Cortes Kayaks

09/02/2023

A few more photos taken by our guests from this last week!

📸: Kendra and Lesley

09/01/2023

Feeling so grateful for this amazing group of women that we got to spend a week with! Can’t wait for next year’s ebb and flow retreats!

08/30/2023

We had a breath taking sunrise mindfulness paddle this morning. Listening to a nearby humpback whale and tuning into the ecosystems around us.

Join us next year for our ebb and flow kayak and yoga retreat!

08/28/2023

We just had a cancellation for our bioluminescence tour tonight! We have one space available. Sign up on our website - corteskayaks.com

08/28/2023

Days 1, 2 and 3 of our Ebb & Flow kayak and yoga retreat

We’ve had so many amazing adventures so far! Three more blissful kayak days followed by restful yoga. We’re feeling grateful this week!

08/27/2023

Tragically beautiful kayaking through the smoke over the Salish sea.

07/05/2023

Another five days at for our second Salish Shorelines program with

Eating amazing food and exploring the coastlines of the Salish sea everyday.

Thanks to our amazing guides Tosh and Asha who led the kayak parts of this trip! And thank you to Captain Jonas of for having us aboard the Misty Isles to do mothership kayaking!

06/27/2023

Days 1 & 2 of our Salish shorelines program with at

We’re grateful for the awesome weather and amazing group this week!

06/07/2023

Day five of Ebb & Flow kayak and yoga retreat! We’ve had a week full of so much adventure and laughter. We’re feeling grateful to have such an awesome group.

06/04/2023

First few days of our Ebb & Flow Kayak and yoga retreat at Hollyhock,

We’ve got an amazing group! Each day we are eating the best food, paddling the shorelines to explore new areas, practising mindfulness on the water and stretching our bodies out with yoga!

Hollyhock, Cortes Island

05/01/2023

Congratulations to our winners of our Earth day giveaway! Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway, we appreciate the support. Remember that every day is earth day!! 🌎🌍

won a 6 hour afternoon tour with

And… won a sunset or bioluminescence tour with

DM us to book your trip!

04/22/2023

GIVEAWAY! With and

- 1 spot on a sunset or bioluminescence kayak tour with in the 2023 season

- 1 spot on a 6 hour cruise with in the 2023 season

TO ENTER:
- like this post
- tag your friends in the comments (extra tags are extra entries)
- follow and

Giveaway closes at on April 30th at midnight. We will announce two winners on May 1st!

04/14/2023

Experience the breathtaking beauty of Coastal BC by kayak 🚣‍♀️

Silent Auction Highlight of the day: Cortes Kayaks! Allow the naturalist guides of Cortes Kayaks to lead you on an unforgettable ecological journey through the surrounding bays, lagoon, and islets of Manson’s Landing.

Gaze upon the setting sun and look for the diverse wildlife of the area as you paddle into the evening. Watch the sun disappear beyond the horizon and the bioluminescent phytoplankton light up the water beneath you.

Check out all that Cortes Kayaks has to offer at www.corteskayaks.com.

🗓️ Check out our Silent Auction at www.32auctions.com/hollyhock

03/08/2023

Salish shorelines: a saltwater journey. A lodge based mothership kayaking adventure.

June 25-30th 3 spaces left
June 30th- July 5th 2 spaces left

Join Cortes Island guides and mariners for a kayaking exploration of the Salish Sea surrounding the renowned Hollyhock Campus. Each day’s adventure offers a safe and comprehensive foray into the seascapes and histories of Desolation Sound and the Discovery Islands. Learn more and sign up online! Link in bio.

03/08/2023

Ebb and flow: kayak & yoga immersion at

2 spots left for June 2-7th
7 spots left for August 25-30th

Immerse yourself in the rhythms of the natural world and the ebb and flow of the Salish sea. Join us for five days of inward and outward exploration as we kayak along shorelines exploring the intertidal ecosystems and stretch our bodies with mindful yoga practice. Learn more and sign up, link in bio!

