Sea kayaking at Goose Spit and the Courtenay River, Courtenay. B.C.

   by Keith and Heather Nicol                         

     Sea kayakers have lots of options in the Courtenay – Comox area of Vancouver Island. With the good weather continuing through mid November we decided to explore Goose Spit and the Courtenay River. Goose Spit is also a popular place to walk since it juts out into Comox Harbour for a couple of kilometers and provides good views of the Comox Icefield as well as the surrounding countryside. We put in on the protected harbour side at : 10 U 0362746 E 5503155 N on Saturday, November 15. Since it was high tide we had only a short carry to the water and we paddled past many different sea birds as we headed in a westerly direction around the spit. We stopped for a rest where a sailboat had blown ashore during the last big wind storm. After a short break we decided to return following the same route back to the car.

At the put in on Goose Spit

     Two days later on Monday, November 17 we decided to paddle down the Courtenay River from the boat launch at the marina near the Air Park in Courtenay (coordinates : 10 U 0356855 E 5505141 N).  This is a convenient put in since you can basically drive right to the water. The Courtenay River is teeming with waterfowl as well as seals at this time of year. We also saw an eagle and a blue heron. We paddled around a small island at the end of the estuary before heading back up stream to our launching point. This area has so much bird life that you could paddle in this area repeatedly and see lots of interesting things on each trip. 

There were lots of waterfowl around on our most recent paddle in this area

 Also while at this location be sure to drop in and chat to the people at Comox Valley Kayaks and Canoes. They are a great source of information about sea kayaking and we have chatted on several occasions to Gabriela Brunschwiler about various aspects of kayaking in this area. Since we have just arrived she told us about many places to kayak in this area as well as provided advice on roof racks and kayak carts. They not only have a large well equipped retail store but they also provide instruction and tours. For more information see:  http://www.comoxvalleykayaks.com/. 

Be sure to check out Comox Valley Kayaks and Canoes while in Courtenay