Our Team & Story - Sea Kayaking & Ecotourism Professionals
Guests regularly comment that the West Coast Expeditions team rocks! We love sharing our passion for sea kayaking, the local cultural and natural diversity, delicious meals, and balanced days filled with laughter and quiet moments.We take care of the details that help you to fully relax and become absorbed in your holiday, savouring the remote wilderness base camp kayaking or expedition kayaking experience of west coast Vancouver Island.
| We have a new appreciation for the true meaning of the word guide... you all exemplified the profession. |
| Andy & Judy Frost, Courtenay, BC |
We've been doing variations on our current trips since 1972 - learn about our history!
Your Safety
Our kayaking guides are trained and certified with the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC, Association of Canadian Sea Kayak Guides, Paddle Canada, or as appropriate for the specific program. For almost 2 decades, we have helped to set standards in our industry. We follow and frequently exceed industry practices for guide-to-guest ratios, safety equipment, contingency options, and certifications, including appropriate first aid credentials and experience.
Our Coastal Wilderness Retreat base camp facilities, power boat, local network, and proximity to the village of Kyuquot's Health Centre provide many resource layers for your safety in this remote location.
Owners, Sea Kayak Guides and Staff
| I call Dave Pinel 'Mr Kyuquot' because nobody else has been leading kayak tours there as long. No other paddler knows the area, its weather, and its people, as well as he does. |
| Alex Matthews author of "Sea Kayaking: Rough Waters" |
David Pinel, managing owner and lead guide, has been playing in salty water all of his life. He has been kayaking, boating, and leading west coast marine adventures since 1985, and organizing personal adventures long before that. Since joining West Coast Expeditions in the mid-90's, guests have long appreciated Dave's dynamic, inspiring, and intuitive leadership style that weaves together the finer details while keeping the big picture in mind. He spent much of his childhood on lakes in Ontario or immersed in the Atlantic ocean. He fell in love with the Pacific coast as both a student and faculty at Lester B. Pearson United World College (Victoria, BC) and while working in fast-response Coast Guard Search & Rescue for five summer seasons. Dave established and helped grow one of Canada’s first comprehensive sea kayaking instructional centres at Ocean River Sports in Victoria. Occasionally lured away from Vancouver Island, his international travel and studies have taken him to India, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand, Australia, Western Europe, Mexico, Peru, and Ecuador.
Dave coordinates and teaches the Coastal Adventure Tourism Program for North Island College (since 2002) on Vancouver Island and has a passionate interest in coastal ecology and culture. Among kayakers, his knowledge of the Kyuquot area and community is unmatched - he loves sharing this with guests.
When not paddling, teaching, or Nordic skiing, he's a professional planner who works with communities and organizations. His 1998 M.Sc. thesis (U. of Guelph) and later consulting work have contributed to community and economic development in the remote coastal area of Kyuquot. Dave is a veteran Guide Trainer and Examiner with the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC, and has been an early and long-time contributor to shaping British Columbia's professional sea kayaking practices. Committed to marine stewardship, he is honoured to be a Lifetime Member of the Georgia Strait Alliance after serving as a Director from 1998 to 2004, including 4 years as President.
Together with wife Caroline, son Morgan, and the rest of our West Coast Expeditions team, he eagerly anticipates each summer, hosting you and sharing the joy and magic of Spring Island and the Kyuquot area. Despite all this serious stuff, he can let his hair down (oops, he doesn’t have any).
Caroline Fisher, owner, guide, and host, loves plying the water in kayaks, exploring beaches and forests, eating well, and laughing. She has been a leader in outdoor education since 1990 and has extensive experience traveling and working internationally in South Africa, Mexico, Central America, New Zealand, and the United States (Four Corners region). Her most recent forays are guiding mothership-based tours in Vietnam and Croatia.A self-professed “ecotourism geek”, she has grown and shared her passion for Responsible Travel at several international conferences and as Faculty with the Capilano University Outdoor Recreation Diploma and Wilderness Leadership Program, and more recently with the North Island College Adventure Tourism Programs.
