Sea kayaking with orcas in Johnstone Strait is a world-renowned adventure. Few people, however, take it one step farther and paddle north into the Broughton Archipelago. As you paddle north from Telegraph Cove on Vancouver Island, you can leave the chaos of fishing boats, cruise ships, whale watchers, and other kayak groups behind and find a maze of tight passages and islands draped in moss and shrouded in mystery. Many of these islands contain signs of First Nations settlements from 6,000 to 8,000 years ago. Village Island, near the middle of the archipelago, is the site of a famous historical potlatch. You can still walk through the remains of ancient longhouses and see even older house posts and totem poles that are slowly decaying and returning to the Earth. Not only is it possible to paddle with orca, humpback, and Minke whales in Johnstone Strait and Blackfish Sound, but you will find more seals, sea lions, river otters, porpoises, dolphins, mink and solitude the further you travel into the Broughtons. The intertidal life underwater is just as amazing as what you see around you. Check out Steller Sea Kayaking for tours led by professional biologists and archeologists. (collapse)