The great thing about kayaking is we can visit remote hard to reach beaches that few people visit. At first glance many of these beaches look pristine, but on closer examination traces of civilization can often be found in the plastic, styrofoam, and garbage that floats in on the tides.
When we find garbage we pack out what we can in our kayaks, especially stryrofoam as it can break down into tiny prices that are next to impossible to collect if left in the elements. On our base camp tours our kayaks are not heavily packed so there is lots of room and on our explorer tours we create more room in our kayaks as the trip progresses and we eat through our supplies.
When unable to pack out items in our kayaks we will collect garbage (especially Styrofoam and plastic) and securely pile it above the tide line and notify the appropriate agency to pick up (i.e. BC Parks and National Parks).
Kingfisher owner, Andrew Jones, participating in a Robson Bight and Boat Bay Beach clean up organized by Cetus Society and BC Parks.
A pile of Styrofoam and plastic collected by our guests on a remote west facing beach in Gwaii Haanas in 2012. That year we saw an influx in marine debris due to the 2011 Japanese tsunami.
Some peoples’ garbage is another person’s treasure. These Japanese glass fishing floats were found in 2014 during one of our Southern Gwaii Haanas Explorer kayak tours.