Her Bachelor of Tourism Management degree (Vancouver Island University) has led to some consulting in community-based tourism planning, including for coastal First Nations and the sea kayaking industry, and work with strategic planning for the Wilderness Tourism Association. Passionate about the coast and the health of our coastal ecosystems, she was a volunteer Director with the Georgia Strait Alliance for two years.
After many seasons of kayak guiding with top companies in Clayoquot Sound and Johnstone Strait, Kyuquot is now her “chosen place” – she’s seen the light and knows a great thing when she sees it! An experienced Level 3 Guide with the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC for 6 years, she now maintains her Level 2 Certification. Caroline brings lively energy and a keen sense of fun and humour to our West Coast Expeditions family.
Caroline juggles many of the behind-the-scenes administrative and operational details, and skilfully pursues her love of healthy eating and delicious food as co-choreographer of our menu and meals.
Morgan Fisher Pinel is an old soul who comes from the sea, and loves bumpy boat rides. Aptly described by one West Coast Expeditions guest as a “little heart thief”, he ensures that everyone feels welcome while on Spring Island. Given the chance, he will take your hand or beckon you to the beach to see the little things, hear the owls and sea otters, and be a kid. Morgan is an apprentice interpreter on forest walks and intertidal explorations, and gets into or out on the water whenever possible.
Bev Hansen-Michel, owner and guide, is a First Nations woman with a love and respect for the ocean and nature, as taught by her late dad, Michael Hansen and her mom, Hilda Hansen, one of only a few Native Elders living in the community. She has diverse talents and a smile that will make you feel welcome in her home territory of the Ka:'yu:'k't'h / Che:k:tles7et'h' (Kyuquot/Checleset) First Nations. Her cultural knowledge about the cedar tree and traditional weaving techniques is only a small part of what she shares. Bev is a trained Assistant Guide through North Island College's Coastal Adventure Tourism Certificate, and an experienced west coast boater. She is current pursuing her degree in Tourism Management at Vancouver Island University which included a study experience in Ghana, Africa.
Our guests appreciate her comfortable, unassuming, knowledgeable, curious, and helpful nature. She loves being on the water, learning about and sharing her home place. Before West Coast Expeditions and eco-adventure tourism, Bev worked for years in First Nations administration, including as a band manager, bookkeeper, and economic development coordinater. Recently returned to Kyuquot from years of working for the Hesquiaht First Nation in Hot Spings Cove (Clayoquot Sound), she is thrilled to be pursuing her dreams at home with West Coast Expeditions.
James McKerricher, aka “Black Beardless”, is a graduate of the Adventure Guide Diploma at Thompson Rivers University and has been leading sea kayak expeditions on the west coast of Vancouver Island since 2003. He's not just any old run-of-the-mill guide: James offers a passion for gourmet backcountry cooking and has his signature on the menu and food prep for all of our trips. We eat well. Very well.Trained in Classical French Cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu (Cuisine Diploma) in Ottawa, James spends his winters traveling the globe for new food inspirations. For two winters now, he has been cooking for 60 cyclists as they travel from Cairo to Cape Town (the Tour d’Afrique), a journey that spans 10 countries and 4 months!
James is an avid and talented writer, sharing his wry humour, keen observations, and sharp reflections in the Nomadic Omnivore, his engaging cooking and travel blog. Besides winning you over with food and being good company, he is a certified and experienced Level 3 Guide with the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC and dreams about menu ideas when not learning Japanese, researching fungi, or otherwise playing in his kayak.
