Sea kayaking at Goose Spit in Comox , BC

By Keith and Heather Nicol

As you can see the carry from the car was short at high tide

    Goose Spit is a favourite destination for many people in the Comox Valley and for good reason. You can go for a beach walk, have a picnic, or go paddle boarding or kayaking. One factor to consider when kayaking is the carry to the water from the car and so we usually kayak at the Spit when the tide is quite high to avoid a longer carry. Recently with high tides in the early evening and warm summer temperatures we decided to do an evening paddle on Tuesday July 21 in hopes of also getting a nice sunset.  The tide was about 4.8 meters and so that meant we just had short distance to carry our gear to the water and winds were very light from the north. We were joined by many people on paddle boards and other kayakers since the evening was so warm. 

Paddling at the Spit gives good views of the Comox Glacier

     We paddled around the Spit and saw many people enjoying the many pullouts that are possible along the spit since much of the shore line is sand or small gravels at this tide.  We even saw a couple of canoes which gives you an idea of how protected this area is for water sports. We pulled out for a snack with a great view of Denman and Hornby Islands in the distance after paddling about 3.5 km.. We then turned around and paddled back the way we had come.  An annoying cloud bank developed to the north so our hopes of a nice sunset weren’t to be for this outing. But that means we will have to come down to Goose Spit to try again.  For those not familiar with Goose Spit it is at the end of Hawkins Road in Comox.

Paddling around the end of the Spit