02/15/2023

Join us for five days of kayaking, yoga, fun and rejuvenation at Hollyhock's beautiful campus on Cortes Island. Details in the link below!

June 2-7
August 25-30

Immerse yourself in the rhythms of the natural world and the ebb and flow of the Salish Sea.

Each day will begin with mindfulness, meditation or yoga practice followed by kayaking. A new adventure awaits each morning as we explore nearby islands and coastlines.

Designed for fun, rejuvenation, and education, this 5-day program will awaken your senses, enliven your body and deepen your relationship with self and nature.

Early bird campus rates are still available, book at the 'Health & Healing' link in our bio.

🗓️ June 2 - 7
📍 Cortes Island, BC

12/13/2022

Join us for a trip in 2023! We have tons of paddling adventures lined up!!

• 3 & 4 day kayak adventures in Desolation sound and the Discovery Islands
• lodge based kayak and yoga immersions at (6 days)
• lodge based kayak mothership with at (Salish shorelines 6 days)
• Regular kayak lessons every FRIDAY at Mansons Landing
•Hourly rentals available on Fridays at Mansons Landing
• Regular sunset, bioluminescence, and afternoon tours all summer long!!
• multi day rentals available Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Book online - link in BIO!

12/01/2022

We are hiring for next season! Cortes Kayaks is seeking guides for the 2023 season. We are looking for hard working, out going individuals who love the outdoors and want to learn more about the island. We prioritize hiring local guides with a connection and commitment to the island long term. Reach out to us or check out the about us page on our website to learn more!

https://corteskayaks.com/about-us

Certifications:
- Level 1 or AOG through Sea Kayak Guide Alliance of BC (SKGABC)
- Radio operators certificate Maritime (ROCM)
- 40 hour Wilderness first Aid
- Be at least 19 years old
- Driver’s licence

09/04/2022

So many awesome memories made this season! We are closed for kayak rentals throughout September into October but we still have bioluminescence and sunset tours running. Sign up online and stay tuned for our 2023 offerings.

08/10/2022

Black Oystercatcher
Haematopus bachmani

Among the mussel, oyster and barnacle covered intertidal zone of the Salish Sea lives the Black Oystercatcher. They feast in the intertidal, using their long beaks to quickly break the muscles of unsuspecting bivalves. These birds are very vulnerable to effects of oil spills and other pollution in intertidal zone. They are also very vulnerable to disturbance at nesting sites.
The genus name Haematopus derives from the Greek for “blood-footed,” a reference to its pinkish feet.

Reference: All about birds: Black Oystercatcher

08/02/2022

07/27/2022

We’ve been kayaking in paradise for the last week! Lots of day trips, beautiful sunsets, great swimming, and yummy pic nics! Summer is definitely here, and flying by!

06/26/2022

Amazing last few days on our Wild Women Kayak and Yoga retreat. So grateful for our partnership with to offer these amazing experiences.

06/25/2022

What a beautiful day! So thankful for this wonderful group and awesome weather for our wild women kayak and yoga retreat.

06/23/2022

Day 2 of our second kayak and yoga retreat of the season! On this trip we partner with to offer a women’s only kayak and yoga retreat based at on Cortes Island. The next five will be filled with kayaking, yoga, mindfulness on the water, forest bathing, nature walks, live music, a drumming circle and much more!

After our onshore adjustments, safety talks, and intro to paddling we were off for a short morning paddle to Hanks Beach. Then back to for a delicious pad Thai lunch. This afternoon we will be doing a nature walk, yoga, and then later this evening a sunset paddle!

06/21/2022

Happy summer solstice and National Indigenous Peoples day!

Let’s celebrate the people who have stewarded the lands and waters of turtle island since time immemorial. Here, on the island we now call Cortes, we celebrate the resilience, strength and knowledge of the Klahoose, Homalco, and Tla’amin nations. Today and every day, we are so grateful to live, work, learn and play on these blessed territories.

