Originally it was thought that a virus was spreading this disease, however, New Cornell research suggests that this may instead be due to microbial activity caused by higher ocean temperatures and organic matter. This combination allows bacteria to thrive and decreases the amount of oxygen available to the sea star, essentially causing them to suffocate

#seastar #seastarwastingdisease

The results are in. It was the largest ever BC coa

The results are in. It was the largest ever BC coastal marine debris clean up. A fleet of 9 ships and 17 skiffs, 111 crew members and 69 First Nation community members, all collected 127,060 kg of beach-cast marine debris (especially from plastics, derelict fishing gear) from 401 sites and 540 km of hard-to-access shoreline off British Columbia’s west coast.

And guess what? There’s way more out there and we want to do it again. #cleancoastcleanwaters #BCCoastalCleanUp

Last fall, we partnered with BC’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy and several Indigenous Nations as part of a $3.5M project to clean up the central coast shores off the Great Bear Rainforest. See the full report by clicking the link on our bio.

#cleancoastcleanwater #saferoceans #cleanbc #betterbc #bccoastalcleanup #explorecanada #exploreBC #greatbearrainforest #getoutside #keepitwild #beachcleanup #protectingbc #marinedebris #plasticpollution #ghostfishinggear #cleanocean #oneocean #beautifulbc #canada #leaveitbetter #westcoastbestcoast #microplastics #bcwehaveaproblem#oceanawareness #lifebelowwater

@coastalfirstnations @kitasooxaixais @heitsukcouncil @neiltsukcouncil @CCIndigenousResourceAlliance @wildernesstourismassociation @georgeheyman @sheilamalcomsonbc @johnhorgan4bc @oceanadventurescharter @bluewateradventuresbc @mothership.adventures @outershores @wildernesstourismassociation @pacificyellowfincharters @oceanlight2adventures @mapleleafadvent @bearviewingbc @destinationindigenous @indigenoustourismbc @gitgaatspirit

“127 tons of cleanup, 42 days, nine ships, one a

“127 tons of cleanup, 42 days, nine ships, one adventure of a lifetime” the Travel Courier highlights Outer Shores Expeditions and our fellow tour operators in our marine debris removal initiative in their cover story. Check it out! http://ow.ly/ClED50DrLEf

#outershores #passingcloud #MDRI #BCCoastalCleanup #MarineDebris #TravelCourier

After eradicating grizzly bears from over half of

After eradicating grizzly bears from over half of their historical range in North America, their population has begun to recover. Bruce McLellan, who has been studying grizzlies for over 40 years, reports that the populations are better than ever, with 5 of the 6 populations becoming stable or increasing. With this comeback they are beginning to reclaim some surprising habitat, including Vancouver Island, which has not had a viable brown bear population for thousands of years. Vancouver island has plenty of habitat and food resources to support this population and it has always been a mystery as to why the grizzlies have not made the island their home. One theory is that in order to swim to the island, they must cross a 3-4.5 km gap at minimum. Male grizzlies can swim up to 7km at a time while females only swim up to 2km, so it is believed that it is only young males who are making their way to the island. With no chance to reproduce, most of them will not stay long. If you are interested in learning more about our grizzly bear populations, check out this months article published in Hakai Magazine https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/where-now-grizzly-bear/

#outershores #grizzlybear #explorebc

Recently a group of marine guides have been discus

Recently a group of marine guides have been discussing establishing the “Marine Guides Association of Canada”. Through an open invite Town Hall meeting we are wanting to encourage the development of a clear mandate from the Canadian marine guiding community about how and what a potential organization might look like. We are also actively looking to our community to contribute to our efforts as we action any mandate we receive. Our strength is in the diversity of experience and knowledge found within this amazing collection of people.

Join us on February 4th and share your ideas, concerns and questions.

If you plan on attending the town hall, please RSVP; it will be helpful for planning purposes.
If you already have questions, let us know in advance - send them along with your RSVP email. Please RSVP to admin@marineguidescanada.ca.

CREW APPRECIATION POST! We’d like to say a HUGE

CREW APPRECIATION POST!
We’d like to say a HUGE thank you to all of the amazing crew aboard the #PassingCloud that participated in the Marine Debris Removal Initiative. Your hard work and dedication made these two expeditions possible. Days were long and hard with treacherous terrain and challenging conditions, but you did it all with enthusiasm and positivity and we couldn’t have asked for a more professional and capable crew- thank you!

