On a beautiful sunny Friday evening, I was invited to sail up Indian Arm on Bluewater Adventures’ Island Odessy. This 70′ sailboat usually stays in Southeast Alaska, exploring whales, bears and glaciers throughout some gorgeous

Island Oddessy by John Biehler on Flickr

scenery, but, through a twist of fate, the ship was moored in Deep Cove.

Bluewater Adventures offers several “small-ship” experiences, taking only 12-16 guests at a time into remote coastal regions. I’ve lived on the West Coast of Canada all my life, and I’ve never been up Indian Arm, or for that matter into Deep Cove. It was an eye opening experience for my jaded city-soul.

Bluewater Adventures is a North Vancouver based company, which has been in operation for more than 35 years. They travel to their Queen Charlotte Islands, Great Bear Rainforest (where the Kermode Spirit Bears live), Northern Vancouver Island, Southeast Alaska, the Gulf Islands, and they’ve recently added the Inside Passage.

National Geographic recently named Bluewater Adventures “One of the Best Travel Companies on Earth”

Island Oddessy by Miss604 on Flickr

(January, 2009, National Georgraphic Adventure magazine), and they operate carbon neutral trips and focus on sustainable tourism practices. Wherever possible, they sail, only using the motor when necessary, and have a naturalist on board to answer any questions guests may have.Every year, carbon offsets are purchased through Offseters (a company chosen by the 2008 Eco-Tourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference as their choice for the purchase of offsets).

Trips with Bluewater Adventures vary from 5 to 11 days in length, and they can run anywhere between $2125 to $4465 depending on the ship, the length of the tour and where you go.  Your options are:

Queen Charlotte Islands:
The Gwaii Hannas National Park Reserve holds the totem poles of old Haida villages Ninstints (a  World Heritage Site) and biological wonders of the Canadian Galapagos’ Islands.

Indian Arm by Miss604 on Flickr

Great Bear Rainforest:
Search for the all-white Spirit Bear, grizzly bears and wolves in this dramatic and remote area.  See whales, waterfalls and remote Native villages.

Canadian Gulf Islands:
These beautiful islands provide a lovely variety of marine parks, and now form the new Gulf Islands National Park.

Northern Vancouver Island:
Orcas and Totems - The best place in the world to see Orcas and the rich Kwakwak native heritage. Enjoy a wide variety of marine mammals, remote beaches and summer sailing.

From the same kind of tour - yet a different route - you can observe grizzlies feeding on spawning salmon up Knight Inlet, orcas and humpback whales feeding in Johnsone Straight.

Southeast Alaska:

Indian Arm by Miss604 on Flickr

Discover the incredible humpback whales of Frederick Sound, the bears of Anan and Admiralty, and magnificent glaciers cascading into the sea.

If you get the opportunity, it is certainly worth taking a trip throughout BC’s coastal waters. Better than an Alaskan Cruise, and more hands on than a trip you could take on your own, Bluewater Adventures will give you the opportunity to experience nature up close. Some of the stories our captain told us on Friday evening were absolutely amazing, and despite the fact that I’m still a jaded city-girl, I would definitely consider taking one of the Bluewater tours.

You can reach Bluewater Adventures at 1-888-877-1770 or through BlueWaterAdventures.ca.