And another reason to celebrate, it’s the summer solstice! What are solstices?
Solstices occur because Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted about 23.4 degrees relative to Earth's orbit around the sun. This tilt drives our planet's seasons, as the Northern and Southern Hemispheres get unequal amounts of sunlight over the course of a year. Today, the Earth's axis is tilted most closely toward the sun- which will be the longest day of the year! In the Southern Hemisphere, it is the longest night of the year.

06/19/2022

Day 2 of our program with

Today we did shore based kayaking! We explored the coastlines, ate a pic nic lunch on the beach, swam, and then hiked to a freshwater lake for another swim! Another beautiful day in paradise :)

We offer this program at annually in partnership with , join us next year!

06/19/2022

We had an awesome first day of our annual program; Salish Shorelines: a Saltwater Journey with

06/05/2022

Day 2 of our kayak and yoga retreat with

After morning yoga, breakfast and a quick hot tub we braved the weather for a kayak trip. We landed on a beach for a pic nic lunch and hiked to a freshwater lake to explore. We have such an awesome group, can’t wait for the days ahead!

05/27/2022

Last weeknd on our annual Adventures in Leadership trip (10-12 year olds)! We launched from Mansons and paddled to Marina for an overnight adventure.

The whole weekend was a blast, with so much laughter, games, fort building, art and much more! We love doing local youth programs!!

Thanks to the Cortes Community Health Association for providing these wonderful opportunities for local youth!

05/18/2022

Swipe to watch the sun fall beneath the horizon. We have regular sunset tours (7:30-10:30pm) launching from Manson’s lagoon this week and throughout the whole summer. The golden hour around sunset is such a special time to be on the water. Join us for a tour! Book online at corteskayaks.com

Contact us for a local’s discount 😜

03/31/2022

Kayak rental season has begun! We’ve even had a couple of people go on some multi day adventures this past week. The weather has been great for paddling and there is not another boat on the horizon. Shoulder season tourism is the best ☀️

We have a locals discount for rentals and trips! Contact us for details. Our regular trips start in May. Stay tuned and follow the link in our bio for more information.

03/28/2022

This year we are facilitating a five week high school course through school district 72 in a new field semester program called Cortes Island Academy (CIA). Our five week block, Outdoor Adventures and Leadership will run through September and be paired with the next five week block: Our Oceans: Marine Aquaculture and Stewardship. We believe that the ecology of Cortes Island provides an incredibly rich learning environment which engages many disciplines. This course will equip youth with practical skills for outdoor safety and recreation while also developing a basis of curiosity for the ecosystems around us. Our place based curriculum aims to develop critical thinking skills, oral communication, presentation skills, cooperation, leadership skills, and decision making. Each week we will have a new theme to act as a lens for our planned activities. We will kayak, explore, hike, journal and learn together for five weeks! For more information and to register check out the link in our bio!

03/20/2022

Today is the spring Equinox! The Equinox marks the change of seasons, when there are equal hours of day and night. So excited for the longer days, sun, and new growth to come! 🌱☀️

03/09/2022

This year we are offering two youth trips in partnership with the Cortes Community Health Association. Last year we were able to offer these trips free of charge with the support of the community! Link to donate towards these trips on our story. ✨🌱☀️

03/08/2022

Happy International Women’s Day! We are proud to be a women owned and operated company. Thank you to these women who make it all possible. 💛🌞

03/07/2022

Exploring the intertidal areas during an afternoon tour last summer. Kayaking is such a low impact way of learning and engaging with this ecosystem. There is so much to see right below the surface. Join us for a day tour this summer! We’re open for bookings online at Corteskayaks.com

02/16/2022

Spring paddling is the best! Clear waters and not another boat in sight...
We are open for kayak rentals now! Book online at corteskayaks.com

02/13/2022

A maiden voyage for some new kayaks in the fleet today! What a stunning afternoon to be out on the water.

Join us for an adventure this summer!

Corteskayaks.com

02/07/2022

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miss.rover • Hold Back the River - James Bay