Sandra Szabo is one-of-a-kind, and in love with Morgan. She drove west on her BMW motorcycle from an HR cubicle in a Toronto tower, and hasn’t looked back except to visit her parents! On the coast, Sandra has immersed herself in all things marine in the summer and all things skiing in the winter - most recently at Mt. Washington's Nordic Centre. Though calm in manner, Sandra’s multi-talented brain is rarely at rest: she’s currently composing and compiling a repertoire of intertidal ditties on the ukulele. Her diverse life experiences, versatile personality, and curiosity make her a wonderful addition to our guiding team. With an undergrad degree in Psychology (Queens) and graduate studies in Human Resource Mgmt (Sheridan Tech), her brain is a wonderfully twisted place that has moved her passion from humans to marine invertebrates - the more spineless, the more spectacular. She is a certified Level 2 Guide with the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC and graduate of the Coastal Adventure Tourism Certificate at North Island College. Sandra is a reliable source of chocolate any hour of the day.
Serina Bain is passionate about educating people of all ages and sharing the outdoors - interacting with story-telling, experiential activities, and laughter! Serina joins the West Coast Expeditions team as a veteran Level 3 Guide with the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC. She has worked all around Vancouver Island (Gulf Islands, Clayoquot Sound, Johnstone Strait, Broken Group Islands, and Nuchatlitz Islands) and Baja Mexico. She knows west coast waters well and is a favourite with guests!With degrees in Physical Education and History (Vancouver Island University) and Education (Lakehead University), she otherwise works as a teacher, specializing in Outdoor Experiential and Environmental Education. When working with school groups, she loves their excitement of discovering the wonders of creatures in their back yard. Guiding with West Coast Expeditions, outdoor education and teaching are further informed by her work in aquatics, recreation and fitness since 1997. This all sounds serious. Most of all, she is great company: full of laughter and ready for a good time.
Beth Anne Masselink is an international woman of mystery...who exudes competence and comfort on the water and around camp. She is a super-respected, versatile, veteran Level 3 Guide and Guide Trainer with the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC and has worked most places on the coast. We’re pleased that she’s chosen WCE and Kyuquot as part of her repertoire to complement her other year-round guiding and kayak instruction work. Besides her tall stature and notable metabolism, Beth Anne offers a depth of interpretive knowledge and kayaking skill that helps guests to feel relaxed and connected with their surroundings, knowing she’s completely present and in her element.
Sherryl Eagle is our new Office Administrator - an organised-kind-of-person who enjoys working with people to make things possible...just what every office needs! As the mother of two, she notes that parenting has been her biggest adventure so far! As such, she takes a "be prepared" approach to their family outings so that the journey is fully enjoyed - her ‘adventure bag’ is always ready to go with animal and plant guidebooks, first-aid kit, water, snacks, sunscreen and cameras. She'll help to make sure that you have yours too! Sherryl is an avid photographer, loving nature & landscapes, and currently working on a micro perspective about ‘patterns of nature’. She also loves to fish, especially from shore - essentially an excuse to stand between the forest and ocean all day! Sherryl joins us with considerable training and experience as both an owner/operator and office manager in the adventure tourism sector. She is passionate about providing our guests with the details they need to truly get away for a fantastic experience on our coast.
Christine 'Chris' Jules, a Ka:'yu:'k't'h (Kyuquot First Nation) matriarch, keeps life in great perspective! She is constantly giving to those around her - including West Coast Expeditions guests. Chris, her man Vic, and her immediate and extended family have long blessed our lives and guests' experiences on Spring Island with delicious salmon feasts on our 5 and 7-day base camp packages. She is full of laughter, personal stories, and sincere reflection. Chris is part of our family and team - a piece of the West Coast Expeditions fabric since 1992!Brian Henry is returning to his roots with West Coast Expeditions - Brian fell in love with Kyuquot and sea kayaking while paddling here years ago. Don't tell him, but he's a guru of sea kayaking and known internationally for his kayak designs, paddling abilities (sea, surf, river, racing), and story-telling charisma - great company on and off the water. As a Level 2 Guide with the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC, and owner of Ocean River Sports (kayak specialty store in Victoria), Brian has teamed up with West Coast Expeditions to develop and help deliver some of our trips. You've drawn a winning straw when out with Brian on one of our instructional tours or expeditions.
