Course Details

Itinerary:  Day 1
We depart early by van from Seaport B&B in Sandspit for the one-hour drive to Moresby Camp.  Here, we board a large Zodiac-style speedboat for transport to Rose Harbour, at the southern tip of the archipelago.

After our arrival in Rose Harbour, we load the kayaks and launch on our self-supported wilderness expedition.

Days 2 to 7
When conditions permit, we venture towards the outer coast to gain valuable experience in more challenging marine environments such as swell, currents and surge.

The course provides numerous opportunities to develop skills through experiential learning.  During controlled simulations, participants experiment with a wide variety of guiding tools, leadership styles and paddling techniques.

Depending on weather and sea conditions, we may change campsites daily, or establish a few different base-camps during the trip.

During the trip, our group paddles offshore to Anthony Island where we visit the ancient Haida village of SGang Gwaay (Ninstints).

There are numerous world-class paddling destinations throughout this wild and diverse region.  We spend a full week touring and exploring the area before paddling back to Rose Harbour on Day 8.

Day 8
The speedboat arrives in Rose Harbour to return the group to Sandspit.  Depending on conditions, the group may have an opportunity to stop at Hotsprings Island on the way.

Our itinerary remains very flexible in order to accommodate changeable west coast conditions.  Alternate boat or floatplane transport may be substituted.

Why Choose
Evolution Guide School?

Our course is different:

Our maximum group size is six participants.
Our participant to instructor ratio is 3:1.  This small group size enables our instructors to provide the highest level of attention to each individual on the expedition.

We provide exclusively single kayaks.
Double kayaks are not used during our course.  Leadership opportunities are significantly diminished when paddling in the bow of a double.

Our course is offered in a world-class, remote wilderness destination.
We provide two-way speedboat transportation between Sandspit and Rose Harbour - located at the southern tip of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve & Haida Heritage Site.

Our instructors are veteran guides.
Our instructors do much more than teach these courses; they have gained a lifetime of experience as professional sea kayak guides.  Gord and Barrett have professionally led countless highly successful trips - both together and separately throughout Gwaii Haanas, as well as many other global paddling destinations.
Our instructors have a long history of working with Evolution Guide School.  Barrett and Gord are a highly-refined and well-proven team.

Prerequisites

This program is not designed for novice kayakers.

Previous multi-day sea kayak touring experience will benefit participants on this kayak leadership course.  Those who arrive with very little previous kayak touring experience may find the course quite challenging and possibly overwhelming.

During this guide training program, participants are immersed into simulated leadership situations.  Without a foundation of previous sea kayaking experience to draw upon, participants may find they are focused on simply looking after themselves, when they are asked to look after the entire group.

• Leadership Course Prerequisites
• Previous sea kayak day-trip experience is a minimum requirement; multi-day sea kayak touring experience is preferred.
• Familiarity and comfort with wilderness camping is necessary.
• A reasonable level of competence with handling a single kayak in a variety of sea conditions is required.
• A practical level of fitness and coordination are necessary.

These prerequisites are guidelines; there is some flexibility.  Every year, participants with wide diversities of experiences enroll with Evolution Guide School.  Each participant invariably gains a tremendous amount from the course.

Group members are encouraged to maintain consistently positive attitudes, especially during challenging moments.

Participants who arrive with a solid base of previous sea kayaking experience are more likely to qualify for assistant guide certification.

Thinking about joining a course, but not sure if you're fully ready?
This course is designed to be challenging.  At the same time, the learning environment is very safe, supportive and fair.  You may find some additional insights by viewing these testimonials, as well as this short collection of quotes.

Please contact Gord if you have any questions about the course prerequisites.

(For a more holiday-oriented trip suitable for novice and experienced paddlers, we offer guided expedition-style sea kayak tours through Haida Gwaii with Butterfly Tours.)