Thank you to all of the other onboard and behind the scenes crew in the fleet and collaborators on shore as well! What an incredible collection of folks. It truly took a community to complete this project. THANK YOU! 🙏

#thankyou #BCCoastalCleanup #MarineDebris #SSTOA

Weighing, measuring, and lashing on debris was all

Weighing, measuring, and lashing on debris was all part of the process for the #BCCoastalCleanup.

Many items were tied together and secured onto the outside of lift bags and measured by volume as “lift bag equivalents”. The helicopter pilot, however, would call these attachments tied on to bags as “hitchhikers” as they were lifted off the shoreline and onto the barge.

These plastic floats from the fishing industry were a regular discovery and we’d find dozens daily. We were pleased to discover that the Heiltsuk Horizon tug and barge crew were able to repurpose a majority of these floats for the Heiltsuk herring spawn-on-kelp fishery.

#marinedebris #repurpose #HeiltsukHorizon #airspanhelicopters #SSTOA #plastic 📸 @orianabatic

After weeks of scouring the shoreline, marking coo

After weeks of scouring the shoreline, marking coordinates of lift bag locations, and linking up helicopter ground operations, the tug and barge return to port with approximately 66,000 kg of marine debris from the second of two expeditions (to add to the ~61,000 kg from the first), wrapping up the Marine Debris Removal Initiative – Excellent work everyone!

#BCCoastalCleanup #marinedebrisremovalinitiative #HeiltsukHorizon #AirspanHelicopters

It’s often hard to visualize weight. Our brains

It’s often hard to visualize weight. Our brains naturally seek relative terms to compare. Behind our crew on the final heli-ops day of the Marine Debris Removal Initiative sits nearly 415 lift bag and lift bag equivalents of marine debris, weighing in around 66,000 kilograms, or 66 metric tons, in addition to the previous expedition’s 61 tons for a total of 127 metric tons - Whoah. That’s a lot of marine debris!

That’s roughly the weight of 63 horses,

33 hippopotamuses,

21 African bush elephants,

4 humpback whales,

Or roughly one adult blue whale, the largest animal on earth.

That’s truly an unimaginable amount of debris removed from the marine environment in just under 6 weeks.

Amazing work everyone!

#BCCoastalCleanup #marinedebris #plastic #derelictfishinggear #heiltsukhorizon

We are incredibly proud to be part of the Marine D

We are incredibly proud to be part of the Marine Debris Removal Initiative (#MDRI) currently underway on the BC coast. This initiative is a collaboration of our small group, the Small Ship Tour Operators Association (SSTOA), with the @wildernesstourismassociation and @bearviewingbc in response to COVID-19 bringing a complete halt to adventure tourism this year.

This incredible project is funded by the @governmentofbc and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy as part of the province's COVID-19 stimulus, alongside the Clean Coast, Clean Waters Initiative Fund (CCCW). This fund is helping the SSTOA, @coastalfirstnations, and local communities on the BC coast, to not only survive through this global pandemic but also bring awareness to the global problem of marine pollution by mobilizing our idle ships and crew to help rid our local ocean environment of the devastatingly enormous amounts of marine debris.

Thank you so much to all of our colleagues, collaborators, and crew on-board and on-shore behind the scenes, for the incredible success for our first MDRI expedition retrieving over 61,000 kg of debris! Now we're off for the second part of this project and 21 more days of clean-up – excellent work everyone!

#BCCoastalCleanup
#SSTOA #MarineDebris

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Latest News

MDRI Part 6 – The Final Report Is Out!

by Russell Markel

MDRI Part 6 – The Final Report Is Out!

by Russell Markel

MDRI Part 5 – What We Removed, Thanks, and Next Steps

by Russell Markel

MDRI Part 5 – What We Removed, Thanks, and Next Steps

by Russell Markel

MDRI Part 4 – Expedition #2 and the Pacific Drift

by Russell Markel

MDRI Part 4 – Expedition #2 and the Pacific Drift

by Russell Markel

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MDRI Part 6 – The Final Report Is Out!
February 24, 2021
MDRI Part 5 – What We Removed, Thanks, and Next Steps
October 8, 2020
MDRI Part 4 – Expedition #2 and the Pacific Drift
October 7, 2020

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