Andy Murray is a devout marine interpretation and paddling geek, steeped in details that will help you to stop wondering how it all fits together. A veteran of west coast kayak guiding and instructing in Clayoquot Sound and most everywhere else that salty water is found, Andy is a passionate and consummate instructor who shares an infectious attention to details that will keep you feeling comfortable, aware, engaged, and curious.
| WOW! A perfect blend of showcasing this magnificent environment, great food, and just the right amount of 'creature comforts'. You are all amazing hosts redefining hospitality. |
| Steve Leppard, Australia |
Guides-at-large
...who want to be out with us more, but are often otherwise occupied - we catch them when we can...and still consult with them regularly as part of our team...
Michael Pardy is a modern pioneer in paddlesport and leadership development. Though somewhat abusive to his own kayaks (he can’t stop himself from exploring close to the rocks), he will help you to dance on the water and fully experience the coast. His path has included guiding with Blackfeather Adventures in the Arctic, developing Ocean River Sports' Adventure Centre, co-founding and running Sea Kayak Instruction and Leadership Systems (SKILS), and as Executive Director of the Trade Association of Paddle Sports (TAPS). Moss doesn't grow on Michael (just a beard). He currently coordinates staff training for Mountain Equipment Co-op, teaches at Royal Roads University...and is regularly scheming about when he next joins us in Kyuquot.
Scott Jackson is our 'ologist'-at-large, recently held hostage by the provincial government (helping to run the River Forecast Centre) after completing his M.Sc. in Hydrology (University of Victoria). He is now a Regional Hydrologist in Smithers. As both a scientist and play-hog with a gazillion hours logged “in the field” he’s adept at sharing his knowledge and perspective across glaciology, geography, geology, climatology, hydrology meteorology, marine biology and ecology, and, of course kayakology and tarpology. Now strapped to a desk, Scott dreams and schemes to return as one of our much-loved Level 3 Kayak Guides. A graduate of Strathcona Park Lodge's COLT Program, Scott has led kayaking trips all over Vancouver Island. He is a seasoned and well-respected veteran on the water who loves guiding in the Kyuquot area and sharing his passionate curiosity about the wet west coast. His skilled instructional abilities will help you to find new comforts in a kayak, and new understandings of coastal environments.
Yojiro Hiki is an accomplished expedition kayaker and adventurer who has worked with West Coast Expeditions for 4 seasons. We first met Yojiro when he visited our base camp while solo paddling from Alaska to Victoria in 2000 - a 100-day trip! He has also completed a 40-day expedition on the west coast of Scotland, a 25-day expedition on the west coast of Hokkaido, Japan, and a 20-day journey in Gwaii Haanas National Park in the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia. These trips alone total over 3800 km of exposed coastal paddling!
Meanwhile, when you meet Yojiro, his gentle and unassuming manner would give you no clues of these accomplishments! WCE guests enjoy Yoji's exceptionally helpful manner, and attention to little details that add thoughtful touches to their kayaking adventure. Yojiro is a certified Level 2 Guide with the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC, avid telemark skier, ski patroller, Whistler taxi driver, landscaper, and paramedic in training.
Greg Shea, the man of many talents, is a Guide Trainer and Examiner with the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC, and Level 2 Instructor with Paddle Canada. A graduate of Strathcona Park Lodge's COLT Program in the early 90's, Greg has guided with an array of companies and taught for years with both North Island College and Capilano University's guide training programs. Greg's marine experience is vast: apart from years helping to set the standards in British Columbia's sea kayaking industry, he is an accomplished sailor and has his Limited Masters ticket for skippering commercial vessels - he knows the coast better than most. Having paddled throughout the BC coast, Baja Mexico, and Belize, we lure him in his early retirement years to guide and instruct whenever possible with West Coast Expeditions. But he's usually out skippering the Maple Leaf these days... Busy boy. Tough life.
